Evelyn Nelson (mathematician) facts for kids

Evelyn Nelson (born Evelyn Merle Roden) was a brilliant Canadian mathematician. She lived from 1943 to 1987. Evelyn Nelson made important discoveries in a field of math called universal algebra. This type of math is very useful in theoretical computer science, which helps us understand how computers work.

Evelyn Nelson, along with another mathematician named Cecilia Krieger, has a special award named after them. It's called the Krieger–Nelson Prize. This award celebrates amazing research done by women mathematicians in Canada.

Early Life and School

Evelyn was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on November 25, 1943. Her parents had moved to Canada from Russia in the 1920s. Evelyn went to high school at Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton.

Her University Journey

After studying for two years at the University of Toronto, Evelyn came back to Hamilton. She decided to continue her studies at McMaster University.

In 1965, she earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), in mathematics from McMaster. She then earned her Master's degree (M.Sc.) in mathematics from McMaster in 1967. Her master's work was so good that it was published in a science journal. The article was called "Finiteness of semigroups of operators in universal algebra."

Evelyn finished her highest degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), in 1970. Her Ph.D. paper was about "The lattice of equational classes of commutative semigroups." These ideas also became a published article in the Canadian Journal of Mathematics.

Working as a Mathematician

After getting her Ph.D., Evelyn Nelson stayed at McMaster University. She first worked as a researcher. Later, she became an Associate Professor in 1978.

From 1982 to 1984, she was in charge of the Computer Science Unit at McMaster. In 1983, she became a full Professor. One of her colleagues said that her teaching was always "of the highest order," meaning it was excellent.

During her 20-year career, Evelyn Nelson wrote over 40 important papers. She sadly passed away from cancer in 1987.

Honors and Awards

Evelyn Nelson is remembered through the Krieger–Nelson Prize. This award is given to a female mathematician for outstanding achievements in research.

Since 1991, the Mathematics Department at McMaster University has also held a special lecture series. It's called "The Evelyn Nelson Lectures" to honor her contributions.