New Committee on Applied Math Expects to Attract Top Students

The new Standing Committee on Applied Mathematics will "attract more students of high mathematical talent to the University," Harvey Brooks, Dean of Engineering and Applied Physics announced yesterday.

The committee will coordinate the present applied mathematics program and will grant Masters and Ph.D. degrees which will supplement those offered by the Division of Engineering and Applied Physics and will coordinate the present applied mathematics program, Brooks said.

"At present, there exist facilities and talents which make Harvard as a whole very strong in the field of applied mathematics," Brooks asserted. He predicted that the committee will permit the mathematically talented student to take the fullest advantage of what is available here.

Brooks cited the increasing demand for men with very broad mathematical training primarily interested in the application of mathematics as a main reason for initiating a new program. "The applied mathematician tends to be a Jack-of-all-trades," he stated.

The new degrees are designed especially for graduate students who wish to acquire a greater breadth in mathematical techniques and applications than is normally expected under the present program by the Division of Engineering and Applied Physics, Brooks noted.

The appointment of the committee has been postponed from the scheduled date of Dec. 1 and will not be announced for at least a week.