"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you." Carl Sandburg "Our time on the earth is like an eclipse - we too are just a passing shadow in earth's history. May our lives be a legacy of good stewardship for those who follow." Carl Kurtz "If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things." Rene Descartes "Man is the religious animal. He is the only religious animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion - several of them." Mark Twain "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." Native American proverb "Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn't matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough." Richard Feynman "Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose." Albert Einstein "The meaning of life is in the living of it."

Kendall E. Atkinson, Professor Emeritus

(I am done grading papers and tests, sitting on committees, etc.!)

Department of Computer Science
Department of Mathematics

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa 52242

office: 1B MacLean Hall
office phone: (319) 335-0766
home phone: (319) 337-4866
secretary: (319) 335-0714
fax: (319) 335-0627
e-mail: Kendall-Atkinson@uiowa.edu

Research Interests

• Numerical Solution of Integral Equations.
• Boundary Integral Equation Methods.
• Multivariate Approximation, Interpolation, and Quadrature.
• Spectral Methods for Partial Differential Equations.

Using MATLAB GUIs To Teach Numerical Analysis

I am developing MATLAB GUIs to aid and encourage students in experimenting with standard numerical analysis methods for some of the basic problems in numerical analysis. For free downloads of these, click here. For a complete look at the materials used by the author in teaching elementary numerical analysis, click here.

Publications

• Articles and reports
• Some student PhD theses
• Fredholm integral equation programs
• 2-D Laplace BIE programs
• 3-D Laplace BIE programs on smooth surfaces
• 3-D Boundary element package
• Miscellaneous codes
• Books I have written or co-authored.

Personal Information

Contact me for a copy of my curriculum vitae.
For my publications list (including some pending work), click here.
To access my anonymous ftp site, click here.

My Erdös number is 2.

In 2011 I was designated a SIAM Fellow.

For my Google Scholar page, click here.

Odds and Ends - Mathematical and Related

• Numerical Analysis Page - University of Iowa
• Materials and a course web page to accompany teaching from Elementary Numerical Analysis.
• Scholarpedia article on Numerical Analysis
• Mathematics & The Two Cultures
• Applied vs. Pure Mathematics
• A selection of general interest mathematics books for both the lay person and the technically educated mathematician.
• MathWorld - An encyclopedic general mathematics resource created and maintained by Eric Weisstein
• Mathematical Constants - by Steven Finch. He has also written the marvelous book Mathematical Constants, published by Cambridge University Press.
• The Mathematics Genealogy Project
• The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive
• Images of Mathematicians on Postage Stamps
• Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics
• Earliest Uses of Various Mathematical Symbols
• Australian Mathematical Society

Odds and Ends - General

• The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History, located in MacBride Hall on the central campus of the University of Iowa.  In particular, check out Iowa Hall, a smaller museum within the overall museum. It covers Iowa from ancient geological times to the present; it is a good introduction to the natural history of Iowa. Other parts of the museum included Bird Hall and Mammal Hall; these are older collections that have been refurbished and modernized in their outlook. Other collections are scattered elsewhere in MacBride Hall, and the archives contain a very large number of items.
• Fred W. Kent Park.  This is the main county park for Johnson County in Iowa (the county containing the University of Iowa), and it is located 3 miles west of Tiffin on Highway 6. The park has an area of 1,082 acres, with forest, prairie, and wet-land areas.  A 27-acre lake is stocked with catfish, large mouth bass, bluegill, walleye and crappie. The park is excellent for walking, containing many trails.  Also, check out the Conservation Education Center, which is also a visitors' center; it is open on weekends from early May to late October.
• MacBride Nature Recreation Area. This is a large forested area located between Lake MacBride State Park and the Coralville Reservoir. It is located 15 miles North of Iowa City on Mehaffey Bridge Road.  It is maintained by the University of Iowa and used by the university for a variety of recreational activities.  The MacBride Nature Area is rented from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Check out the Raptor Center that is located here.
• Whats Happening in the Iowa City - Cedar Rapids Corridor
• Some travel pictures
• Links to the Unitarian Universalist Association - Affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person
  
  • Principles and Purposes
  • The Unitarian Universalist Association - National offices
  • The Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City
• Truth
• Thoughts on Science and Religion
• Links for purchasing books over the web.
• Today's Dilbert
• Cartoons of Sydney Harris from The American Scientist.
• BBC News