The lecture is open to the public and no prior mathematical knowledge is needed.
Professor Pengelley, author of books on calculus and the history of mathematics and himself a researcher for more than 25 years, will highlight the long-obscured work of Germain (1776-1831), who was also a physicist and philosopher. She persevered against gender bias to become the first woman known to have conducted key mathematical research.
Pengelley emphasizes history in the teaching of math. Probing Germain’s manuscripts, he learned that she sought to frame ‘a grand plan’ to prove the legendary Fermat’s Last Theorem, named after the French-born 17th-century mathematician Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665). Fermat’s famous puzzle in number theory has entered the popular lexicon in the works of Arthur C. Clarke and episodes of Doctor Who, The Simpsons and Star Trek: The Next Generation. The solution was not developed until 1995.
Born in Paris, Germain was barred from entering the newly-opened Ecole Polytechnique when she was 18. She later employed a male pseudonym to engage the world’s top mathematicians of the period, among them Lagrange, Legendre and Gauss.
In the Kieval Lecture, Pengelley will address Germain’s historical circumstances and her work, recommending that the mathematics community elevate her to the status of a major theorist. His lecture is titled “Here is What I Have Found: Sophie Germain’s Grand Plan for Proving Fermat’s Last Theorem.”
A research specialist in algebraic topology and recognized for his contributions to teaching, Pengelley is the coauthor of two textbooks. In 2009 he won the prestigious Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award of the Mathematical Association of America. It honors college and university educators whose contributions have influenced the profession beyond their home institutions.
Prior to his formal lecture at 7:30 p.m., Pengelley will be available at 3:30 for informal discussion at a tea on the third floor of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Building. Afterward, he will lead an HSU Mathematics Department colloquium, “So You Think You Understand Fractions? Enter Euclid to Shake You Up,” at 4:00 p.m. in Science B, Room 133. It will center on a major flaw recently discovered in Euclid’s proof of the fundamental fact about primes and divisibility.
Humboldt State’s Kieval Lecture Series brings eminent mathematicians to campus each year to address broad aspects of mathematics of interest to undergraduates and the general public. Through a substantial gift of stock in 1987, Harry S. Kieval, professor of mathematics at HSU from 1966 to 1979, established the University’s first charitable trust. In addition to supporting the lecture series, the Harry S. Kieval Endowment provides scholarships of up to $2000 annually to outstanding math students.
Details about the Mar. 28 Kieval events, including disability accommodations, are available at 707/826-5347. Reporters can request interviews with Professor Pengelley earlier in the day by contacting HSU Mathematics Professor Martin Flashman at 826-4950 or flashman@humboldt.edu.