FOREIGN MATHEMATICIANS AT QUAID-I-AZAM UNIVERSITY
Pak. Math. Soc. Newsl., Issue 2, Volume 5, 2006
The history of mathematics is an enticing but neglected
field in Pakistan. One reason for this lies in the nature of intellectual
history in Pakistan. Telling the story of mathematics is not a conceptually
distinct undertaking from describing the theory of mathematics, though the two
presentations appear in different guises.
The Mathematics Department of
Quaid-i-Azam University, born in 1967, being the only federal and post-graduate
department, has played a leading role in establishing traditions in
mathematical research in Pakistan. Its contribution in producing a locally
educated mathematical workforce in Pakistan has yielded a mathematical culture,
which has its own peculiar dimensions and effects. It is worthwhile to look at
the history of the Mathematics Department of Quaid-i-Azam University
analytically and see its influence on research in mathematics.
The Commission on National
Education came to the conclusion in 1958-59 that the post graduate studies in
scientific and technological disciplines required a great deal of
reorganization and development. In 1962 the case of post-graduate studies in
the basic sciences was taken up again and it was proposed that one center of
Advanced Studies and Research should be developed in each university of
Pakistan. The international component of the financial support was supposed to
have been received from UNESCO, USAID, and Ford Foundation. But at the time
UNESCO ran into political and financial crises and therefore the plan received
a setback. Later in the same year, the Commission on National Education decided
on an alternative plan. It decided to establish a post-graduate university at
the national capital.
Dr.M.Raziuddin Siddiqi, who was
then the chief of Higher Education in the Reforms Implementation Unit and Vice
Chancellor of the University, managed to win support from Dr Herman B.Wells,
President of Indiana University, Dr.McGeorge Bundy, President of the Ford
Foundation, Dr.David Bell, Vice-President Ford Foundation and Dr.George Gant,
Representative of the Ford Foundation. On 5th December 1964,
Dr.M.Raziuddin Siddiqi assumed charge of the Vice-Chancellor’s office of the
University of Islamabad in the office of the Science and Technology Research
Division, of which he was the in-charge, in a building near the Ministry of
Education at Chaklala. When Dr Siddiqi relinquished charge of the Division, a
spacious building in Satellite Town near the Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi
was rented for the university office early in 1966, and very soon after that
when teaching and research work started on a regular basis, a number of other
buildings were hired in the neighbourhood. The foundation-laying ceremony of
the permanent campus took place in June 1967 and the University of Islamabad
Act was approved by the National Assembly on 2nd July 1967.
In the first Five-Year Plan
(1965-70), it was decided that the university would be purely unitary type,
without any affiliated colleges – it would consist only of its own teaching
institutes. Each institute would be of inter-disciplinary character containing
all the major branches of the subject. As a result, there would be no separate
departments of Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Statistics as in the
other universities of the South Asian subcontinent, but only one Institute for
Mathematical Sciences encompassing all the branches of mathematics shall be
developed. The M.Phil. and M.Sc. classes in Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
started in September 1966. Eminent visiting professors from abroad were
appointed to give regular course of lectures in these subjects.
The Ford Foundation first started
to help the Government of Pakistan in founding Quaid-i-Azam University by
funding foreign faculty members, followed later by UNESCO. The list of foreign
faculty members funded by the Ford Foundation include Marvin Marcus (linear
algebra, spring 1970); W. D. Rannie (fluid mechanics); F. A. Graybill
(statistics, spring 1971); S. Eilneberg (mathematics, spring 1971). The latter
wrote his book on "Automata, machines and languages" while he was at
Quaid-i-Azam University. The foreign faculty funded by UNESCO includes R.
Wiegandt (algebra, August 1970 - July 1972); H. Klitzing (computer science,
arrived in spring 1972); A. V. Arhangelskii (topology, arrived late spring 1972
and spent about 3 years).
The author is grateful to Professor Dr Richard Wiegandt who provided information about foreign mathematicians at QAU.
ReplyDelete𝙳𝚛. 𝚁𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚆𝚒𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜.
Delete𝙳𝚛. 𝚁𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚆𝚒𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜.
Delete𝚃𝚊𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚛 𝚂𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚚
A little strange and worriful if the story of foreign mathematicians at QAU ends in 1972.
ReplyDeleteI might some day write about MD QAU beyond 1972.
ReplyDeleteForeign mathematicians were supported by Ford Foundation and later by UNESCO. The longest stay of a foreign mathematician was of Prof Arhangelskii - a famous topologist. Now you dont see a single topologist in the department. A couple of his bright students are in the US and Saudi Arabia.
Of all the people at MD, QAU, Prof Qadir had the potential and resources to develope MD. He should with my help given it an international dimension. He should have supported my efforts in moving further for AIMS. He should have supported me at least if nothing else. But instead, he created, with the help of his PhD student Brig Dr Rafiq, CAMP at NUST.
ReplyDelete