Ami Radunskaya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ami Elizabeth Radunskaya
Ami Radunskaya at AWM Research Symposium, 2017
Alma mater	Stanford University, 1992
Known for	Dynamical systems, Applications of mathematics to medicine
Scientific career
Institutions	Pomona College
Doctoral advisor	Donald Samuel Ornstein

Ami Elizabeth Radunskaya is an amazing American mathematician and musician. She teaches math at Pomona College. She studies how things change over time, which is called dynamical systems. She also uses math to help with medicine. For example, she figures out how to deliver medicines inside the body. She uses tiny models called cellular automata for this. In 2016, she became the president of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). This group supports women in math.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Ami Radunskaya started playing the cello when she was nine years old. Her father was an economist at UC Berkeley. After finishing high school at 16, she took a break from school for ten years. During this time, she worked as a cellist and a music composer. She was even part of the Oakland Symphony for seven years.

Playing New Music

Ami was known as a great cellist in the Bay Area. She was especially good at playing new and modern music. She performed across the U.S. and Europe with a musician named Don Buchla. In the late 1970s, a company called Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments made a special synthesizer just for her. They called it the "Sili-Con Cello."

Creative Music Tools

Ami also used a cool tool called a radio baton in her music. This device looks like a conductor's baton. It helps control electronic music. One of her songs, "A Wild and Reckless Place" (1990), is famous for using a special musical scale.

Education and Learning

Ami Radunskaya went to the University of California, Berkeley for her college studies. She was a single mom while she was there. She first studied computer science and chemistry. Later, she decided to major in mathematics.

Advanced Math Studies

She continued her education at Stanford University. In 1992, she earned her highest degree in mathematics, called a doctorate. Her main teacher was Donald Samuel Ornstein. Her special project was about how things change in a predictable way, called Statistical Properties of Deterministic Bernoulli Flows.

Mathematics Career

After finishing her doctorate, Ami Radunskaya did more research at Rice University. She was the only woman in the math department there at the time. In 1994, she joined the faculty at Pomona College. She has been teaching math there ever since.

Honored Professor

In June 2022, Pomona College gave her a special title. She became the Lingurn H. Burkhead Professor of Mathematics. This is a very important position for a professor.

Awards and Recognitions

Ami Radunskaya has received many awards for her work in mathematics. These awards show how much she has contributed to the field.

Speaking and Research

In 2010, she was chosen to give the AWM/MAA Falconer Lecturer talk. She spoke about "Mathematical Challenges in the Treatment of Cancer." This shows her work in using math to understand and fight cancer.

Fellow of AMS

In 2016, she was named a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. This honor was for her work in math related to cancer and the immune system. It also recognized her help to the math community.

Mentoring and Support

She also won the Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This was for her work with the EDGE Foundation. This program helps and encourages women to study math at a higher level.

Leading Women in Math

Ami Radunskaya was the president of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). She held this important role from February 2017 to January 2019. In 2021, she was selected as a Fellow of the AWM. This was for her efforts to welcome more women into math. She helped make the math community more open to different paths into mathematics. In 2022, she gave the main opening speech at the AWM Research Symposium.