Conference to Honor OSU's Resident Mathematical Philosopher, Math Genius

When you think of the term interdisciplinary, Professor Harvey Friedman should come to mind. It is the current watchword in higher education today, but Friedman, for more than 40 years, has been answering questions and solving problems that are so broad and complex that they can't be addressed through a single discipline or field. On May 14-17, his fellow international scholars, disciples, and other admirers will descend upon Columbus for "Foundational Adventures" a special conference in honor of his 60th birthday. It is a fitting way of commemorating Friedman, a new kind of interdisciplinary scholar and one always ahead of his time. He has long held the notion that higher education is too rigid and restrictive, long before it gained popularity.

A child prodigy, Friedman entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 15 where he ran through the freshman-to-Ph.D. course in a mere three years. In 1967, with doctoral degree in hand, he joined the faculty at Stanford University as an assistant professor three days before his 19th birthday. This particular achievement was noted in the Guinness Book of World Records and reported in major publications around the world, including Life Magazine. Numerous accolades have followed over the years including the National Science Foundation's prestigious Alan T. Waterman Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and recognition by Science Digest as one of the top 100 scientists in the U.S. under 40 in 1984. Closer to home, he was most recently recognized as a University Distinguished Lecturer for 2007-2008.

He is first and foremost renowned for his work in mathematical logic and the foundation of mathematics, although he has held faculty appointments in computer science, music, and philosophy.

On top of being the world's leading mathematical logician---the founder of so-called "reverse mathematics"---he is also an accomplished pianist. Of special note is that Friedman, at age 60, is pioneering a new musical art form, which enables him to make classical piano music CDs of high professional caliber. This is in addition to ongoing transformational work in mathematics, philosophy, and computer science.

"Foundational Adventures", which is supported with major funding from the John Templeton Foundation and the National Science Foundation, will be held at the Blackwell Inn and Conference Center.

Says conference organizer and Philosophy Professor Neil Tennant, "It is an extraordinary celebration of the lifetime achievements of a quite exceptional foundational and interdisciplinary thinker. It is the most impressive gathering in the area of foundations since the famous conference in Königsberg in 1930 at which Kurt Gödel announced his celebrated incompleteness theorems during a discussion on foundations."

Friedman is a stunning example of the "child genius who made good," by continuing to make enormous contributions, with astoundingly fertile research projects. The assemblage of leading international scholars on their way to Ohio State to honor him is testimony to the level of esteem in which he is held.