I completed Monge's Legacy of Descriptive and Differential Geometry, published by Docent Press, in 2016. This book grew from my dissertation for my doctor of Arts (D.A.) in Mathematics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Quite a number of years had passed between the time I finished my D.A. and when I began writing this book. It was both a joy and a challenge to revisit my original thesis work and transform it into a book–but I am so glad that I did. 

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I was first drawn to Gaspard Monge (1746-1818) after taking a course in Differential Geometry with my advisor at UIC, Dr. Steven Hurder, in which we designed thrilling roller coasters and imagined ourselves as tiny insects traversing wildly twisted, curving surfaces. Monge, I discovered, was a captivating and important figure. He was a French mathematician and educator, par excellence. To my surprise, he was also a politician who forged unusual friendships. He famously revived the subjects of descriptive and differential geometry. He was a draftsman who fundamentally changed engineering design. His work impacted generations of mathematicians and engineers who followed. I was drawn to Monge and intrigued to learn more about him as a teacher, mathematician, and influencer in engineering education because of my own background. 

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This book tells the story of the fascinating life of Monge, from his personal history in late 18th-century France through the mathematics for which he is best known–the theories that shaped the concepts we study in differential geometry and those practical problems encountered in descriptive geometry. Monge's work in the latter area is considered to be a precursor to Computer-Aided Design (CAD), as we know it. The story doesn't end there–it continues into the 3rd millennium and illustrates how Monge's mathematics can be brought into the classroom today through beautiful, tangible surfaces that can be generated by any computer algebra system. The presentations on this website show how I have expanded the work in my book to illustrate how Monge's inventive mathematical works can be brought to life through 3D printing. 

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If you get the chance to read my book, please contact me and let me know!