History of mathematics through collaboration: Toward a composite portrait of Oswald Veblen

Abstract

Oswald Veblen played a pivotal role in the history of American mathematics in the twentieth century. His life, however, remains largely unstudied. This conference was designed to redress this issue by exploring Oswald Veblen and his contributions to the history of American and international mathematics in an interactive workshop that used the Veblen Papers from the US Library of Congress as a foundational and shared resource. With this frame, the conference raised queries and discussed issues related to Veblen, his mathematical contributions, and his collaborative initiatives, including his critical work aiding refugee mathematicians in WWII that helped establish long standing programs at American institutions that continue to advance mathematics at the highest level. The workshop echoed Veblen’s collaborative focus and brought together historians of mathematics and mathematicians to work alongside one another during the conference. This content and collaborative approach combined to advance our understanding of Veblen’s collaborations and the history of twentieth-century mathematics more broadly.