2010
University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
Freedman entered the University of California, Berkeley, in 1968.
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Freedman studied at Princeton University where he received Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1973 for his doctoral dissertation titled "Codimension-Two Surgery". His thesis supervisor was William Browder.
1994
from left to right: Jake, Sam, Michael, Nancy, Whitney, Ben, and Hartley.
2010
Jake, Shanda, Whitney, Sam, Belmont, Michael, Hartley.
University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
Freedman entered the University of California, Berkeley, in 1968.
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Freedman studied at Princeton University where he received Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1973 for his doctoral dissertation titled "Codimension-Two Surgery". His thesis supervisor was William Browder.
1985
Michael, Ben, Nancy and Hartley.
2008
Michael, Ben, Nancy.
2008
Santa Barbara, CA 93105, USA
Sam, Jake, Hartley, Michael, Whitney, on Lizard’s Mouth near Santa Barbara.
2009
Jake, Whitney, Hartley, Sam, Nancy, Ben, Michael.
Michael's oldest son, Ben, as a child.
Michael Freedman's wife, Leslie (Sam) Howland, with their first-born child, Hartley.
Mike and Hartley on Mount Rainier.
William Browder
(This book, the inaugural volume in the University Lecture...)
This book, the inaugural volume in the University Lecture Series, is based on lectures presented at Pennsylvania State University in February 1987. The lectures attempt to give a taste of the accomplishments of manifold topology over the last 30 years. By the late 1950s, algebra and topology had produced a successful and beautiful fusion. Geometric methods and insight, now vitally important in topology, encompass analytic objects such as instantons and minimal surfaces, as well as nondifferentiable constructions. Keeping technical details to a minimum, the authors lead the reader on a fascinating exploration of several developments in geometric topology.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0821870009/?tag=2022091-20
1989
(One of the great achievements of contemporary mathematics...)
One of the great achievements of contemporary mathematics is the new understanding of four dimensions. Michael Freedman and Frank Quinn have been the principals in the geometric and topological development of this subject, proving the Poincar and Annulus conjectures respectively. In Topology of 4-Manifolds these authors have collaborated to give a complete and accessible account of the current state of knowledge in this field. The basic material has been considerably simplified from the original publications, and should be accessible to most graduate students. The advanced material goes well beyond the literature; nearly one-third of the book is new. This work is indispensable for any topologist whose work includes four dimensions. It is a valuable reference for geometers and physicists who need an awareness of the topological side of the field.
https://www.amazon.com/Topology-4-Manifolds-PMS-39-Princeton-Mathematical/dp/0691602891/?tag=2022091-20
1990
Michael Hartley Freedman was born on April 21, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, United States. His father, Benedict Freedman, was an American Jewish aeronautical engineer, musician, writer, and mathematician. His mother, Nancy Mars Freedman, performed as an actress and also trained as an artist. Benedict and Nancy Freedman were joint authors of several well-known novels. They had three children, Johanna, Michael and Deborah.
Michael Freedman showed exceptional talents in mathematics as he grew up. However, during high school, he also enjoyed painting in an expressionist style. He took a batch of paintings, mostly watercolors, to college with him, but the idea of becoming a painter soon disappeared.
Freedman entered the University of California, Berkeley, in 1968, and continued his studies at Princeton University where he received Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1973 for his doctoral dissertation titled "Codimension-Two Surgery". His thesis supervisor was William Browder.
In 1973, Michael Freedman was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1976 he was appointed an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego.
Freedman spent the year 1980-1981 at the Institute for Advanced Study, returning to University of California, San Diego, where in 1982 he was promoted to professor.
He was appointed the Charles Lee Powell chair of mathematics at University of California, San Diego in 1985. Freedman continued to hold the Charles Lee Powell Professorship of Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego until 1998 when he left the academic world to take up an appointment with Station Q, a Microsoft research group, working on topological quantum computing. Besides, Freedman became the director of Station Q.
In addition, Freedman has authored a number of publications, including, with Frank Quinn, "Topology of 4-Manifolds" (1990); "Surgery on Codimension 2 Submanifolds" (1977); "Classification of Four-Dimensional Spaces" (1982); and, with Feng Luo, "Selected Applications of Geometry to Low-Dimensional Topology" (1989).
Freedman has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including Sloan Research Fellowship (1980), and a MacArthur Fellowship (1984), among others. He was also California Scientist of the Year in 1984.
Moreover, Freedman was awarded a Fields Medal in 1986 for his work on the Poincaré conjecture. In addition, he received the Veblen Prize from the American Mathematical Society in that year.
In June 1987 Freedman was presented with the National Medal of Science at the White House by President Ronald Reagan. The following year he received the Humboldt Award and, in 1994, he received the Guggenheim Fellowship Award.
(This book, the inaugural volume in the University Lecture...)
1989(One of the great achievements of contemporary mathematics...)
1990Michael Freedman has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences (since 1984), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (since 1985), and American Mathematical Society.
Michael Freedman was married twice. He has a son Benedict C. Freedman from his first marriage.
He married his second wife Leslie (Sam) Blair Howland on September 18, 1983. The couple has three children - Hartley, Whitney, and Jake.
Benedict Freedman wrote scripts for the Red Skeleton Show for 12 years, and for Mickey Rooney movies, such as Atomic Kid and Hatari; he still enjoyed doing math in his spare time. He taught at Occidental College until his retirement.
Benedict Freedman married Nancy Mars, a dancer, actress and writer, in 1941.
In 1947 Ben and Nancy published their first novel "Mrs. Mike" a best seller about a teenage girl who went to live in northern Canada in the 1800s.
Nancy died in 2010.
Johanna Freedman has a Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford and is a professor at UC Irvine Medical School where she directs a program in the medical humanities and the arts.
Deborah Freedman is an opera singer and teaches voice, sometimes at UC Berkeley.
