Joséphine Guidy Wandja facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joséphine Guidy Wandja
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Joséphine Wandja
1945 (age 79–80) |
| Other names | Joséphine Guidy-Wandja |
| Citizenship | Ivory Coast |
| Education | Lycée Jules-Ferry |
| Alma mater | Pierre and Marie Curie University University of Abidjan |
| Occupation | Mathematics lecturer |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Paris Diderot University (1970-71) University of Abidjan (1971-?) |
Joséphine Guidy Wandja (born in 1945) is a very important mathematician from the Ivory Coast. She is known for being the first African woman to earn a PhD in mathematics. A PhD is the highest university degree you can get.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Joséphine Guidy Wandja moved to France when she was 14 years old. She went to a school called Lycée Jules-Ferry in Paris. Later, she studied at the Pierre and Marie Curie University.
University Studies
She earned her master's degree with a special project. It was about "closed convex curves" in geometry. While she was working in Paris in the late 1960s, famous mathematicians like René Thom and Henri Cartan gave her advice.
First African Woman with a PhD
Joséphine then went on to study for her PhD at the University of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. She successfully earned this advanced degree. This made her the very first African woman to get a PhD in mathematics, which was a huge achievement!
Career in Mathematics
After finishing her studies, Joséphine Guidy Wandja started her teaching career. In 1969, she worked at a high school in Melun, France. Then, she taught for a year at the Paris Diderot University.
University Professor
In 1971, she joined the University of Abidjan as a mathematics lecturer. This made her the first African woman to become a university mathematics professor. She helped many students learn about math.
International Leadership
Joséphine Guidy Wandja also took on important leadership roles. In 1983, she became the president of the International Committee on Mathematics in Developing Countries (ICOMIDC). This group helps promote mathematics in countries that are still developing.
Sharing Math with Kids
She even wrote a fun math comic book in 1986. It was called Yao crack en maths and was 24 pages long. This showed her passion for making math interesting for everyone. In 1985, she helped organize a big ICOMIDC meeting in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.
Awards and Recognition
Joséphine Guidy Wandja has received several important awards. She is an officer of the Ivorian Order of Merit of National Education. She also received the French Ordre des Palmes Académiques, which honors people who have done great things in education.
Images for kids
-
Joséphine Guidy Wandja
-
A robot, symbolizing learning and technology.
