Albert Joseph McConnell
Albert Joseph McConnell | |
|---|---|
| 39th Provost of Trinity College Dublin | |
| In office 1 August 1952 – 1 August 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Ernest Alton |
| Succeeded by | F. S. L. Lyons |
| Member of the Council of State | |
| In office 2 January 1973 – 24 June 1973 | |
| Appointed by | Éamon de Valera |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 November 1903 Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland |
| Died | 24 August 1993 (aged 89) Dublin, Ireland |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin (B.A., 1926) Sapienza University of Rome (Ph.D., 1928) |
Albert Joseph McConnell (1903 – 1993) was an Irish mathematician and mathematical physicist who served as the 39th Provost of Trinity College Dublin from 1952 to 1974 and a member of the Council of State from January 1973 to June 1973. He spent his entire academic career at Trinity College Dublin.
He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, in 1903. He studied Mathematics and Philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin, graduating with a B.A. in 1926. He carried out his postgraduate studies in the Sapienza University of Rome under the direction of Professor Tullio Levi-Civita and was awarded his doctorate there in 1928. That same year, he was the official Irish delegate to the International Congress of Mathematicians in Bologna,[1] where he gave an invited address on "The Torsion of Riemannian Space"[2]
Upon returning to Trinity College, he was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy (Physics) and was elected Fellow in 1930. He specialized in tensor calculus, and published the book Applications of the Absolute Differential Calculus in 1931. He later co-edited The Mathematical Papers of Sir William Rowan Hamilton: Volume 2, Dynamics (1940).[3]
He was appointed Provost of Trinity College in 1952 and served for 22 years until his retirement in 1974. As he was elected for life, his retirement was voluntary. During his tenure he reformed the structures of Trinity, allowing more junior academics to hold offices such as Bursar, Senior Lecturer, and Registrar. He also oversaw the reform allowing women to be elected as Fellows and Scholars of Trinity College and to be entitled to reside on campus.[4]
On his retirement he was appointed by President Éamon de Valera to the Council of State.[4]
Books
[edit]- 1940 The Mathematical Papers of Sir William Rowan Hamilton: Volume 2, Dynamics, Cambridge, (co-edited with A. W. Conway)
- 1931 Applications of the Absolute Differential Calculus, Blackie & Son, reprinted by Dover in 1947 as Applications of Tensor Analysis
References
[edit]- ^ List of International Congresses of Mathematicians Plenary and Invited Speakers: 1928, Bologna
- ^ Congresso Internazionale dei Matematici 3-10 Settembre 1928 vol. 4, p.321
- ^ Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865): Mathematical Papers Trinity College Dublin: School of Mathematics: History
- ^ a b "Albert Joseph McConnell - Provost & President : Trinity College Dublin". Tcd.ie. 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
External links
[edit]- Albert Joseph McConnell at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
- Biography from Trinity College, Dublin
- Biography from Dictionary of Irish Biography
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