Jean Taylor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Taylor
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Jean Ellen Taylor in 2019
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Jean Ellen Taylor
September 17, 1944 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley, University of Warwick, Princeton University |
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| Awards | Fellow of: |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Rutgers University |
| Thesis | Regularity of the Singular-Set of Two-Dimensional Area-Minimizing Flat-Chains Modulo 3 in R3 (1973) |
| Doctoral advisor | Shiing-Shen Chern, Frederick J. Almgren, Jr. |
Jean Ellen Taylor, born in 1944, is an American mathematician. She is a professor emerita (a retired professor) at Rutgers University. She also visits the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University.
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About Jean Ellen Taylor
Jean Ellen Taylor was born in Northern California. She started her college studies at Mount Holyoke College. She earned her first degree there in 1966.
Her Education Journey
After college, Jean Ellen began studying chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned a master's degree in chemistry. But then, she decided to switch to mathematics. She studied math at the University of Warwick in England. Later, she earned her highest degree, a doctorate in mathematics, from Princeton University in 1973. Her main advisor was Frederick J. Almgren, Jr..
Her Career and Leadership
Jean Ellen Taylor started teaching at Rutgers University in 1973. She taught there until she retired in 2002. From 1999 to 2001, she was the president of the Association for Women in Mathematics. This group helps support women in the field of mathematics.
Her Amazing Research
Jean Ellen Taylor is famous for her work on the math behind everyday things. She studied how soap bubbles form and how crystals grow.
The Math of Soap Bubbles
In 1976, Jean Ellen Taylor and Frederick Almgren published an important discovery. They proved Plateau's laws. These laws describe the shapes that soap bubbles make when they cluster together. A scientist named Joseph Plateau had described these shapes in the 1800s. But he couldn't prove why they formed that way. Taylor and Almgren's proof was a big step forward in mathematics. It showed how math can explain the natural world around us.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Jean Ellen Taylor has received many honors for her work. She is a fellow of several important science groups. These include the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Mathematical Society.
In 2001, her first college, Mount Holyoke College, gave her an honorary doctorate. This is a special degree given to people who have achieved great things. In 2017, she was chosen as a fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics. She was part of the very first group to receive this honor.
