Jerry Kevorkian

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Jirair "Jerry" Kevorkian (May 14, 1933 – November 9, 2021) was an American applied mathematician and a founding member of the University of Washington's Department of Applied Mathematics. He was recognized for his contributions to asymptotic analysis, perturbation theory, and their applications in aerodynamics and fluid dynamics. Kevorkian co-authored textbooks on multiple scale perturbation methods and partial differential equations.

Early life and education

Jerry Kevorkian was born in Jerusalem on May 14, 1933. He earned his Bachelor’s (1955) and Master’s (1956) degrees in aeronautical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. After working as an aerodynamist at General Dynamics and Convair, he pursued a Ph.D. at the California Institute of Technology under the supervision of Julian Cole. He completed his dissertation, *The Uniformly Valid Asymptotic Approximations to the Solutions of Certain Nonlinear Ordinary Differential Equations*, in 1961.^{[circular reference]}

Academic career

Kevorkian joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 1964 as an assistant professor in Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 1971, he became a full professor with joint appointments in Applied Mathematics and Aeronautics. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Department of Applied Mathematics at UW, serving as one of its first chairs.

Research contributions

Kevorkian was an expert on asymptotic methods and perturbation theory. His research contributions include:

• Multiple Scale Perturbation Methods: Co-authored with Julian Cole a seminal textbook on multiple scale analysis that remains foundational in applied mathematics.
• Green's Function Approaches to PDEs: Authored a widely used textbook on Green's function methods for solving partial differential equations.^{[citation needed]}
• Critical Inclination Problem: Contributed to solutions for satellite trajectories under critical inclination conditions using singular perturbation techniques.

Selected publications

• Multiple Scale and Singular Perturbation Methods (with Julian Cole)^{[citation needed]}
• Partial Differential Equations: Analytical Solution Technique^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• Remembering Professor Jerry Kevorkian - UW Applied Math
• History of UW Applied Mathematics