Abigail Thompson facts for kids
Abigail A. Thompson was born in 1958 in Norwalk, Connecticut. She is a talented American mathematician. She works as a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Davis. Her special areas of study are knot theory and low-dimensional topology.
Knot theory is a branch of mathematics that studies mathematical knots. These are like the knots you tie in a shoelace, but they are closed loops. Low-dimensional topology looks at the shapes of spaces that have a small number of dimensions, like 2D surfaces or 3D objects.
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Her Journey in Mathematics
Abigail Thompson finished her studies at Wellesley College in 1979. She then earned her Ph.D. (a high-level university degree) in 1986 from Rutgers University. Her Ph.D. work was guided by two professors, Martin Scharlemann and Julius L. Shaneson.
After her Ph.D., she worked at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of California, Berkeley. In 1988, she joined the faculty at the University of California, Davis.
Important Fellowships and Roles
Thompson received special support early in her career. She had a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundation from 1988 to 1991. She also had a Sloan Foundation Fellowship from 1991 to 1993. These fellowships help scientists focus on their research.
She was also a member of the Institute for Advanced Study several times. This is a famous place where smart people go to think and work on big ideas. She was there in 1990–1991, 2000–2001, and 2015–2016.
In 2017, she became the Chair of the Department of Mathematics at UC Davis. From 2019 to 2022, she was one of the vice presidents of the American Mathematical Society. This is a very important group for mathematicians in America.
Her Research Work
Abigail Thompson's research builds on the ideas of other mathematicians. She took a concept called "thin position," which was developed by David Gabai for knots. She then expanded this idea to study more complex mathematical objects. These objects are called 3-manifolds and Heegaard splittings. Her work helps us understand the shapes and structures of these mathematical spaces better.
Improving Math Education
Beyond her research, Thompson has also worked to improve how math is taught in schools. She has spoken out about problems she saw in math education for younger students. In the mid-1990s, when her oldest child started school, she felt that the math curriculum was not teaching basic skills well. She also thought it didn't allow students to work on their own.
To help fix this, she started a program at UC Davis. This program helps teachers learn more about mathematics. She also became the director of the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science. This is a month-long summer camp where high school students can learn a lot about math.
Awards and Recognition
Abigail Thompson has received several important awards for her work.
Ruth Lyttle Satter Prize
In 2003, she won the Ruth Lyttle Satter Prize in Mathematics. This award recognized her important research on thin position and Heegaard splittings.
American Mathematical Society Fellow
In 2013, she became one of the first fellows of the American Mathematical Society. Being a fellow means you are recognized for your outstanding contributions to mathematics.
Hero of Intellectual Freedom
In February 2020, Thompson was honored by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). They called her a "Hero of Intellectual Freedom." This award was given because of an article she wrote in The Wall Street Journal. In her article, she shared her thoughts on how universities hire new professors. She believed that requiring certain statements in job applications might limit different viewpoints.
Thompson also gave a main speech at ACTA's conference in November 2020. She wrote a similar article in the Notices of the American Mathematical Society. These articles led to many discussions within the math community and universities. People had different opinions, and various groups, like the Association for Women in Mathematics, shared their official responses.
Images for kids
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Abigail Thompson in 1987
See also
In Spanish: Abigail Thompson para niños
