Anne Lester Hudson facts for kids
Anne Lester Hudson (born January 30, 1932) was a smart American mathematician and a teacher who helped others learn math. She was really good at solving tough math problems. She even coached students who won big math contests like the International Mathematical Olympiad. She used to be a professor at Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus.
Her School Days
Anne Lester Hudson was born as Anne Lester. She grew up in Mississippi, in a very small town called Inverness. Her high school class only had seven students!
She went to Hollins College for her first college degree. She worked closely with her math teacher, Herta Freitag. Anne stayed at Hollins for four years, which was unusual back then, just so she could keep learning from Ms. Freitag. She finished college in 1953.
Later, in 1961, she earned her Ph.D. in mathematics from Tulane University. A Ph.D. is the highest degree you can get in a subject, showing you are an expert. She was the first woman to get a math Ph.D. from Tulane University. While at Tulane, she met her husband, Sigmund Hudson, who was also a mathematician.
Her Work as a Mathematician
After finishing her studies, Anne Hudson became a professor at Syracuse University. A professor is a teacher at a college or university. In 1966, she earned "tenure" there, which meant she had a permanent job because of her excellent research.
In 1971, she moved to Armstrong State College in Georgia. She wanted to focus more on teaching college students.
A big part of her career was helping young math talents. In 1994, she led the United States Math Olympiad Program. This program trains the best young mathematicians in the U.S. for the International Mathematical Olympiad. She traveled to Hong Kong as the coach for the U.S. team. Thanks to her coaching, the team won the Olympiad that year!
Awards and Honors
Anne Hudson received many awards for her amazing work in math and teaching:
- In 1993, she was one of the first people to win the Deborah and Franklin Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. This award is given by the Mathematical Association of America to excellent math teachers.
- The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named her one of their "Outstanding Professors of the Year" in 1996.
- In 1997, the Georgia House of Representatives gave her a special award.
- Her old college, Hollins College, also gave her an award for being an outstanding former student.
