José
Rodrigues Santos de Sousa Ramos,
mathematician of great merit, passed away on
Born
in Quarteira in 1948, he graduated in
physics at the Faculdade de Ciências da
Universidade Clássica de Lisboa where he also obtained his
doctorate in
Mathematics. From 1972 he was
researcher at the Instituto de Física e
Matemática and at the Centro de
Física da Matéria Condensada, in Lisboa, at the Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade Clássica
de Lisboa and, in
the last fourteen years, he was professor at the Instituto Superior
Técnico
da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa.
In the memory of all the people that met Sousa Ramos it will last the noble nature of his human character made with extreme simplicity and modesty, as well as his overwhelming and systematic dedication to the students, day after day, or the memory of his delightful enthusiasm sharing his vast culture both in mathematics and physics. Moreover José de Sousa Ramos leaves a vast and remarkable written heritage, much richer than could suggest the mere counting of two hundred scientific papers in international magazines with referee. Most of his papers were in the field of discrete dynamical systems and, in particular, in symbolic dynamics.
The importance of the scientific work of José de Sousa Ramos lies in his great creative capacity and mental autonomy, sometimes putting him much ahead of his colleagues with original thoughts and afterthoughts, which, for precisely that reason, resulted in transgressive thinking and, naturally, ideas to be later polished. Nothing surprising for the people used to scientific reflection, and knowing that the scientific truth never erupts as a distilled potion and is, at first, a conquest made by using imperfect tools that will be perfected in the future.
We can say that José de Sousa Ramos created an actual school of mathematics, which is in itself a rare and notable achievement, like the one made half century back by the Portuguese eminent mathematician José Sebastião e Silva whose effects still last today.
The
fifteen doctorates that José de Sousa Ramos
supervised and the same number still in course at the moment of his
death prove
the vigour of his influence. It is up to his disciples, in proper time
and no
delay, to clarify and divulgate the works of his master, fixing this
works for
the future in a systematic and organized manner. The Portuguese
scientific
institutions are entrusted to the task and the honour of publishing the
works
of José de Sousa Ramos, for the benefit of the society and
community. We hope
that our scientific community is mature enough to take this desideratum
as a
duty.