Jerald Kovacic

KOVACIC--Jerald J., a renowned leader in the application of algebraic techniques to differential equations theory died at his home of glioblastoma multiforme on April 1, 2009. He was 68. He died in the care of his loving partner and now husband of 32 years, Daniel J. Kiser. The famed Kovacic algorithm for solving second order linear ordinary differential equations has been implemented in commercial and open source scientific software. It is a breakthrough procedure for computing the algebraic group associated with the equation, called its differential Galois group. Dr. Kovacic received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1968. He was an assistant professor at Princeton University from 1968 until 1970. He taught at Lehman College, Fordham University, and Brooklyn College. From 1981 to 2001, he was computer programmer and technical director at JYACC, a computer services firm in NYC. Jerald was working on the challenging task of laying the foundations for a new geometry of differential equations, modeled on algebraic geometry. He was webmaster and defacto technical director of the Kolchin Seminar in Differential Algebra (KSDA), Graduate Center, CUNY. Memorial Service Friday, April 24, 6:30pm at his home. Contributions to City College/KSDA; c/o Dan Kiser, Inc, 307 7th Avenue 1405 New York, NY 10001.