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2024
The Boole Inkstand – a legacy of innovation
The story of George Boole (1815 - 1864), the first Professor of Mathematics at University College Cork, is one of remarkable influence and enduring impact.
He was an English mathematician, philosopher and logician whose groundbreaking work in Boolean algebra laid the foundation for modern computer science. His pioneering work more than a century ago has shaped today's digital technology, including Artificial Intelligence, through which his legacy has endured for generations.
In 2015, UCC marked the 200th anniversary of George Boole’s birth with a year-long series of events. A highlight of ‘George Boole 200’ was the loan of the Boole Inkstand to UCC by Professor Geoffrey Hinton, the British-Canadian computer scientist, leading figure in AI, and the great-great-grandson of George Boole and mathematician and educator Mary Everest Boole.
The Boole Inkstand holds a special connection to UCC because it was presented to Boole when he was appointed Professor of Mathematics at UCC (Then Queen’s College Cork) in 1849. The inscription on the tray reads “Presented to Mr. George Boole by Friends in the City and County of Lincoln on his appointment to the Professorship of Mathematics Queen's College Cork 28th Dec 1849”.
The inkstand remained on display in the Boole Library for almost a decade until it was returned to Professor Hinton in April 2024 when Professor O’Halloran was delighted to welcome Professor Hinton to the President’s Office to personally thank him for his remarkable and generous loan of the Inkstand.
The connection between George Boole’s foundational work in Boolean algebra and Geoffrey Hinton’s cutting-edge developments in AI illustrates how a legacy that began at UCC continues to shape the future and drive innovations that are shaping the digital age.