Rudy Lee Horne completed a doctorate in 2001 titled Collision induced timing jitter and four-wave mixing in wavelength division multiplexing soliton systems. As the first African American graduate from the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Colorado Boulder, he specialized in dynamical systems, nonlinear waves, and the complex mechanics of four-wave mixing and optical phenomena.
Academic Foundation
Raised in the south side of Chicago, Horne attended Crete-Monee High School before pursuing higher education in Oklahoma and Colorado. He earned a double degree in physics and mathematics at the University of Oklahoma in 1991. Subsequently, he moved to the University of Colorado Boulder, where he secured a master's degree in physics in 1994, followed by a master's in mathematics in 1996. His doctoral research was supervised by Mark J. Ablowitz.
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His career included academic posts at several institutions. After receiving his doctorate, he served at California State University, East Bay, and conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under the guidance of Chris Jones. In 2005, he joined the faculty at Florida State University. He moved to Morehouse College in 2010, receiving a promotion to associate professor of mathematics in 2015.
Contribution to Cinema
Morehouse College recommended Horne to serve as a mathematics consultant for the film Hidden Figures. Over a four-month period with 20th Century Fox, he assisted director Theodore Melfi and coached actress Taraji P. Henson, who portrayed Katherine Johnson. He instructed the cast on mathematical terminology and notation, including the pronunciation of Euler's name. His handwriting appears on screen during the film's opening scene as the character solves a quadratic equation.
Public Engagement and Recognition
Horne conducted a tour for the Mathematical Association of America, presenting at Maths Fest on the orbital calculations performed for John Glenn in 1962. He appeared on the interview series In the Know and the NPR program Closer Look. Following his death on December 11, 2017, due to complications from surgery for a torn aorta, he was recognized as a Black History Month 2018 Honoree by Mathematically Gifted & Black. In 2018, the National Association of Mathematicians granted him a posthumous lifetime achievement award.
Fast facts
- Born: 1968
- Died: 11 December 2017
- Undergraduate Degree: University of Oklahoma, 1991
- Doctoral Supervisor: Mark J. Ablowitz
- Academic Focus: Dynamical systems and nonlinear optical phenomena
- Cinema Role: Mathematics consultant for Hidden Figures
- Institutional Honors: Rudy Lee Horne Memorial Fellowship
Questions readers ask
What was Rudy Horne's specific contribution to the film Hidden Figures?
He served as a mathematics consultant, working with the cast to demonstrate mathematical concepts and ensuring the accuracy of on-screen calculations and terminology.
Which universities employed Rudy Horne during his career?
He held positions at California State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Florida State University, and Morehouse College.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Florida State University and California State University
