Edith Alice Müller facts for kids

Edith Alice Müller was a brilliant scientist. She was a mathematician and an astronomer. Edith was born in Spain in 1918. She later became a Swiss citizen. She passed away in 1995. Today, there's an award named after her. The Edith Alice Müller Award celebrates top astronomy students in Switzerland. It started in 2018.

Growing Up and School

Edith Müller was born in Madrid, Spain. She went to the German School there. Later, she studied at ETH Zurich, a famous university in Switzerland.

Her Amazing PhD Work

In 1943, Edith earned her PhD. This is a very high university degree. She got it in mathematics from the University of Zurich. Her special project was about patterns.

Her PhD was titled "Application of Group Theory and Structural Analysis to the Moorish Adornments of the Alhambra in Granada". This sounds complicated! It means she studied the amazing patterns. These patterns are found in the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a beautiful old palace in Spain.

At the time, many people thought Islamic designs were just simple art. They didn't think science was involved. But Edith's research showed how wrong they were! She proved that these designs used complex math. Her work was very important. It helped people understand the science behind Islamic art. However, her ideas weren't fully recognized until the 1980s.

Her Career in Science

Edith Müller worked at several important places. From 1946 to 1951, she was at an observatory in Zurich. Observatories are places where scientists study stars and planets.

Later, she worked in the United States. She was at the University of Michigan. She worked there from 1952 to 1954. Then she returned from 1955 to 1962. She also worked in Basel, Switzerland, for a year.

Becoming a Professor

In 1962, Edith became an assistant professor. This was at the University of Neuchâtel. A professor is a teacher at a university. In 1972, she moved to the University of Geneva. There, she became a full professor.

Studying the Sun

Edith Müller mostly studied the Sun. This field is called solar physics. She wanted to understand how the Sun works.

A Leader in Astronomy

Edith was also a big leader in the world of astronomy. She was the first woman to become the General Secretary. This was for the International Astronomical Union. This is a very important group of astronomers from all over the world. She held this important job from 1976 to 1979.

See also

In Spanish: Edith Alice Müller para niños