UN marks impact of George Boole

The UN recognised the impact of the work of mathematician and former UCC Professor George Boole at a plenary session of the General Assembly in New York this week.

The General Assembly has designated October 20 as World Statistics Day in a resolution introduced by Hungary and co-sponsored by Ireland.

The resolution text noted that 2015 marks the bicentenary of the birth of Boole and recognised that his application of the principles of logic as a form of algebra underpins all modern computer science.

Fittingly, the theme for World Statistics Day is ‘Better Data. Better Lives’, given that without Boole’s work, large-scale data management work would be impossible.

The Irish ambassador to the UN, David Donoghue said the singular importance of Boole’s work in enabling modern computing and the operation of electronic technology was worthy of special celebration this year.

“Boolean logic is a fundamental foundation of the science of Big Data which offers immense opportunities for enhancing the lives of humanity,” he said.

Welcoming the news at UCC, where George Boole was Professor of Mathematics from 1849 to 1864, president Dr Michael Murphy paid tribute to the work of the ambassador and staff at the Irish Embassy in New York who championed the initiative: “Boole’s work remained known only to specialist pure mathematicians for almost 80 years after his death.

“Our objective this year is to ensure that as many people as possible across the globe become familiar with the story of George Boole, his life, his genius and his legacy.”