Cora Barbara Hennel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cora Barbara Hennel
Born	21 January 1886 Evansville
Died	26 June 1947 (aged 61) Bloomington
Alma mater	Indiana University
Employer	Indiana University (1907–)
Family	Cecilia Hennel Hendricks

Cora Barbara Hennel (born January 21, 1886 – died June 26, 1947) was an important mathematician from Indiana. She was active in the early to mid-1900s.

Cora's Early Life and School

Cora Hennel was born in Evansville, Indiana. Her parents were Joseph H. and Anna Marie Thuman Hennel. After finishing high school, Cora and her older sister, Cecilia, worked as teachers in country schools. They saved money to go to college.

In 1903, both sisters started at Indiana University. Soon after, they convinced their parents and younger sister, Edith, to move to Bloomington. All three Hennel sisters went to and graduated from Indiana University.

Cora was very good at math. She earned her first degree in Mathematics in 1907. She then got her Master's degree in 1908. In 1912, she made history by becoming the first person to earn a Ph.D. (a very advanced degree) in Mathematics from Indiana University.

While she was a student, Cora was also very involved in school life. She was the class poet and took part in many student activities. As a graduate student, she helped start a math club for teachers and students called the Euclidean Circle. She also served as its secretary.

Cora's Career at Indiana University

While Cora was working on her Ph.D., she also taught math at Indiana University. After she earned her doctorate, she continued teaching there. In 1916, she became an Assistant Professor of Mathematics. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 1923. Then, in 1936, she became a full Professor.

Cora Hennel spent her entire working life at Indiana University. She was still teaching when she passed away in 1947.

She was a very active member of the university staff. She led the Bloomington chapter of the American Association of University Professors. She also led the American Association of University Women. Cora was also the chair of the Indiana Section of the Mathematical Association of America. She was a member of several important academic groups like Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi.

How Cora is Remembered

In 1958, Cora's sister, Cecilia Hennel, created the Cora B. Hennel Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship honors Cora and helps students who are very good at mathematics.

Indiana University still remembers Cora Hennel today. In 1995, they named a special room in Rawles Hall after her. This room, called the Cora B. Hennel Room, is a lounge for teachers and students.

Cora's Published Works

Cora Hennel also wrote and published her mathematical work. Here are some of her important publications:

• "Transformations and Invariants Connected with Linear Homogeneous Difference Equations and other Functional Equations" in American Journal of Mathematics (1913): This was a paper in a well-known math journal.
• A Course in General Mathematics (1925): She wrote this book with Harold T. Davis.