Hilda Geiringer facts for kids
Hilda Geiringer (born September 28, 1893 – died March 22, 1973) was an important mathematician from Austria. She was also known as Hilda von Mises and Hilda Pollaczek-Geiringer.
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Her Life Story
Hilda Geiringer was born in 1893 in Vienna, Austria. Her family was Jewish. Her father, Ludwig Geiringer, was from Hungary. Her mother, Martha Wertheimer, was from Vienna. Her father worked as a textile manufacturer.
Studying at the University of Vienna
Even in high school, Hilda showed amazing talent in mathematics. Her parents helped her financially so she could study math at the University of Vienna. After her first degree, she kept studying math in Vienna.
She earned her Ph.D. in 1917. Her professor was Wilhelm Wirtinger. Her special paper was about Fourier series. For the next two years, she helped edit a math review journal.
Working in Berlin
In 1921, Hilda moved to Berlin. She became an assistant to Richard Edler von Mises. He worked at the Institute of Applied Mathematics. That same year, she married Felix Pollaczek. He was also from Vienna and Jewish.
Felix got his doctorate in 1922. He worked for the German postal service. He used math to improve telephone connections. Hilda and Felix had a daughter, Magda, in 1922. But their marriage ended. Hilda kept working for von Mises and raised her daughter.
Hilda was trained in pure mathematics. But she started working in applied mathematics. This was to fit in with the work at the Institute. She studied statistics, probability theory, and the math of plasticity.
She tried to become a university instructor at the University of Berlin. But her application was not quickly accepted. In December 1933, she lost her right to teach. This happened because of a new law. This law was called the Civil Service Law. It was put in place after Adolf Hitler came to power. This law stopped Jews from being teachers or professors.
Hilda left Germany after losing her job. She went to Brussels with Magda. There, she worked at the Institute of Mechanics. She started using math to study vibrations.
Moving to Istanbul
In 1934, Hilda followed von Mises to Istanbul, Turkey. She became a Professor of Mathematics there. She continued her research in applied mathematics, statistics, and probability.
In Turkey, Hilda became very interested in genetics. This was based on the ideas of Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel. From 1935 to 1939, she focused on using probability theory for genetics. She and von Mises had made important early contributions to this field.
Hilda Geiringer was a pioneer in new fields. These included molecular genetics, human genetics, and genetic engineering. Her important work was done in Istanbul. It was published in Turkish journals. Because of this, her work did not get enough recognition worldwide.
Life in the United States
After Atatürk died in 1938, Hilda and her daughter moved to the United States. She got a lecturer job at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. While there, she also did secret work for the United States National Research Council during the war.
In 1942, she taught an advanced summer course. This was at Brown University in Providence. She wanted to improve American education standards. She wrote down her lectures on mechanics. These notes were used widely in the U.S. for many years.
Marriage to Richard von Mises
Hilda and von Mises married in 1943. The next year, she left Bryn Mawr College. She wanted to be closer to him. Wheaton College offered her a permanent job. She became a Professor and the head of the Mathematics Department.
She taught at Wheaton College during the week. Then, she traveled to Cambridge every weekend to be with von Mises. This was a difficult arrangement for her. There were only two math teachers at Wheaton College. Hilda wanted to be among other mathematicians who were doing research.
Facing Discrimination
Hilda applied for jobs at other universities. But she faced clear discrimination against women. She also faced challenges because she was Jewish. She handled these difficulties calmly. She hoped her efforts would help future generations of women.
She never stopped her research while at Wheaton College. In 1953, she wrote that doing scientific work was a "necessity" for her. It was "the deepest need of my life."
One university replied to her job application. They said their president would not approve of a woman. They said, "we do not want to bring in more if we can get men."
In 1939, a Harvard professor wrote to Radcliffe College for her. Radcliffe was connected to Harvard. Even though Hilda was a better mathematician and teacher, she was never offered a real job by either school.
In 1941, another famous mathematician, Oswald Veblen, wrote for her. He said there was a growing need for statistics. He added that teachers who understood both math and its uses were rare. He believed Hilda was "perhaps the only woman who satisfies both conditions."
Hermann Weyl also wrote about her. He called her "a first-rate scholar" in applied mathematics and statistics. He felt that applied mathematics was important.
In 1943, she wrote to Hermann Weyl. She knew it was hard for a refugee woman to find work. But she still hoped for a research job. She wrote, "I hope there will be better conditions for the next generations of women."
Her Work at Harvard
In 1953, Richard von Mises passed away. The next year, Hilda started working at Harvard. She kept her job at Wheaton College. At Harvard, she finished and edited many of von Mises' unfinished works. She got a grant to do this. Harvard then offered her a temporary job as a Research Fellow in Mathematics.
In 1959, Hilda Geiringer was chosen as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1956, the University of Berlin made her a Professor Emeritus. This meant she was given full salary even though she was retired. In 1959, she officially retired from Wheaton College. The college gave her an honorary Doctorate of Science the next year. She was also a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.
See also
In Spanish: Hilda Geiringer para niños
