Wiener Lecture

The Norbert Wiener Lecture honors one of Tufts’ most distinguished alumni, whose foundational contributions to mathematics and pioneering work in cybernetics continue to influence mathematics and many related fields. With support from a new philanthropic gift, we are renewing this tradition by bringing a distinguished mathematician to Tufts each year to deliver a lecture in the general area of analysis and engage with faculty and students.

September 23, 2026 

Lillian Pierce, Duke University

Topic: A Fresh Look at Tauberian Theorems
Time: 3:00-4:00 pm
Location: JCC 270
Reception: JCC 535
Abstract: Sometimes it happens that a theorem is so famous, or so strong, or so flexible, that it becomes hard to find "the theorem” in the literature. This situation becomes tricky when the theorem’s proof naturally resides in Field A, but many applications for the theorem turn up in Field B. Where do practitioners in Field B go, to find exactly the version of the theorem they require? Some years ago I became aware that while “a Tauberian theorem” naturally resided in analysis (or analytic number theory), it had become vital to other areas, and researchers were in need of a source. Out of curiosity, I decided to teach "the theorem" in a graduate course, and turned to a commonly cited version. While preparing my lecture notes, I discovered a gap in that particular proof… but was the claim still true? The story that followed eventually led to a new proof, a new theorem, and a new journal. In this talk, I will describe some reasons why “a Tauberian theorem” can be useful, and why there are several versions. We’ll see that each version is useful, sketch some methods that lead to different versions, and witness how counterexamples tell us about limitations of these methods.