D. M. Smith
| D. M. Smith | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | July 27, 1884 Nashville, Tennessee |
| Died | November 26, 1962 |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions |
Georgia Tech Centenary College Fort Worth University |
| Alma mater |
Vanderbilt University University of Chicago |
| Doctoral advisor | Gilbert Ames Bliss |
| Known for | Calculus of variations |
David Melville "Doc" Smith (July 27, 1884 – November 26, 1962) was a renowned professor and mathematician at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). During his more than forty years at the school, he was particularly known for his teaching style and personality. Georgia Tech's D. M. Smith Building, which has housed numerous academic departments, is named in his honor.
D. M. Smith was born in 1884 in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Vanderbilt University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1905 and a master's degree in 1906. Upon leaving Vanderbilt, Smith began teaching mathematics at Centenary College of Louisiana. He later moved to Texas after accepting a teaching position at Fort Worth University (now part of Oklahoma City University). Smith then returned to graduate school at the University of Chicago, where he received his Ph.D. under the advisement of Gilbert Ames Bliss. As with the most notable research of his advisor, Smith focused on the calculus of variations in his dissertation, Jacobi's Condition for the Problem of Lagrange in the Calculus of Variations. After graduating from the University of Chicago, Smith was hired by the Georgia Institute of Technology as an assistant professor.
Smith spent over forty years as a professor of mathematics at Georgia Tech. One of Smith's duties was teaching an introductory calculus course for which he received much acclaim from students. Smith was promoted in 1922 from assistant professor to associate professor. In 1936, Smith accepted a full professorship and the position of head of the Georgia Tech Mathematics department. Smith stepped down from his department head position due to his age in 1950, retiring in 1954. The Georgia Tech Alumni Association presented Smith with an Honorary Alumnus Award in 1959. Smith died of natural causes in 1962 at age 78. He was a charter member of the Mathematical Association of America.
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