Nathaniel A. Friedman

Friedman, Nathaniel A. ALBANY Nathaniel "Nat" Abraham Friedman, 82 of Albany, died on May 2, 2020, from complications due to COVID-19. Nat was a mathematician, educator, and pioneer in the international art and math movement. Nat was born on March 15, 1938, in Chicago to the late William and Sophie Friedman. Nat's earliest passion was baseball which he played at the University of Michigan in 1956. Nat received both B.A. and M.A. degrees in mathematics from Michigan and then attended Brown University where he received a doctorate in 1964, under the direction of Rafael Chacon. After appointments at the University of New Mexico, and Westfield College, University of London, Nat settled into a tenure-track position at the State University of New York at Albany in 1968. Nat wrote one of the early textbooks on ergodic theory, called "An Introduction to Ergodic Theory" (1970). Ergodic theory is a field of pure mathematics that studies the statistics of systems that change over time. Nat laid a foundation in ergodic theory and dynamical systems that continues to have a broad influence on many areas of mathematics to this day. In 1992, Nat Friedman started the international and interdisciplinary Art and Mathematics Conference, which convened annually in Albany. In 1998 he founded ISAMA (The International Society for the Arts, Mathematics, and Architecture) to further interdisciplinary education relating the arts, mathematics and architecture, with international conferences in the USA and Europe. Nat's ISAMA newsletter HYPERSEEING became a quarterly magazine covering a lively mix of art/math articles, news, reviews of books and exhibits, announcements, and even cartoons. Nat retired as full professor in 2000 and focused his energy on the art/math community and his own artistic practice. Nat had already been sculpting for nearly 30 years after taking his first sculpture class in 1971. Over time, Nat became comfortable sculpting with several materials, including wood, stone and then, ceramics and most recently, metal. Nat explored ways of seeing and hyperseeing through different mathematical forms and concepts including knots, minimal surfaces, Mobius strips, fractals, and chaos. As if this isn't enough for one person to accomplish in a lifetime, Nat Friedman's greatest passion may have been ballroom dancing. Nat continued to dance well into retirement, and enriched the lives of many others by introducing them to the world of ballroom dance. Nat even organized a ballroom dance lesson for attendees of his retirement ceremony in 2000. Nat is survived by six first cousins: Audrey Lazik Gold, Arthur Lazik, George Lazik. Arnold Horwich, Alan Horwitz, and Gerry Goldberg. Nat left behind a far reaching legacy and long lasting impact with hundreds of mathematicians and artists. Nat was a teacher and educator at heart, and had a knack for opening up a whole new world to anyone with an appetite for learning. All those who knew Nat well, will miss Nat dearly. Memorial donations may be made in Nat's name to the National Museum of Mathematics, https://momath.org/, where Nat served as advisor.