John Mackintosh Howie
John Mackintosh Howie was a Scottish mathematician and prominent semigroup theorist.Biography
Howie was educated at Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen, the University of Aberdeen and Balliol College, Oxford, where he wrote a Ph.D. thesis under the direction of Graham Higman.
In 1966 University of Stirling was established with Walter D. Munn at head of the department of mathematics. Munn recruited Howie to teach there.
According to Christopher Hollings,
He won the Keith Prize of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1979–81. He was Regius Professor of Mathematics at the University of St Andrews from 1970–1997. No successor to this chair was named until 2015 when Igor Rivin was appointed.
Howie was charged with reviewing universal, comprehensive secondary education in Scotland, which was viewed as failing its students. Impressed with education in Denmark, his committee proposed a tracking scheme to improve academic outcomes, and communicated recommendations in Upper Secondary Education in Scotland.Public appointments
- Mathematics Panel, Scottish Examination Board 1967–73; Convener from 1970
- Chairman, Scottish Central Committee for Mathematics 1975–81
- President, Edinburgh Mathematical Society 1973–74
- London Mathematical Society :
- * Council 1982-88, 1989–92
- * Vice-president 1986–88, 1990–92
- * Chairman of Education Committee 1985–89
- * Chairman of Public Affairs Committee 1990–92
- Member of Dunning Committee 1975–77
- Chairman of Governors, Dundee College of Education 1983–87
- Governor, Northern College of Education 1987–2001
- Chairman, Scottish Mathematical Council 1987–93
- Chairman, Committee to review fifth and sixth years 1990-92
- Council, Royal Society of Edinburgh 1992–1995
- Chairman, Steering Committee, International Centre for Mathematical Sciences 1991-97.
Books
- 1976: An Introduction to Semigroup Theory, Academic Press
- 1991: Automata and Languages, Clarendon Press
- 1992: Upper Secondary Education in Scotland
- 1995: Fundamentals of Semigroup Theory, Clarendon Press
- 2001: Real Analysis, Springer books
- 2003: Complex Analysis, Springer books
- 2006: Fields and Galois Theory, Springer books
