Ruth Gentry facts for kids

Ruth Gentry (born February 22, 1862 – died October 18, 1917) was an amazing American woman who loved mathematics. She was one of the first women to achieve great things in math during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ruth was the very first woman born in Indiana to earn a PhD (a very high degree) in mathematics. She was also probably the first Indiana-born woman to get a doctoral degree in any science field!

Ruth's Early Life and School Days

Ruth Ellen Gentry was the youngest of three children. Her parents were Jeremiah and Lucretia Gentry. Jeremiah was a farmer and a stock trader. Ruth and her older siblings, Oliver and Mary Frances, grew up on their family farm near Stilesville, Indiana. Ruth also went to school there when she was young.

Ruth went to Indiana State Normal School. This was a special college for people who wanted to become teachers. She graduated in 1880. After that, she taught at different schools for ten years.

In 1885, Ruth decided she wanted to get a bachelor's degree. She went to the University of Michigan. At that time, it was one of the few colleges in America that allowed women to study there. She studied math for a year. Then, she went back to teaching. She even moved to Florida for a couple of years to teach at a college there.

Studying for Her PhD

Ruth started her advanced studies in 1890 at Bryn Mawr College. This college was one of the only places where women could study for a graduate degree. In 1891, she was chosen as a "Fellow in Mathematics" at Bryn Mawr. This meant she received special support for her studies.

After her first year, Ruth won a special award called the Association of College Alumnae European Fellowship. She was the first mathematician to receive this honor! She used the award to study in Europe in 1891 and 1892.

Ruth first went to Germany. She hoped to attend math lectures at a university there. However, universities in Germany usually did not allow women to attend classes. Many professors said no to her. But a professor named Lazarus Fuchs at the University of Berlin helped her. He got permission for her to attend his lectures and those of another professor, Ludwig Schlesinger.

This special arrangement only lasted for one semester. The university leaders decided to stop it. Ruth stayed in Europe for another semester. She went to lectures on mathematics at the Sorbonne in Paris, France.

When Ruth came back to Bryn Mawr, she continued her studies. She became the first graduate student of a famous mathematician named Charlotte Scott. In 1894, Ruth finished her PhD work at Bryn Mawr. Her main project, called a thesis, was about "the shapes of plane quartic curves." This was a complex topic in geometry.

Ruth's Career and Later Life

After earning her PhD, Ruth Gentry started teaching at Vassar College. She was the first person in the math department at Vassar to have a doctoral degree. This was a big achievement! In 1900, she became an associate professor there.

A couple of years later, Ruth faced some health challenges. She left Vassar and became the associate principal and head of the math department at a private school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1905, she left that job. She then became a volunteer nurse, helping people who were sick.

Ruth traveled in the United States and Europe for a while. However, her health problems continued. She sadly passed away in Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 18, 1917, at the age of 55. She is buried in Stilesville Cemetery in Stilesville, Indiana.

Ruth's Mathematical Interests

Ruth Gentry was most interested in geometry. This is the study of shapes, sizes, and positions of figures. She especially loved studying "quartic curves," which were the main topic of her PhD project.

Honors and Recognition

In 1894, while she was still at Bryn Mawr, Ruth Gentry became a member of the New York Mathematical Society. This group later became known as the American Mathematical Society, which is a very important organization for mathematicians.