Biographical entry Room, Thomas Gerald (1902 - 1986)

Summary

Gerald Room was Professor of Mathematics, University of Sydney, 1935-1968. Earlier he had studied and then taught at St John's College, Cambridge 1920-1935.

Details

Born St George, Camberwell, County of London, 10 November 1902. Died Sydney, 2 April 1986. Educated St John's College, Cambridge (BA 1923, ScD 1955). Lecturer in mathematics, University of Liverpool 1925-27; Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge 1926-28; lecturer in mathematics, University of Cambridge 1923-35; Professor of Pure Mathematics, University of Sydney 1935-68, part-time lecturer 1969, Dean, Faculty of Science 1952-56, 1960-65; work on projective planes, Westfield College, England 1969-71; Staff Tutor for the North West Region, Open University 1971, writing course material 1972-73; returned to Australia 1974. Military intelligence work 1941-45. Sometime Chairman of the Mathematics Syllabus Committee and Chief Mathematics Examiner for the Leaving Certificate. Fellow, Royal Society 1941, Lyle Medal 1941; Foundation Fellow, Australian Academy of Science 1954. President, Australian Mathematical Society 1960-62; editor, Australian Mathematical Society Journal 1959-64. Commemorated by T.G. Room Award, presented annually since 1968 to the student who gains first place in the Higher School Certificate mathematics examination and by the mathematics library at University of Sydney being named the T.G. Room Library in 1989.

Related entries

Archival resources

University of Sydney, Archives

• Thomas Gerald Room - Records, 1926 - 1973, Acc. 1062; University of Sydney, Archives. Details

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Butler, S. J.; Room, T. G., 'Obituary: Dansie Thomas Sawkins', Australian Journal of Science, vol. 12, no. 6, 1950, pp. 210-211. Details
• Hirschfeld, J. W. P. and Wall, G. E., 'Thomas Gerald Room 1902-1986', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 7, no. 1, 1987, pp. 109-122. Also available at http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9870710109.htm. Details

Online Resources

• Hirschfeld, J. W. P. and Wall, G. E., 'Thomas Gerald Room 1902-1986', in Australian Academy of Science Biographical Memoirs, Australian Academy of Science, 2006, http://www.science.org.au/fellows/memoirs/room.html. Details
• 'Room, Thomas Gerald (1902-1986)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1474291. Details