Fact of the Day: 07/02/2023

The field of mathematics is incredibly complex and many have contributed to it, but one of the most impressive contributors is not very well known. Julia Robinson grew up in San Diego, California. Although she got scarlet fever when she was young and missed two years of school, she overcame this challenge and continued with her education, eventually graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Ph.D. in mathematics in 1948 (par. 6-7, 19). According to Science News.org, “Robinson was the first woman to be elected to the mathematics section of the National Academy of Sciences, the first woman to serve as president of the American Mathematical Society and a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship” (par. 5). She was very interested in complex mathematical equations like Hilbert’s 10th problem and even aided in finding the solution to it. She went through many things in her life, including health problems and the harsh way women were treated in the workforce during the 1940s and 1950s, but Julia Robinson did amazing things and will be forever remembered as a talented mathematician. 

Reference(s): https://www.sciencenews.org/article/how-julia-robinson-helped-define-limits-mathematical-knowledge 

Fact Author: Bailey W.

Fact Editor: Ace

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