Thomas J. Osler
American mathematician (1940–2023)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Joseph Osler (April 26, 1940 – March 26, 2023) was an American mathematician, national champion distance runner, and author.[1]
- Drexel University (BS)
New York University (PhD)
Thomas J. Osler | |
|---|---|
Osler at whiteboard in 2020 | |
| Born | April 26, 1940 Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | March 26, 2023 (aged 82) |
| Alma mater |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Rowan University |
Early life and education
Born in 1940 in Camden, New Jersey,[2] Osler was a graduate of Camden High School in 1957 and then studied physics at Drexel University, graduating in 1962.[3][4] He completed his PhD at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York University,[5] in 1970. His dissertation, Leibniz Rule, the Chain Rule, and Taylor's Theorem for Fractional Derivatives, was supervised by Samuel Karp.[6]
Career
Osler taught at Saint Joseph's University and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute[7] before joining the mathematics department at Rowan University in New Jersey in 1972;[8] he was a full professor at Rowan University until his death.[5]
In mathematics, Osler is best known for his work on fractional calculus.[9][10][11] He also gave a series of product formulas for that interpolate between the formula of Viète and that of Wallis.[12]
In 2009, the New Jersey Section of the Mathematical Association of America gave him their Distinguished Teaching Award.[13][14] A mathematics conference was held at Rowan University in honor of his 70th birthday in 2010.[7]
Running
Osler won three national Amateur Athletic Union championships at 25 km (1965), 30 km and 50 mi (1967).[15][16] Osler won the 1965 Philadelphia Marathon, finishing the race in freezing-cold weather in a time of 2:34:07.[17]
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Osler was involved in the creation of the Road Runners Club of America with Olympian Browning Ross; together they were elected as co-secretaries in 1959[18] and were among the four first official elected officers of the newly formed club.[19] He served on the Amateur Athletic Union Standards Committee in 1979.[20] He has been credited with helping to popularize the idea of walk breaks among US marathon runners.[2][4]
In 1980, Osler was inducted into the Road Runners Club of America Hall of fame.[18][21]
Running publications
Osler was the author of several books and booklets on running:
- Guide to Long Distance Running (a 20-page booklet coauthored with Edward Dodd) was published in 1965 by the South Jersey Track Club.[22]
- The Conditioning of Distance Runners (a 29-page booklet) was published in 1967 by the Long Distance Log.[2][4][22] It was reprinted in 1984–1985 in Runner's World magazine[23][24] and reprinted with a new foreword by Amby Burfoot in 2019.[25]
- Serious Runner's Handbook: Answers to Hundreds of your Running Questions (187 pages) was published by World Publications in 1978.[26]
- Ultramarathoning: The Next Challenge (299 pages, coauthored with Edward Dodd) was also published by World Publications, in 1979.[27]
Personal life and death
Osler was a resident of Glassboro, New Jersey.[13]
Osler died on March 26, 2023, at the age of 82.[28]