was a Japanese
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
who for over three decades was on the faculty at
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
. He is known for his contributions to
algebraic geometry and
number theory
Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) said, "Mat ...
. The
Igusa zeta-function, the
Igusa quartic In algebraic geometry, the Igusa quartic (also called the Castelnuovo–Richmond quartic ''CR''4 or the Castelnuovo–Richmond–Igusa quartic) is a quartic hypersurface in 4-dimensional projective space, studied by .
It is closely related to the ...
,
Igusa subgroups,
Igusa curves, and
Igusa varieties are named after him.
He was an invited speaker for the 1962
International Congress of Mathematicians in
Stockholm. He was awarded Japan's
Order of the Sacred Treasure. In 2012 he became a fellow of the
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...
.
Life and career
Igusa was born in Kiyosato village,
Gunma Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 Square kilometre, km2 (2,456 Square mile, sq mi). Gunma P ...
, Japan, on 30 January 1924. He graduated from the
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...
in 1945 and received his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from
Kyoto University in 1953, after which he became professor of mathematics at the
University of Tsukuba
is a public research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. It is a top 10 Designated National University, and was ranked Type A by the Japanese government as part of the Top Global University Project.
The university has 28 colle ...
. After a brief period spent at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
, he took up a permanent position at Johns Hopkins University, in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. Igusa taught at Johns Hopkins from 1955 to 1993.
He joined the staff of the ''
American Journal of Mathematics
The ''American Journal of Mathematics'' is a bimonthly mathematics journal published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.
History
The ''American Journal of Mathematics'' is the oldest continuously published mathematical journal in the United S ...
'' as an associate editor in 1964, and served as chief editor between 1978 and 1993.
Igusa died, aged 89, of a stroke at Holly Hill Nursing Home in
Towson, Maryland
Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincor ...
, on 24 November 2013.
He had three sons, Kiyoshi, Takeru and Mitsuru.
Takeru Igusa is a professor of civil engineering at
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
.
Kiyoshi Igusa is a professor of mathematics at
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, ...
.
Publications
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*
*
References
1924 births
2013 deaths
20th-century Japanese mathematicians
21st-century Japanese mathematicians
Kyoto University alumni
Johns Hopkins University faculty
Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
Japanese expatriates in the United States
Academic journal editors
Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class
University of Tokyo alumni
People from Gunma Prefecture
Academic staff of the University of Tsukuba
Harvard University Department of Mathematics faculty
Harvard University faculty
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