Other AIDS News
Dean
Obscure outside of academic circles, but very well known as a powerhouse in mathematics and science, a man named Serge Lang, recently died. Yale, where he was professor emeritus, published a touching writeup of his life and work. The New York Times, on the other hand, calls him a gadfly.
I exchanged mail with him once and wish I'd asked him more questions.
* Update * Oh, here's an excellent eulogy for Lang.
It's surprising how non-linear mathematics is. A good recreational bike rider can do roughly 2/3 Lance Armstrong's pace, whereas an average undergrad math student could work on a problem for a lifetime and there are people like Lang who could solve in five minutes.
Another nice tribute to Lang is that his textbooks are often recommended as *the* introduction to a subject area. E.g. "The Econometrics of Financial Markets" by Campbell, Lo, and MacKinlay references him.
Months later he sent me, unsolicited, a signed copy of one of his books, saying he enjoyed the conversation. A very kind gesture on his part.
Godspeed, Professor Lang.
Barnes