Gloria Ford Gilmer facts for kids

Gloria C. Gilmer was an amazing American mathematician and teacher. She was born on June 28, 1928, and passed away on August 25, 2021. She is famous for being the first African American woman to publish a research paper that wasn't part of a PhD.

Early Life and Education

Gloria Gilmer was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She went to Morgan State University and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 1949. While she was there, she worked with her professor, Luna Mishoe. Together, they published two important research papers in 1956. These were the very first research papers published by an African American woman. At that time, she used her maiden name, Gloria C. Ford. She also learned from another great teacher, Clarence Stephens.

After getting her master's degree in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, Gloria Gilmer worked on ballistics research. This means she studied how things like rockets and bullets move. Later, she taught at six different HBCUs, which are Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

She started working on a PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. However, she left after a year. She explained that she needed to focus on her marriage, raising her children, and earning a living. Later, she earned her PhD from Marquette University. Her PhD was in Education Administration. Her research looked at how small group discussions helped students learn algebra at their own speed.

Her Work in Ethnomathematics

A lot of Gloria Gilmer's work was in a field called ethnomathematics. This is the study of how math is used in different cultures around the world. A math professor named Scott W. Williams even called her a "leader in the field."

Math in Hair Braiding

One cool example of her research was about hair braiding. Gloria Gilmer and her helpers, including a 14-year-old named Stephanie Desgrottes, visited hair salons in New York and Baltimore. They watched and talked to hair stylists and customers. They wanted to understand the math behind different hair braid styles.

They looked at "box braids" and "triangular braids." Box braids often look like brick walls, and triangular braids look like many small triangles. These styles help keep the hair from moving too much. Hair stylists might not think of their work as math. But Gloria Gilmer showed how many mathematical patterns are in these braids.

She found that these patterns are also seen in nature. For example, some braids have hexagon shapes, just like the skin of a pineapple or the cells in a beehive. Gloria Gilmer used these discoveries to create fun classroom activities. This helped students understand that math is all around us, even in everyday things like hair braiding!

Leading the Way

In the early 1980s, Gloria Gilmer made history again. She became the first African American woman to join the board of governors for the Mathematical Association of America. This is a very important group for mathematicians.

From 1981 to 1984, she worked for the United States Department of Education. She was part of a team that worked on improving education. In 1985, she helped start a group called the International Study Group on Ethnomathematics (ISGEm). She was the president of this group for many years, from 1985 to 1996.

She was also the second person, and the first woman, to give the Cox-Talbot lecture. This special lecture honors the first and fourth African Americans to earn PhDs in mathematics.

In 2008, Gloria Gilmer became the president of Math-Tech. This company helps create better math lessons using new research. They especially focus on helping women and minority students learn math.

In 2022, Gloria Gilmer became the first Black woman mathematician to have her papers saved in the Library of Congress. This means her important work will be kept safe for future generations to study.

Passing Away

Gloria Gilmer passed away on August 25, 2021. She was 93 years old.

Awards and Recognition

The American Mathematical Society (AMS) has a special award for researchers. It's called the Claytor-Gilmer Fellowship. This award is named after Gloria Gilmer and another mathematician, William Schieffelin Claytor. It helps support mathematicians in the middle of their careers.

See also

In Spanish: Gloria Ford Gilmer para niños