Susan Goldstine facts for kids

Susan Goldstine is an American mathematician who loves to combine math with art, especially with fiber arts like knitting and crochet! She teaches mathematics at St. Mary's College of Maryland. From 2019 to 2022, she was also a special professor there, called the Steven Muller Distinguished Professor in the Sciences.

Becoming a Mathematician

Susan Goldstine went to Amherst College and graduated in 1993 with the highest honors. This means she was a top student!

Later, in 1998, she earned her Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University. A Ph.D. is a very advanced degree that shows you are an expert in your field. Her main research project was about something called Spin Representations and Lattices.

Before joining St. Mary's College in 2004, she worked and taught at other universities like McMaster University and Ohio State University.

Math and Art: Her Amazing Creations

Susan Goldstine is famous for creating beautiful art that uses math ideas. She often uses textiles, like fabric and yarn, in her artwork.

One of her cool projects was a collection of bead crochet jewelry. These pieces showed how to solve the map coloring problem on different shapes. Imagine trying to color a map so no two touching countries have the same color! Her art explored this math puzzle. These jewelry pieces won an award at a big math meeting in 2015 for being the "best textile, sculpture, or other medium."

She also helped write a book called Crafting Conundrums: Puzzles and Patterns for the Bead Crochet Artist. It's full of fun puzzles and patterns for people who like bead crochet.

Susan Goldstine is part of a special group called the Mathemalchemy Team. This team has 24 mathematicians and artists who work together to create amazing art that mixes math and creativity.

Family Connections

Susan Goldstine comes from a family of talented people. Her grandmother was Bel Kaufman, a well-known teacher and writer. Her great-great-grandfather was Sholem Aleichem, a famous writer too!