Carol Wood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carol Saunders Wood
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Wood in 2017
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| Born | February 9, 1945 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Known for | Differentially Closed Fields |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Doctoral advisor | Abraham Robinson |
Carol Saunders Wood, born on February 9, 1945, is an American mathematician. She was a professor of mathematics at Wesleyan University. Her work focused on mathematical logic and model theory, which are special areas of mathematics.
Contents
Meet Carol Wood, a Math Whiz
Carol Saunders Wood was born in Pennington Gap, Virginia. She became a very important mathematician. She taught at Wesleyan University for many years.
Early Life and Education
Carol Wood finished college in 1966. She went to Randolph-Macon Woman's College. This was a small college in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Later, she earned her highest degree, a doctorate, in 1971. She got this degree from Yale University. Her special project was about a math topic called "forcing." A famous mathematician named Abraham Robinson helped her with this work.
A Career in Mathematics
After her studies, Carol Wood became a professor at Wesleyan University. She taught mathematics there. She was even the head of the math department three times! This shows she was a great leader.
Her research was in mathematical logic and model theory. These are parts of mathematics that study how we can use logic to understand different math structures. She especially looked at something called "differentially closed fields."
Helping Other Mathematicians
Carol Wood didn't just teach and do research. She also helped other mathematicians. She was a member of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) Council. This group helps guide mathematicians in the U.S.
From 1991 to 1993, she was the president of the Association for Women in Mathematics. This group supports women who study and work in math. She also served on the AMS Committee on Women in Mathematics. She was even its chair from 2012 to 2015.
She also helped four students get their own doctorates in math at Wesleyan. This means she guided them in their advanced studies.
Awards and Recognition
Carol Wood has received many honors for her work. In 1998, she gave a special speech. It was for the math graduates at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 2012, she became one of the first "fellows" of the American Mathematical Society. Being a fellow means you are recognized as a top expert in your field. In 2017, she was also chosen as a fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics. She was part of the very first group to receive this honor.
