Grosjean, Carl C. (1926-2006)

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Mathematician and physicist, born in Kortrijk on 5 September 1926 and died in the same city on 2 October 2006.

Biography

Carl Grosjean was born on 5 September 1926 in Kortrijk. He went to secondary school at the Sint Jozefsinstituut in Kortrijk. He received the honorary medal of this institute. In 1947 he became a candidate in sciences, group Mathematics, at the State University of Ghent. Two years later he obtained a licentiate in science, group physics, at the same university.
In 1949, he joined the Interuniversity Institute for Nuclear Science as a researcher. In the same year, he obtained the Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory Fellowship, which allowed him to study at the aforementioned computing laboratory and in the Physics Department at the University of Columbia (NY). His fellowship was renewed for the period 1950-1951 and he obtained a PhD, group Physics.
From 1951 until 1958 he worked as a researcher at the Interuniversity Institute for Nuclear Science. With the support of the Francqui Foundation he was able to spent one year, in 1957, at the Physics Departement of the Princeton University.
His academic career started in June 1958 when he was appointed lecturer at the Faculty of Sciences of the State University of Ghent. During his academic career he was in charge of the courses of mathematical physics and mathematical analysis at the Faculty of Sciences. He also taught biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, engineering, geography, earth and mineral science, medicine and veterinary medicine.
He was appointed ordinary professor in 1962. In 1970 he was succeeded by Joseph Thas for the mathematics course in biology and geography.
In 1960 he was appointed director of the Interfaculty Calculation Laboratory at Ghent University, a position he held until 1972. From 1970 to 1986 he was director of the Seminar for Mathematical Physics at Ghent University.
In 1963, he held the Belgian Chair at University College London. In 1992, he held the Simon Stevin Chair at the University of Antwerp. He was the first person to be invited to give a series of lectures as part of this chair by this university.
He was admitted to emeritus status on 1 October 1986.
On 12 Ocotober 1968 he became corresponding member of the The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium, working member on 2 June 1973, director in 1978 and honorary member in 1999. At the KVAB he was part of the National Committee for Mathematics.
He was a Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold.
He died in Kortrijk on 2 October 2006.

Work

The scientific research of Carl Grosjean dealt with theoretical physics, mathematical analysis and applied mathematics.
During his stay at Princeton University he studied quantum field theory and the theoretical physics of solids.
He was managing editor of the Natuurwetenschappelijk tijdschrift Simon Stevin, until this journal merged with the Bulletin of the Belgian Mathematical Society – Simon Stevin, published by the Belgian Mathematical Society.
He won several prizes with his research: in 1950 the Interuniversity Competition and in 1953 the Baron Louis Empain Prize.
He also wrote an article on the nineteenth century physicist Joseph Plateau from Ghent.

Publications

• (met T.M. Rassias), "Joseph Plateau and his works", In: Rassias, T.M & Grosjean, Carl C. (red), The problem of Plateau. Londen, World Scientific Publishing, 1992, p. 3-17.
• Lijst met publicaties catalogus Universiteit van Gent geconsulteerd op 29/07/2010 om 10u.

Bibliography

• Thas, J.A. "In memoriam Grosjean Carl", In: Jaarboek 2006, Brussel: KVAB, p.149-150.
• "Grosjean, Carl C.", In: De Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor wetenschappen en kunsten en haar leden, Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor wetenschappen en kunsten, 2010, p.115.