▁board ed ▁the ▁boat ). ▁ ▁Education ▁and ▁career ▁Having ▁earned ▁only ▁a ▁high ▁school ▁di pl oma ▁after ▁ 3 ▁and ▁a ▁half ▁years ▁of ▁study ▁at ▁Hamburg ▁University , ▁de ▁Bo or ▁entered ▁Harvard ▁as ▁a ▁gradu ate ▁student ▁of ▁mathematics . ▁After ▁working ▁for ▁a ▁year ▁as ▁a ▁research ▁assistant ▁to ▁Gar rett ▁B irk hoff , ▁he ▁went ▁to ▁work ▁for ▁General ▁Mot ors ▁Research ▁in ▁Warren , ▁Michigan , ▁where ▁he ▁met ▁spl ines . ▁He ▁received ▁his ▁first ▁post grad uate ▁degree , ▁a ▁Ph . D . ▁from ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Michigan , ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 6 , ▁and ▁then ▁became ▁an ▁assistant ▁professor ▁at ▁Pur due ▁University . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 2 , ▁he ▁accepted ▁a ▁position ▁as ▁professor ▁of ▁mathematics ▁and ▁computer ▁science ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Wisconsin – Mad ison , ▁working ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁U W ' s ▁Army ▁Math ▁Research ▁Center , ▁which ▁had ▁recently ▁been ▁bom bed ▁in ▁opposition ▁to ▁the ▁Vietnam ▁War . ▁ ▁Research ▁and ▁teaching ▁A ▁chief ▁att raction ▁of ▁the ▁U W ▁job ▁was ▁the ▁opportunity ▁to ▁work ▁directly ▁with ▁Isaac ▁Sch o enberg , ▁considered ▁the ▁father ▁of ▁spl ines , ▁the ▁piece wise ▁polynomials ▁de ▁Bo or ▁would ▁further ▁develop . ▁ ▁In ▁particular , ▁he ▁form ulated ▁a ▁relatively ▁fast ▁and ▁numer ically ▁stable ▁algorithm ▁for ▁calculating ▁the ▁values ▁of ▁spl ines ▁( used ▁extens ively ▁in ▁computer - a ided ▁design ▁and ▁computer ▁graphics ), ▁and ▁advoc