You reached this page through the archive. Click here to return to the archive.

Note: This article is over a year old and information contained in it may no longer be accurate. Please use the contact information in the lower-left corner to verify any information in this article.

Humke to present fourth dimension in year's first Mellby lecture

By Meredith Utt '08
November 11, 2004

St. Olaf College Professor of Mathematics Paul Humke will present "Voyager From the Fourth Dimension," on Thursday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. in Viking Theater, Buntrock Commons. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is the first of this year's 23rd Annual Carl Mellby Memorial Lecture Series at St. Olaf.

HumkeLG04
Humke, in his 24th year of teaching at St. Olaf, shows some representations of the fourth dimension.
Humke's lecture, inspired by an applied linear algebra class he taught 20 years ago, will present an introduction to the geometry of 4-dimensional space using a number of simple geometric objects, including 4-dimesional cubes and spheres. After the class had written a computer program from scratch that manipulated both 4- and 5-dimensional objects, Humke and his students worked with the Art Department to gather and link images of the objects to create a movie. During the lecture the audience will have the opportunity to view the updated movie and witness the rotation of a 4-dimensional cube in 4-dimensional space.

"This is an honor and a thrill," says Humke. "The Mellby lecture series is really a fun part of faculty life. It's one of the highlights of the faculty's academic year."

Currently in his 24th year on the St. Olaf faculty, Humke received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1972. Before coming to St. Olaf, Humke served on the faculty at Western Illinois University for 10 years. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, North Carolina State University, Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, St. Andrews University in Scotland and at Washington and Lee University. Humke has taught various undergraduate level mathematics courses, including calculus and elementary real analysis.

Humke also serves as the North American Director of the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program that gives 120 North American junior and senior college students the opportunity to spend a semester in Hungary studying advanced mathematics from noted mathematicians. An active real analyst, Humke is one of two managing editors for the international research journal Real Analysis Exchange. He has published numerous articles in Real Analysis Exchange, Math and many other journals.

Humke enjoys woodworking and outdoor activities such as fishing and canoeing. He is a founding member and active participant in the BCG ("Blue Collar Guys") running group made up of St. Olaf faculty members. He and his wife, Bonnie, have three children, Kristi '90, Eric and Peter.

The annual Mellby Memorial Lectures are given in remembrance of Dr. Carl A. Mellby and were established to let St. Olaf faculty members share their research with others. Mellby, known as "the father of the social sciences" at St. Olaf, started the first courses in economics, sociology, political science and art history at the college. He was professor and administrator from 1901 until 1949, taught Greek, German, French, religion and philosophy, and is credited with creating the collegeŭs honor system. St. Olaf Professor of French Jolene Barjasteh will present the next Mellby lecture in the spring.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.