NEW PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 30, 5 February 1908, Page 2

NEW PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS.

MR. DAVID PICKEN. SOME INTERESTING NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 27th December. By last week's mail 1 was able to send you somo brief notes concerning the appointment oi llr. David K. Kicken to tho Professorship of • Mathematics at Victoria College. Wellington. Since then I have bei»n able to glean sjme more items of interest about his past career. Mr. Picken was educated at Allan Glen's school, Glasgow, and the science training he received there determined to some extent the main lino of his academic work. This school was, and I believe still is, the foremoft science hij.li school in the United Kingdom. It was possible theie for the pupils to obtain a splendid training, of which tho groundwork was mathematics, physical science, and chemistry, and in Mr. Picken's own case it included the financial management of a very flourishing school magazine, called Allan Glen's Monthly. Insufficiency of classical work handicapped the pupils on their entrance into the Arts Faculty at the university, bub the value ot their earl^r training soon told. At tho University of Glasgow, while endeavouring to widen his basis of culture, Mr. Picken gradually look the foremost place in Mathematics {puro and applied) among thu :n^ii ot his time. H-3 qnined prizes in all hin clasres of Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, and, in particular he was First Prizeman in Lord Kelvin's clnss of Highor Applied Matho.mtics, ,n the last year that that recently deemed brilliant scientist occupied the Chair of Natural Philosophy. By that time Mr. Picken waa easily fivst in 1 the subjects of his honours gioup. In qualifying for graduation as M.A., with fiial-ctass honours, in October 1899, Mr. Picken was awarded the IMetcrlto's Fellowship, and, by tho aid of" this, it vas possible fnr him to continue his m.'thematiral- studies in tho Cnhorsity of Cambridge. In 1839 he went into /er.idencp at Jesu'x Coliegu, and was elected to a Foundation Scholarship in hip first year. At Cambridge most of his work was earned ,on under tho 'rare of two nion who were, curiously, both Senior Wri'nglsrs in thesame year — one in January aud one in June, tho year that tho ,<b.te changed ; Mr. Welsh; of Jcsu's College, and Mr. Herman, of Trinity College. At Iho end of Mr. Picken's first year at the university ho won tho Ferguson Mathematical Scholarship ; the parenthesis about "first tiial" refers to the fact that this scholarship almost invariably goes to a man who has previously enmneted unsuccessfully for it, whereas it became the property of Mr. Pickeo in his first year ; the Ferguson Mathematical Scholarship is open for competition to graduates of the universities of Scotland. Tn the Mathematical Tripos, Part 1, oi 1902, he sixth Wrangler, and, on the advice of his tutors, he proceeded to specialise on a branch of Applied Mathematics towaid Part II. 1 of this Tripos. During his year of preparation tho position of Chief Assistant to tht. Professor of Mathematics at Glasgow University fc-U .vacant, and Mr. Picken was asked, to , fill it ; and, after con, ciderable deliberation, ho came to tho determination not to lose such an exceptional opporbunuity of getting into good tuaching work. Since he has been a lecturer at Glas gow, Mr. Picken has taken an active part in tho 1 work of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society — the only society of its , kind in existence in< Scotland, and he waa editor of t^hc Proceedings for two sessions, and he has juyt boen elected vice-president. In the ordinary course ho would, at the next election, hay become president had he remained in /Scotland. Mr. Picken has been a regular contributor to tho Proceedings, with articles of varied character. The main lino of his recent wiitings has been that of the theorems fundamental to "Higher Mathematics" (so-called) A series of articles by Mr. Picken has been appearing in recent numbers of Tho Mathematical Gazette, which is the organ of the Mathematical Association. Pie is a contributor to other periodicals as well, and he is a member of the Glasgow union branch of t^ho Fabian Society. It is very probable that portions of the long vacations in New Zealand will be devoted by Mr. . Picken to making ready for the publication of a great doal of matter that has been collecting round his work with the classes at Glasgow, for the huge classes there and the work with them spread over nine months of the year, and don't leave much time for many outside interests. Mr. Picken has an interest in some branches of sport as well as in deep study, for while at school in Glasgow, and later on at the Glasgow University, ho used the gymnasium, and while at Cambridge he represented his college in a minoi capacity at rowing during tho winters and at lawn tennis during tho summer months. Pi'ofessor Picken will be accompanied by his wife, who is an M.A. of the University of Glasgow.