NEW ZEALANDER HONOURED

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 196, 16 May 1936, Page 10

NEW ZEALANDER HONOURED

Notable Mathematician FELLOWSHIP OF ROYAL SOCIETY Dominion Special Service. Dunedin, May 15. From cabled news received privately at Dunedin this morning it is learned that Dr. A. C. Aitken, a former student and graduate of the University of Otago, lias been elected to a fellowship of the Royal Society. It is very unusual for a man to be elected when put up for the first time, but this honour has fallen to Dr. Aitken. This is Hie fourth such award to come to a New Zealander. Professor W. B. Benham (Otago University) and Professor C. Farr (of Canterbury College) are members of the Royal Society, while the late Dr. L. Cockayne was also associated with the society at the time of his death. Dr. A. C. Aitken is a Dunedin boy educated at Albany Street School and later at Otago Boys’ High School, of which he was dux. His course at Otago University was interrupted because of the war, 'and ho fought both at Gallipoli and in Franco, being wounded while fighting in the latter country. He was widely known among soldiers because he knew the name of every man in his company, and also the number of each man’s rifle. When recuperating from his wounds in New Zealand he studied, and in 1918 qualified for a senior scholarship tn Latin, pure mathematics, and applied mathematics. The following year he graduated with first-class honours in Latin and French and second-class honours in mathematics. A few years later he was awarded a post-graduate scholarship by the University of New Zealand, and proceeded to Edinburgh to study under Professor Whittaker, one of the most distinguished of British mathematicians. Two years later he submitted a thesis for which he was awarded the degree of D.Sc., and became a member of the staff of the mathematical department of Edinburgh University. He has since been appointed lecturer in actuarial and statistical mathematics, which position he at present holds. While at Edinburgh University Dr. Aitken published a large number of papers embodying the results of his researches, aud for his eminence in this work he was awarded two years ago the MacDougall-Brisbane prize of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In collaboration with Professor Whittaker, Dr. Aitken published a book, “An Introduction to the Theory of Canonical Matrices.” Dr. Aitken is considered by some eminent mathematicians to be the greatest living mathematician. Professor Whittaker has stated that he considered Dr. Aitken the greatest living British mathematician since Cayley, who lived some 100 years ago.