Lai-Sang Young facts for kids
Lai-Sang Lily Young (Chinese: 楊麗笙, born in 1952) is a famous mathematician from Hong Kong. She is also an American citizen. She works as a professor of mathematics and neural science at New York University. This means she studies both numbers and how the brain works!
Professor Young is very interested in how things change over time. This includes topics like dynamical systems, which look at how systems evolve. She also studies chaos theory, which explores how small changes can lead to big, unpredictable differences. Her work helps us understand complex patterns in the world.
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Becoming a Mathematician
Lai-Sang Young was born and grew up in Hong Kong. She later moved to the United States for her college education.
Her College Journey
- In 1973, she earned her first degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
- She then went to the University of California, Berkeley for more advanced studies.
- She received her master's degree in 1976.
- In 1978, she completed her doctorate degree. This is the highest degree you can get in a field of study. Her teacher was a famous mathematician named Rufus Bowen.
Teaching and Research
After finishing her studies, Professor Young taught at several universities. She shared her knowledge with students at:
- Northwestern University (1979-1980)
- Michigan State University (1980-1986)
- University of Arizona (1987-1990)
- University of California, Los Angeles (1991-1999)
Since 1999, she has been a special professor at New York University. She holds a very important position there.
Awards and Special Honors
Professor Young has received many awards for her amazing work in mathematics. These awards show how much her contributions are valued.
Recognized for Excellence
- In 1985, she became a Sloan Fellow. This is a special award for young scientists who show great promise.
- In 1997, she was named a Guggenheim Fellow. This honor helps people in many fields do important research.
Top Mathematics Prizes
- In 1993, she won the Ruth Lyttle Satter Prize in Mathematics. This award is given every two years to a female mathematician for outstanding research. She won it for her leading work on how systems behave over time.
- In 2004, she was chosen as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This means she is recognized as a top expert in her field.
- She was an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 1994 and again in 2018. This is a very important event where mathematicians from all over the world share their discoveries.
- In 2005, she gave the Noether Lecture. This lecture honors women who have made big impacts in mathematics.
- In 2007, she gave the Sonia Kovalevsky lecture. This lecture also celebrates women in mathematics.
Recent Achievements
- In 2020, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. This is one of the highest honors a scientist can receive in the United States.
- She received the 2021 Jürgen Moser Lecture prize for her deep contributions to understanding complex systems.
- In 2023, she was awarded the Heinz Hopf Prize.
- In 2024, she received the Rolf Schock Prize.
See also
In Spanish: Lai-Sang Young para niños
