Margaret H. Wright facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Professor
Margaret H. Wright
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| Born | February 18, 1944 San Francisco, United States
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | B.S. in Mathematics, M.S., Ph.D. in Computer Science |
| Alma mater | Stanford University |
| Occupation | Computer scientist |
| Awards | Member of the National Academy of Sciences Member of the National Academy of Engineering Fellow of the American Mathematical Society President of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (1995-1996) Bell Labs Fellow Editor-in-Chief of SIAM Review (1999-2004) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Optimization, Linear Algebra, Scientific Computing |
| Institutions | NYU Courant, Bell Laboratories, Stanford University (Systems Optimization Laboratory), GTE Sylvania |
| Thesis | Numerical Methods for Nonlinearly Constrained Optimization (1976) |
| Doctoral advisor | Gene H. Golub, Walter Murray |
Margaret H. Wright, born on February 18, 1944, is an American computer scientist and mathematician. She is a top professor of Computer Science at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Her work focuses on optimization (making things work better), linear algebra (a type of math with numbers), and scientific computing (using computers to solve science problems).
In 1997, she was chosen for the National Academy of Engineering. This was for creating new ways to solve math problems with computers. It was also for being a leader in the world of applied mathematics. In 2005, she was also chosen for the National Academy of Sciences. She made history as the first woman to lead the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
Contents
Margaret Wright's Early Life and School
Margaret Wright was born in San Francisco in 1944. She spent her early years in Hanford, California. Both of her parents were medical doctors. When she was 10, her family moved to Tucson, Arizona. There, she went to junior high and high school. She finished high school in 1960 at age 16. She was very good at school, especially in math.
She went to college at Stanford University. At that time, Stanford was one of the few top universities that accepted women. She was interested in many subjects, like literature, French, history, and math. She chose to major in mathematics. This was because a math degree could lead to better jobs than an English or history degree. She planned to work because her mother had always worked.
She earned her first degree, a B.S. in Mathematics, from Stanford University in 1964. She then got her M.S. degree in Computer Science from Stanford in 1965.
After her M.S., she worked at GTE Sylvania from 1965 to 1971. There, she wrote computer programs to run math simulations. She learned about optimization methods, which help find the best solutions to problems. At that time, it was legal for employers to pay women less than men. Margaret earned much less than men with less experience. Because of this and other reasons, she decided to go back to Stanford in 1971. She wanted to earn her Ph.D.
Wright started her Ph.D. program in Computer Science at Stanford University in 1971. She received support from Gene H. Golub. During her studies, Philip E. Gill and Walter Murray visited Stanford. They were researchers from the UK. They greatly influenced her Ph.D. and her career. She worked as a teaching assistant for Walter Murray and got to know him. When Gill and Murray went back to the UK, she went with them for six months. She did much of her Ph.D. research during this time. She returned to Stanford and earned her Ph.D. in 1976. Her research was about solving complex math problems using computers.
Margaret Wright's Career in Science
After getting her Ph.D. in 1976, Margaret Wright joined George Dantzig's lab at Stanford University. This lab focused on Systems Optimization. She was a Senior Research Associate there. Later, Gill, Murray, and Michael Saunders joined her. They were known as the "Gang of Four." They published many scientific papers together. Their names were always listed in alphabetical order. In 1984, a new math method called Karmarkar's algorithm was announced. It showed a faster way to solve certain math problems. The "Gang of Four" quickly realized this method was related to Wright's own Ph.D. work. This showed that her research area was more important than people thought.
In 1988, Wright moved to Bell Labs. She was promoted to a top technical position there. From 1997 to 2000, she led the Scientific Computing Research Department. She was named a Bell Labs Fellow in 1999. At Bell Labs, Wright worked on many projects. She helped with wireless communication systems. She also studied a popular math method called Nelder–Mead method. This method helps find the best solutions without needing complex math calculations.
In 2001, Wright joined the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. She became a Silver Professor of Computer Science and a math professor. She was the head of the Computer Science department from 2001 to 2009.
Helping the Scientific Community
Margaret Wright has done a lot to help the scientific community. She has led and served on many important committees. These include groups that give out awards and choose new members. She has also advised many national and international organizations.
From 1995 to 1996, she was the first woman president of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). She also served on SIAM's Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2005. She was on its Council from 1987 to 1989. From 1990 to 1993, she was SIAM's Vice President.
From 1999 to 2004, she was the main editor of SIAM Review, a scientific journal.
In 2010, she led a review of math and science research in the UK.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Margaret Wright has received many awards for her important work:
- In 1997, she was chosen for the National Academy of Engineering.
- In 2000, she gave the Noether Lecture. This award honors women who have made big contributions to math.
- In 2001, she became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- In 2000, she received the SIAM Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession.
- In 2002, she received the AMS Award for Distinguished Public Service.
- In 2002, she became a Fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.
- In 2003, she received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Waterloo.
- In 2005, she was chosen for the National Academy of Sciences.
- In 2008, she received an honorary doctorate from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden.
- In 2009, she became a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
- In 2012, she became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
- In 2013, she was named an honorary member of the London Mathematical Society.
- In 2016, she was named a Senior Fellow in the Simons Society of Fellows.
- In 2019, she won the John von Neumann Prize. This award recognized her important work in solving optimization problems. She also received it for explaining the subject clearly.
See also
In Spanish: Margaret H. Wright para niños
