Karen Parshall facts for kids

Karen Hunger Parshall, born in Virginia in 1955, is an American expert in the history of mathematics. This means she studies how mathematical ideas and discoveries have changed over time. She is a special professor at the University of Virginia, teaching both history and mathematics.

From 2009 to 2012, Professor Parshall helped lead the College of Arts and Sciences at UVA as an Associate Dean. Later, from 2016 to 2019, she was the head of the History Department there.

Education and Early Career

Karen Parshall studied at the University of Virginia for her college degrees. She earned two main degrees, one in French and another in mathematics. In 1978, she received her master's degree in mathematics from UVA.

She then went on to the University of Chicago, where she earned her PhD in history in 1982. Her main research for her PhD was about the history of a math topic called the "theory of algebras." She focused on the work of a mathematician named Joseph Wedderburn.

After finishing her studies, Professor Parshall began her teaching career. She was an assistant professor at Sweet Briar College from 1982 to 1987. She also taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for a year.

Since 1988, she has been a professor at the University of Virginia. There, she teaches mathematics, the history of mathematics, and the history of science. She became a full professor in 1999. She has also been a visiting professor at universities in Australia and France.

Research and Contributions

Professor Parshall is especially interested in how mathematics grew in the United States during the late 1800s and early 1900s. She has studied the "Chicago School" of mathematics, which was a group of important mathematicians in Chicago.

For example, she looked at the work of Leonard Dickson, a mathematician who was influenced by German mathematicians like Felix Klein. This happened around the time of the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, a big world's fair in Chicago.

She has also focused a lot on the history of algebra. She helped publish the letters of a famous mathematician named James Joseph Sylvester. She also wrote a book about his life.

Awards and Recognition

Professor Parshall has received many honors for her work. In 1994, she was invited to speak at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in Zürich, Switzerland. This is a very important event for mathematicians worldwide.

From 1996 to 1999, she was the editor of a well-known journal called Historia Mathematica, which focuses on the history of math. She has also been a member of the governing bodies for important groups like the History of Science Society and the American Mathematical Society (AMS).

In 2012, she became one of the first "fellows" of the American Mathematical Society. This is a special honor given to mathematicians who have made outstanding contributions.

In 2018, she won the Albert Leon Whiteman Memorial Prize from the American Mathematical Society. She received this award for her excellent work in the history of mathematics. The prize recognized her studies on how math developed in the U.S. and the history of algebra. It also honored her efforts to support the international community of math historians through her students, editing work, and conferences.

In 2020, she was chosen as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her work in mathematics.

Selected Works

Professor Parshall has written many books and articles about the history of mathematics. Here are some of her notable works:

• Eliakim Hastings Moore and the Founding of a Mathematical Community in America, 1892–1902 (1984)
• Joseph H. M. Wedderburn and the Structure Theory of Algebras (1985)
• The Art of Algebra from al-Khwarizmi to Viète: a Study in the Natural Selection of Ideas (1988)
• With David E. Rowe: The Emergence of the American Mathematical Research Community 1876–1900: J. J. Sylvester, Felix Klein, and E. H. Moore (1994)
• James Joseph Sylvester: Life and Work in Letters (1998)
• With Adrian C. Rice (eds.): Mathematics Unbound: The Evolution of an International Mathematical Research Community, 1800–1945 (2002)
• With Jeremy J. Gray (eds.): Episodes in the History of Modern Algebra (1800–1950) (2007)
• James Joseph Sylvester: Jewish Mathematician in a Victorian World (2006)
• With Victor J. Katz: Taming the Unknown: History of algebra from antiquity to the early twentieth century (2014)