Enriqueta González Baz facts for kids
Enriqueta González Baz y de la Vega (born September 22, 1915 – died December 22, 2002) was an amazing Mexican mathematician. She helped start the Mexican Mathematical Society. She was also the very first woman to get a degree in mathematics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1944.
Her Early Life
Enriqueta González Baz was born in Mexico City on September 22, 1915. She went to Escuela número 8, a school for girls. There, she studied to become a teacher.
After finishing secondary school, her father, Roberto González Baz, sent her to another school. It was called Escuela Doméstica. For two years, she learned skills like cooking and managing a home. Her father believed his daughters should learn these things first.
But one of her teachers, Elena Picazo de Murray, saw Enriqueta's special talent for learning. She encouraged Enriqueta to go to college and study more.
Her Education Journey
After her domestic studies, Enriqueta took night classes at the old San Ildefonso College. At the same time, she studied at the Escuela Nacional de Maestros. She earned a special certificate to become a school teacher.
Next, she enrolled in the National Preparatory School. Here, she focused on physical sciences and mathematics.
After high school, she joined the Faculty of Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She was among the first groups of students to major in mathematics. In 1944, she made history! She became the first woman in Mexico to earn a degree in mathematics.
Her special project for her degree was about "Special Functions." These are important math ideas like Bessel, Gamma, and Legendre functions. She also continued her studies after college at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Her Career and Impact
Back then, the Mexican government didn't separate mathematicians from math teachers. So, Enriqueta González Baz became a high school math teacher. She taught mathematics at the National Preparatory School and other schools.
She also taught math at the Faculty of Sciences. She was a researcher at the Institute of Physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. One of her important math projects was translating a book called Topology by Solomon Lefschetz.
Her Lasting Legacy
Enriqueta González Baz was one of only five women who helped create the Mexican Mathematical Society. She is remembered as a brilliant student and a respected professor of mathematics.
Enriqueta González Baz passed away on December 22, 2002. She truly "left an open door for the next generations of women attracted to the study of mathematics."
See also
- In Spanish: Enriqueta González Baz para niños
