Yewande Olubummo facts for kids

Yewande Olubummo was born on February 8, 1960. She is a Nigerian-American mathematician. She studies areas of math like functional analysis and dynamical systems. These fields help us understand how things change over time. She is a professor of mathematics at Spelman College. She also led the math department there from 2006 to 2010. She is part of important math groups like the National Association of Mathematicians.

Early Life and Learning

Yewande Olubummo grew up in Ibadan, Nigeria. She is the oldest of three children. Her father, Adegoke Olubummo, was also a mathematician. He was the second Nigerian to earn a doctorate in math. Her mother, Edak Olubummo, worked as a hospital administrator.

School Days in Nigeria

As a child, Yewande went to school where her father taught. This was at the staff school of the University of Ibadan. Later, she attended the International School Ibadan. This school was also on the university campus.

In 1980, she earned her first degree in mathematics. She graduated with top honors from the University of Ibadan. After college, she taught math in Keffi as part of her national service.

Studying in America

Her father advised her to continue her studies abroad. Yewande chose Yale University in the United States. She also got into the University of Oxford, but Yale offered financial help.

At Yale, she sometimes felt alone and faced challenges. She left in 1983 with a master's degree. A professor suggested she transfer to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She completed her doctorate there in 1991. Her research was about measures on empirical logics.

Her Career in Mathematics

While working on her doctorate, Olubummo taught math at Smith College. In 1991, she met Sylvia Bozeman. Bozeman suggested she join Spelman College. Olubummo started as a lecturer there.

Teaching and Leadership

By 2000, she became an associate professor at Spelman. She led the math department from 2006 to 2010. In 2009, she won an award for excellent teaching at Spelman College.

In 2018, she received a special fellowship. It was the Carnegie Foundation Africa Diaspora Fellowship. This allowed her to teach a course in functional analysis. She taught this course at Kwara State University in Nigeria.

Helping More Students in Math

Beyond her research, Olubummo wants to help more people get into math. Especially groups that are not often seen in the field. She works to encourage students in both the US and Nigeria.

At Spelman, she led a program called the Math Research and Mentoring Program. This program was supported by the National Science Foundation. It helped minority college students pursue advanced degrees in math.

In 2018, she received another fellowship. This was the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship from the Institute of International Education. It funded her trip back to Nigeria. She taught advanced math as a visiting professor at Kwara State University.

She has also published research with Thurlow A. Cook. Their work is titled Operational logics and the Hahn-Jordan property.