School talk, open to pupils, parents, alumni and by invitation only.
Speaker: Dr Brigitte Stenhouse (she / her)
Lecturer in History of Mathematics
Mathematics to Tour the Stars: The Life and Work of Mary Somerville
In the early 1800s, Mary Somerville started to make a name for herself in Edinburgh as a mathematician. Although she had not attended high school or university - being taught artistic skills at home like other young ladies – she had been inspired by her love of nature to study mathematics. She was soon able to read some of the most advanced books of the day and study the motions of the planets, moons, and stars. In this talk we explore how Somerville used mathematics to become known as one of the most important scientists of her day.
This talk is part of May12, a global initiative which celebrates women in mathematics around the birthday of Maryam Mirzakhani (1977-2017), who was the first woman to receive the most prestigious award in mathematics, the Fields Medal.
By invitation only
London
W148SH
United Kingdom
