Person: Schwarz (2), Stefan
Stefan Schwarz was a Slovakian mathematician who worked in semigroups, number theory and finite fields.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Schwarz stayed at the Charles University after his undergraduate studies to work for his doctorate under the supervision of Karel Petr.
- Schwarz submitted his doctoral thesis On the reducibility of polynomials over finite fields in 1937.
- Schwarz knew that as a Jew his life would be in danger if he remained in Prague until the Nazis arrived so, immediately after Bohemia and Moravia were occupied, Schwarz left Prague and returned to Slovakia where he felt more safe.
- Many were sent to concentration camps and, in November 1944, Schwarz was betrayed to the SS by some local informers.
- Many of the remainder were transferred to other camps and indeed Schwarz was transferred to Buchenwald, a camp which complemented the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
- In April 1945, when Schwarz was near death, Buchenwald camp was liberated and his life was saved.
- Despite his horrific experiences during the war, Schwarz quickly began to devote his energies to rebuilding the education system in his country.
- in his dissertation Schwarz considered reducibility of polynomials over finite fields.
- In addition to his work on semigroups, number theory and finite fields, Schwarz contributed to the theory of non-negative and Boolean matrices.
- Schwarz organised the first International Conference on Semigroups in 1968.
- At this conference setting up the journal Semigroup Forum was discussed and Schwarz became an editor from Volume 1 which appeared in 1970, continuing as editor until 1982.
- Among the many honours which were awarded to Schwarz there were memberships of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1952 and the Slovak Academy of Sciences in 1953.
- Schwarz was awarded the 1980 National Prize of the Slovak Socialist Republic.
- Schwarz had a fine reputation as a teacher and was very well liked by his students who appreciated the help and guidance he gave them.
- The following student saying is well known among the initiated "If you don't understand Schwarz, go and study something far from mathematics ..." ...
Born 18 May 1914, Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Austria-Hungarian Empire (now Slovakia). Died 6 December 1996, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
View full biography at MacTutor
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Origin Slovakia
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
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- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
