Joan Birman facts for kids

Joan Sylvia Lyttle Birman, born on May 30, 1927, in New York City, is a famous American mathematician. She is known for her work in a field called low-dimensional topology. This area of math studies shapes and spaces. She has made important discoveries about knots, 3D shapes, and how surfaces can be moved around. Dr. Birman is a research professor emerita at Barnard College, Columbia University. She has been there since 1973.

About Joan Birman's Family

Joan Birman's parents were George and Lillian Lyttle. Both were Jewish immigrants. Her father, George, came from Russia. He grew up in Liverpool, England. Her mother, Lillian, was born in New York. Her parents were immigrants from Russia and Poland.

George came to the US when he was 17. He became a very successful dress maker. He was happy about his business. But he wanted his daughters to focus on getting a good education. Joan Birman has three children: Kenneth P. Birman, Deborah Birman Shlider, and Carl David Birman. Her husband, Joseph Birman, was a physicist. He was also a strong supporter of human rights for scientists.

Joan Birman's Education Journey

After high school, Joan Birman started college at Swarthmore College. She studied mathematics there. However, she did not like living in the dorms. So, she moved to Barnard College. This was a women's college linked to Columbia University. She could live at home while studying there.

Joan Birman earned her first degree (B.A.) in mathematics in 1948 from Barnard College. She then got a master's degree (M.A.) in physics in 1950 from Columbia University. She worked in different companies from 1950 to 1960. Later, she went back to school. She earned her PhD in mathematics in 1968. She studied at the Courant Institute at New York University. Her teacher was Wilhelm Magnus. Her PhD paper was about "Braid groups and their relationship to mapping class groups."

Joan Birman's Career in Mathematics

After getting her first degree, Joan Birman worked at a company called Polytechnic Research and Development Co. This company was connected to Brooklyn Polytechnic University. She also worked for other research groups.

Her first job as a professor was at the Stevens Institute of Technology. She worked there from 1968 to 1973. When she joined, she was the only female professor. There were 160 professors in total. In 1969, she wrote an important paper called "On Braid Groups." In this paper, she showed a new way to connect different math groups. This idea is now called the Birman Exact Sequence. It is a very important tool for studying braids and surfaces.

In 1974, she published a book called Braids, Links, and Mapping Class Groups. This book was based on a class she taught at Princeton University. It is seen as the first full book about braid theory. It helped bring modern ideas to the field. The book also had the first complete proof of the Markov theorem on braids.

In 1973, she joined the faculty at Barnard College. She was the head of the Mathematics Department for many years. She held this role from 1973 to 1987, 1989 to 1991, and 1995 to 1998. She also visited the Institute for Advanced Study in 1988.

She guided 21 students who were getting their PhDs. She has many academic "descendants" through her students. One of her students was Józef Przytycki. Joan Birman also helped start two math journals. These were Geometry and Topology and Algebraic and Geometric Topology. She also helped start Mathematical Sciences Publishing. This is a non-profit group that publishes math work.

Joan Birman's Scientific Work

Joan Birman has written many scientific papers. She has 106 research papers. She has also reviewed over 300 other math papers. She is the author of the important math book Braids, Links, and Mapping Class Groups.

Awards and Recognition for Joan Birman

Joan Birman has received many awards for her work.

• In 1974, she became a Sloan Research Fellow.
• In 1994, she was chosen as a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow.
• In 1996, she won the Chauvenet Prize. This is a top award for clear math writing. She won it for her essay New Points of View in Knot Theory.
• In 1997, she received an honorary doctorate from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology.
• In 2003, she was elected to the European Academy of Sciences.
• In 2005, she won the New York City Mayor's Award for Excellence in Science and Technology.
• In 2012, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
• In 2015, she became an honorary member of the London Mathematical Society.
• In 2021, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Her Role in the American Mathematical Society

Joan Birman was a member of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) Council. She served from 1978 to 1980 and again from 1990 to 1992.

In 1990, Joan Birman gave money to the AMS. This money helped create the Ruth Lyttle Satter Prize in Mathematics. This award honors her sister, Ruth Lyttle Satter, who studied plants. In 2017, she also started the Joan and Joseph Birman Fellowship. This fellowship helps women mathematicians in the middle of their careers. In 2013, she became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. She was in the very first group of fellows.

Her Support for Women in Mathematics

In 1987, the Association for Women in Mathematics chose her as a Noether Lecturer. This honor recognized her important contributions to math.

In 2015, the Association for Women in Mathematics started a new award. It is called the Joan & Joseph Birman Research Prize in Topology and Geometry. In 2020, they named her a Fellow of their association. This was for her amazing research and her clear writing. It was also for always supporting women in math. She has been a great mentor and role model. The AWM also put her on a special deck of cards featuring famous women mathematicians.

See also

In Spanish: Joan Birman para niños

• Birman–Wenzl algebra