Notable Women in Mathematics: A Biographical Dictionary

by Charlene Morrow, Teri Perl

Overview

This volume features substantive biographical essays on 59 women from around the world who have made significant contributions to mathematics from antiquity to the present. Designed for secondary school students and the general public, each profile describes major life events, obstacles faced and overcome, educational and career milestones—including a discussion of mathematical research in non-technical terms—and interests outside of 2 promotics. Although the collection includes historical women, the emphasis is on contemporary mathematicians, many of whom have not been profiled in any previous work. The work also celebrates the contributions of minority women, including 10 African-American, Latina, and Asian mathematicians.

Written by practicing mathematicians, teachers and researchers, these profiles give voice to the variety of pathways into mathematics that women have followed and the diversity of areas in which mathematics can work. Many profiles draw on interviews with the subject, and each includes a short list of suggested reading by and about the mathematician. Most mathematicians profiled stress the value, importance, and enjoyment of collaborative research, contradicting the prevailing notion that doing good mathematics requires isolation. This collection provides not only a substantial number of role models for girls interested in a career in mathematics, but also a unique depiction of a field that can offer a lifetime of challenge and enjoyment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313291319
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/30/1998
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.75(d)
Lexile:	1210L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

CHARLENE MORROW is Co-Director of SummerMath, a six-week program for high school girls at Mount Holyoke College, past president and current co-Executive Director of Women and Mathematics Education, and Chair of the Comprehensive Mathematics Education for Every Child Committee of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She has presented and written extensively on effective learning approaches and educational environments for girls and women.

TERI PERL is a consultant in education and technology with Teri Perl Associates. She is the author of two highly acclaimed books on women and mathematics, Math Equals (1978) and Women and Numbers (1993), and has also written a number of other educational books and materials for teachers. As co-founder of The Learning Company, Dr. Perl helped create several award-winning software packages in mathematics education and continues to be involved in teacher development at both the pre-service and in-service levels.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Maria Agnesi
Andrea Bertozzi
Lenore Blum
Sylvia Bozeman
Marjorie Lee Browne
Leone Burton
Fan Chung
Ingrid Daubeschies
Emilie du Chatelet
Etta Falconer
Joan Feigenbaum
Elizabeth Fennema
Herta Taussig Freitag
Sophie Germain
Evelyn Boyd Granville
Mary Gray
Gloria Hewitt
Grace Hopper
Rhonda Hughes
Joan Hutchinson
Hypatia
Nancy Kopell
Sofya Kovalevskaya
Christine Ladd-Franklin
Anneli Lax
Gilah Leder
Emma Lehmer
Ada Lovelace
Vivian Malone-Mayes
Dusa McDuff
Marie-Louise Michelsohn
Cathleen Morawetz
Emmy Noether
Karen Parshall
Bernadette Perrin-Riou
Harriet Pollatsek
Cheryl Praeger
Mina Rees
Ida Rhodes
Julia Robinson
Judith Roitman
Mary Ellen Rudin
Mary Beth Ruskai
Cora Sadosky
Alice Schafer
Doris Schattschneider
Charlotte Agnas Scott
Marjorie Senechal
Lesley Sibner
Mary Somerville
Pauline Sperry
Alicia Boole Stott
Olga Taussky-Todd
Jean Taylor
Chuu-Lian Terng
Karen Uhlenbeck
Marion Walter
Sylvia Wiegand
Grace Chisholm Young
Appendix I: Mathematicians by Date of Birth
Appendix II: Countries of Employment
Index

Editorial Reviews

It is a rare high school girl who will be inspired to study mathematics by reading any of these 59 histories of discrimination and discouragement and learning, for instance, that Julia Robinson didn't mind being the only girl in a room full of boys because "mostly they paid no attention to her unless they needed help with homework." This dictionary contains signed articles with references to works by and about the subject, written by women mathematicians and educators. Indexes list dates of birth and countries of origin and employment. Most of the women profiled are living, currently active academic mathematicians, and several were interviewed especially for this dictionary. Six of these same women were also among those interviewed for Claudia Henrion's Women in Mathematics (Indiana Univ., 1997), which addresses the question of why even the most successful women mathematicians continue to feel like outsiders in the mathematical community. In writing for a high school/general audience, the contributors have had to tackle the "devilishly difficult task" of describing mathematical achievements to non-mathematicians. It seems a bit too bad that the focus on academic mathematicians excludes such women as Constance Reid (recently awarded the 1998 Communications Award for mathematics) or Sheila Tobias (famous for studies of math anxiety), whose contributions might seem more accessible to young women. Notable Mathematicians (Gale, 1997) has a good selection of famous historical female mathematicians and may be sufficient for the needs of many libraries. However, this dictionary introduces us to the mathematical achievements of many less-famous women, and the biographies of modern lives are less remote from the experience of modern people. For public and academic libraries.--Amy Brunvand, Univ. of Utah Lib., Salt Lake City

Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-This book features five-to-six page profiles of 59 mathematicians and scientific computing researchers from around the world. Each profile describes the woman's major life events and educational and career milestones, includes a discussion of her areas of mathematical research in nontechnical terms, and lists works by and about that person. All entries have an accompanying black-and-white photograph. The majority of essays are based on interviews by the authors. Appendixes give listings of dates of birth and countries of employment and origin and the subject index provides easy access. Notable Mathematicians: From Ancient Times to the Present (Gale, 1998) profiles 23 of the same women. When comparing the two profiles of Karen Uhlenbeck, readers will find that Notable Women presents more information regarding her elementary school experiences, college choices, and difficulties in finding a first tenure-track position and mentors. Morrow and Perl's book also includes three profiles of African-American mathematicians, one Latina profile, and one Asian profile not found in the Gale book.-P. A. Dolan, Illinois State University, Normal

School Library Journal

Presents substantive biographical essays on 59 women from around the world who have made significant contributions to mathematics. Although the collection includes historical women, the emphasis is on contemporary mathematicians. Designed for secondary school students and the general public, each profile describes major life events, obstacles faced and overcome, educational and career milestones (including a discussion of mathematical research in non- technical terms), and outside interests. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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