Ailana Fraser facts for kids

Ailana Margaret Fraser is a Canadian mathematician. She is a professor of mathematics at the University of British Columbia. She is known for her work in a field called geometric analysis. This area of math studies shapes and spaces using tools from geometry and calculus. She also works on the theory of minimal surfaces. These are shapes that are as smooth and small as possible, like a soap film stretched across a wire frame.

Her research often focuses on special math problems called eigenvalue problems. These problems help us understand how shapes behave. She also studies free boundary minimal surfaces, which are like soap films that touch a boundary.

Early Life and Education

Fraser was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She went to Stanford University for her Ph.D. degree, which she finished in 1998. Her advisor there was a famous mathematician named Richard Schoen.

After Stanford, she did more research at the Courant Institute of New York University. Then, she taught at Brown University before moving to the University of British Columbia.

What She Studies

Ailana Fraser is well-known for her important work in mathematics. She often works with other mathematicians, like Richard Schoen.

One of her key areas of study involves something called the "Steklov eigenvalue." Imagine a shape with a boundary, like a flat plate. The Steklov eigenvalue helps us understand how the shape's boundary affects its properties. It's like measuring how much "energy" is stored on the edge of the shape.

In 2011, Fraser and Schoen studied this for shapes in two dimensions. They found ways to estimate this eigenvalue using the shape's length and other math information. They even looked at a specific shape called an "annulus," which is like a flat ring. They discovered that the best way to arrange this ring to get a certain eigenvalue is related to a famous shape called a catenoid. A catenoid looks like a hanging chain or a very smooth, thin waist.

Fraser and Schoen also developed a way to measure the "boundary conformal volume" of shapes. This helps them find lower limits for the Steklov eigenvalue. They also found special rules for certain minimal surfaces inside a unit ball.

Awards and Honors

Ailana Fraser has received many awards for her important work in mathematics.

• In 2012, she won the Krieger–Nelson Prize from the Canadian Mathematical Society. This award recognizes outstanding women in mathematics.
• In 2013, she became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. Being a fellow means she is recognized as a top mathematician.
• In 2018, the Canadian Mathematical Society named her one of their first fellows.
• In 2021, she received the Cathleen Synge Morawetz Prize, along with Marco Gualtieri. This prize honors excellent research in mathematics.
• In 2022, she was awarded a Simons Fellowship. This fellowship supports important research in science and math.

Major Publications