Celebrating The Women of Math on Pi Day
Jacqui Fishman
Happy #PiDay This may be the birthday of #AlbertEinstein but we are celebrating 3.14 by recognizing the important and transformative role women have had in Math. A huge gender gap still exists for Women and Girls in #Stem and #stemeducation In 2023, women comprised only 28% of the STEM workforce
All the more important to spotlight women who defied expectations and social "norms" to show that Yes! This Girl Can! Change the World.
1. Hypatia (370-415 AD) was an Egyptian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. After her father's death, she took up his work and became the world’s leading mathematician, astronomer, and teacher known for her number theory. She is considered the earliest female mathematician. Her teaching was considered pagan and she was killed by a gang of zealots. Her life and work became a beacon for other women to pursue studies despite prejudice.
2. Mary Somerville (1780–1872) was a Scottish mathematician, scientist, geographer, and astronomer. She began to study algebra on her own at 15 in secret because her parents disapproved. It wasn't til after the death of her first husband, who also disapproved of her studies, that she could study mathematics and astronomy openly and won her first medal for her work in 1811. Her work researching celestial mechanics brought her great acclaim. In 1833 Mary Somerville and Caroline Herschel were the first two women to be named honorary members of the Royal Astronomical Society.
3. Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) was encouraged by her mother to study science, logic, and mathematics. She was fascinated by the new machines of the Industrial Revolution. Her mentor was Mary Sommerville who introduced her to Charles Babbage, known for his plans to make giant calculating machines. Ada was excited by his plans for a machine that combined calculating gears with a punchcard system, the components of the modern day computer. Babbage asked her to write an article on the “Analytical Engine” which included what are thought to be many early computer programs, as well as her views on how the machine could be used.. Ada Lovelace’s notes were vital to Alan Turing’s work on the first modern computers in the 1940s. She is considered to be “the first computer programmer.”
4. Euphemia Lofton Haynes (1890–1980) was an American mathematician and educator, She was also the first African American woman to earn her doctorate in mathematics. Euphemia founded the mathematics department at Miner Teacher’s College, an institution in Washington dedicated to training African American teachers, She dedicated her career to battling racial discrimination and pushing down roadblocks to educational access and equity. She co-founded the Catholic Interracial Council of the District of Columbia and received a Pro Ecclesia medal from Pope John XXIII for her work in 1959. Euphemia fought racial segregation in the D.C. school system supporting a lawsuit to desegregate the school system.
Discover more about trailblazing women in Math and STEM and you can get involved in Stem at The National Women’s History Museum and Girls Who Code.