Dorothy Lewis Bernstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorothy Lewis Bernstein
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Dorothy Lewis Bernstein
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| Born | April 11, 1914 |
| Died | February 5, 1988 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin Brown University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Applied mathematics |
| Institutions | Mount Holyoke College University of Wisconsin University of Rochester Goucher College |
| Doctoral advisor | Jacob Tamarkin |
Dorothy Lewis Bernstein was an American mathematician who lived from April 11, 1914, to February 5, 1988. She was known for her work in applied mathematics, which is about using math to solve real-world problems. She also studied statistics and computer programming. Dorothy Bernstein made history as the first woman to be chosen as president of the Mathematical Association of America.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Dorothy Bernstein was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents, Jacob and Tille Lewis Bernstein, were immigrants from Russia. Even though her parents didn't have much formal schooling, they strongly encouraged all their children to get an education. Because of this, all five of their children earned advanced degrees, like a PhD or MD.
Her Education Journey
Dorothy went to North Division High School (Milwaukee) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1930, she started attending the University of Wisconsin. She earned a special scholarship there from 1933 to 1934. She also became a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a group that honors smart students.
In 1934, Dorothy graduated from the University of Wisconsin. She earned two degrees at once: a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Mathematics. She graduated with "summa cum laude," which means "with highest honors." For her master's project, she studied how to find complex roots of math problems.
After that, in 1935, she went to Brown University. There, she joined another science honor society called Sigma Xi. She earned her Ph.D. in mathematics from Brown in 1939. While studying for her Ph.D., she also taught at Mount Holyoke College. Her Ph.D. paper was about something called "The Double Laplace Integral."
A Career in Mathematics
From 1943 to 1959, Dorothy Bernstein taught at the University of Rochester. Here, she worked on problems related to partial differential equations. These are special math equations used to describe how things change over time and space. Her work was important for solving new problems using early high-speed computers. In 1950, she published a book about her research.
Later, from 1959 to 1979, she became a math professor at Goucher College. For most of this time, she was also the head of the mathematics department.
Bringing Computers to Learning
Dorothy Bernstein was very interested in mixing pure math (math for its own sake) with applied math (math used in real life). She wanted to teach both to college students. Thanks to her hard work, Goucher College was the first women's college to use computers in math classes. This started in 1961, and she got grants from the National Science Foundation to make it happen.
She also created a program where math students at Goucher could get real work experience. In 1972, she helped start the Maryland Association for Educational Uses of Computers. She wanted to help high schools use computers in their math classes too.
Leading the Way
Dorothy Bernstein was very active in the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). She was on their board of governors from 1965 to 1968. She then served as vice president from 1972 to 1973. In 1979, she made history again by becoming the first woman president of the MAA. She held this role until 1980.
Women in Mathematics
Dorothy Bernstein noticed big changes for women in math after World War II. She believed this happened for two main reasons. First, women showed they could do jobs that men used to do. Second, the rise of computer technology created many new math jobs. These new jobs opened up more chances for women in the field.
Memberships
- Mathematical Association of America
- American Mathematical Society
- Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
- American Association of University Professors
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1981
