Thom, Rene (1923-2002), a French mathematician, developed two important areas of mathematics: cobordism theory and catastrophe theory. Cobordism theory gives a method of classifying smooth objects called manifolds. Catastrophe theory deals with how smooth, gradual changes can produce a sudden, discontinuous result. Catastrophe theory has found widespread applications in engineering, physical sciences, social sciences, and biology.
Rene Frederic Thom was born on Sept. 2, 1923, in Montbeliard, France. He received a degree in mathematical sciences at the Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, in 1946. From 1946 to 1950, he worked at the National Center for Scientific Research in Strasbourg. He received his doctorate in 1951. Thom was a professor at Strasbourg University from 1954 to 1963, and in 1964, he became a professor at the Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies in Bures-sur-Yvette.
Thom worked in the branch of mathematics known as topology. That branch is concerned with properties of geometrical figures that do not change when the figures are bent, molded, or stretched (see Topology ). Manifolds are important objects in topology. In the 1960’s, Thom became interested in morphogenesis (the development and differentiation of the form and structure of biological organisms). His book Structural Stability and Morphogenesis (1972) introduced the theory of catastrophes, or abrupt changes, and classified catastrophes into seven basic types.
In 1958, Rene Thom received the Fields Medal, the most important international award in mathematics, for his work on cobordism theory. His other awards include the Brouwer Medal of the Academy of Sciences of the Netherlands (1970) and the Grand Prix of Science of the city of Paris (1974). Thom died on Oct. 25, 2002, in Bures-sur-Yvette, France.
