Brian Griffith and Mathematics Education at Southampton
On 13 October 2010, Professor Geoffrey Howson will talk on the life and work of Professor Brian Griffith.
Between 1960 and the early 1990s, the Mathematics Department at Southampton University became noted for the part it played in mathematics education both at school and university levels. The department was known for the reform of school mathematics teaching, its own innovatory university courses and undergraduate examining methods, and for the contributions members of staff made to mathematics education both nationally and internationally. Much of this attention was due to Brian Griffiths, professor of pure mathematics in this department between 1964 and 1992, who died in June 2008. Brian was an outstanding mathematician and leader, who contributed greatly through his own work and enthusiasm and also by the encouragement and help he gave to others. This talk will explore Brian’s life, mathematical education in Southampton, and how they came to overlap.