H. D. Kloosterman and His Work, Volume 47, Number 8

862 NOTICES OF THE AMS VOLUME 47, NUMBER 8 A pril 9, 1900, marks the birth date of H. D. Kloosterman, one of the leading Dutch mathematicians of his generation. At the University of Leiden, where he spent most of his academic life, the centenary of his birth was the occasion for a small celebration, with a discussion by several experts of Kloosterman’s work on number theory, modular forms, and representation theory; and of its place in contemporary mathematics. Although he was not a prolific writer, his work had a significant impact and is still of considerable interest. The centenary is also a good occasion for a brief discussion of Kloosterman’s work for a wider public. This is the raison d’être of the present article.