Ida Busbridge facts for kids

Ida Winifred Busbridge (1908–1988) was a brilliant British mathematician. She taught at the famous University of Oxford for many years, from 1935 until 1970. Ida made history by becoming the very first woman to be appointed to an Oxford fellowship in mathematics. This was a huge step forward for women in science!

Early Life and Learning Journey

Ida Busbridge was born on February 10, 1908. She was the youngest of four children. Sadly, her father passed away when she was very young, just 8 months old. Her mother, who was a primary school teacher, then raised Ida and her siblings.

Ida started school at age six. In 1918, when she was ten, she won a scholarship to Christ's Hospital school. There, she learned a lot about mathematics from her teacher, Miss Mitchener. Ida was so good that she became the head girl. People even said she was the most brilliant student in the school's 400-year history!

In 1926, Ida went to Royal Holloway College in London. She first planned to study physics. However, she switched to mathematics in 1928. She had also been offered a spot at Newnham College, Cambridge, but the scholarship at Royal Holloway was much better. While at college, she enjoyed singing in the Choral Society and University Choir. She also joined the Science Discussion Society.

Ida graduated in 1929 with top honors. She won the Sir John Lubbock Prize for being the best first-class honors student from all the University of London colleges. She continued her studies at Royal Holloway. In 1933, she earned her master's degree in mathematics with special recognition.

A Career in Mathematics

Ida Busbridge began her teaching career in 1933. She worked as a mathematics demonstrator at University College London.

In 1935, she moved to St Hugh's College, Oxford. There, she taught mathematics to students from five women's colleges. She worked alongside another mathematician, Dorothy Maud Wrinch. Ida became interested in how math could be used in astronomy and physics. This was thanks to the influence of Madge Adam and Harry Hemley Plaskett.

During the Second World War, Ida's teaching load became much heavier. She helped educate physicists and engineers at Oxford. Many male mathematicians were called away for war service. Also, more women attended university during the war. This meant Ida had a lot of work to do. In 1946, she was appointed a Fellowship at St Hugh's College, Oxford. This made her the first woman to become a college fellow in mathematics.

In 1962, Oxford University awarded her a Doctor of Science degree. She was also a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. This shows how respected she was in the world of science.

Ida was also the president of the Mathematical Association in 1964.

Ida Busbridge's work included studying integral equations and radiative transfer. She was known as an excellent teacher and tutor. She cared a lot about her students' learning and their personal well-being. She retired from Oxford in 1970. After that, she helped develop courses and taught at the Open University. She taught subjects like Lebesgue integration and complex analysis.

Ida Busbridge passed away on December 27, 1988. A memorial service was held at St Hugh's College Oxford. The principal, Rachel Trickett, shared a quote from Dorothy Wrinch. She described Ida Busbridge as "quite simply the best woman mathematician I’ve ever met: brilliant and yet so capable and unassuming."

Remembering Ida Busbridge

In 1983, one of Ida's former students gave a large donation of £280,000. This money was used to create the Ida Busbridge fellowship in mathematics at St Hugh's College. This fellowship helps support future mathematicians.

Ida Busbridge's biography was published in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on August 13, 2020. This was part of a special collection about astronomers and mathematicians.