Marion Beiter facts for kids

Sister Marion Beiter (born Dorothy Katharine Beiter) was an American mathematician and teacher. She was also a Catholic nun. She lived from 1907 to 1982. Sister Marion was known for her work on special math problems called cyclotomic polynomials.

Who Was Sister Marion Beiter?

Sister Marion Beiter was a smart woman who dedicated her life to both teaching and studying mathematics. She was a member of the Sisters of St. Francis, a group of Catholic nuns. Her original name was Dorothy Katharine Beiter.

Early Life and Becoming a Sister

Dorothy Katharine Beiter was born in Buffalo, New York, on August 23, 1907. She went to high school at Sacred Heart Academy in Buffalo. When she was 16, in 1923, she decided to join the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity. She made her final promises to the order in 1929. This meant she officially became a nun.

Education and Teaching Career

Sister Marion started her teaching career in 1925. She taught in schools run by the church and other private schools. She continued teaching while also going to college herself. She earned a degree from Canisius College in 1944. Later, she got another degree from St. Bonaventure University in 1948.

In 1952, Sister Marion became the head of the math department at Rosary Hill College. This was a big step in her career. She kept studying and earned her PhD from the Catholic University of America in 1960. Her special research was about complex math problems called cyclotomic polynomials. These are a type of polynomial, which are math expressions with variables and coefficients.

Sister Marion stayed at Rosary Hill College for many years. She took one year off in 1971-1972 to study at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She retired from teaching in May 1977.

Later Life

Sister Marion Beiter passed away in 1982. She was 75 years old. She died after having several strokes.