For Maryam Mirzakhani, math was “…like being lost in a jungle…trying to use all the knowledge you can gather to come up with some new tricks…” (Myers). On May 12, 1977, one of the most influential women within the mathematics field was born. Throughout the course of her life, she was able to shine a light on a variety of new ideas and delve further into them than countless others who had come before her.
In fact, in 1994, she was recognized by the International Mathematical Olympiad team and represented the Islamic Republic of Iran in the prestigious competition, earning a gold medal for her country. A year later, in 1995, she was able to earn gold again, obtaining a perfect score. Despite the fact that her talent in mathematics was evidently remarkable, her dreams did not start this way.
Throughout her childhood, Mirzakhani always believed she would be a writer. Nonetheless, upon discovering her passion for mathematics during high school, she never let it fall out of her grasp. She went on to graduate from Sharif University in Tehran, Iran, one of the most prestigious colleges in the country for any STEM field. In 1999, Mirzakhani graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. She decided to further her education by traveling to the United States to earn her doctorate at Harvard University, which she graduated from in 2004. This was a remarkable year for her not only for this reason, but for her thesis paper entitled “Simple geodesics on hyperbolic surfaces and the volume of the moduli space of curves” (Mirzakhani). This paper was published and shared with researchers within the field worldwide, being described as “…a masterpiece” (Myers and Carey). Her work involved moduli spaces, hyperbolic geometry, symplectic geometry, and much more. Her research crossed into string theory and the quantum field at times due to the fact that her work was not confined to the rules of our real world.
Many have spoken about the fact that Maryam was a very curious person. She was never content with asking a simple question and gaining the correct answer. Mirzakhani wanted to see past the surface of that murky, confusing, pond of questions in which others did not bother to spend their time. Later in her career, in 2009, she became an assistant professor at Stanford University at the Clay Mathematics Institute. She was described by her students as being perseverant and consistently humble. In fact, her colleagues reported that Mirzakhani described herself as “slow.” In reality, her goal with her research was to take her time with any task she would come across. As proven through competitions she had been in, she had an outstanding talent for quick problem-solving. Another one of her outstanding achievements was a 200-page paper written in 2013, addressing “the trajectory of a billiard ball around a polygonal table” (Myers and Carey). This work “…marked the beginning of a new era” (Wright). This was also the year Mirzakhani received the devastating news that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Regardless, she continued to thrive, and her efforts were soon recognized in 2014, when she became the first woman to win the quadrennial Fields Medal. This is an award considered to be a top prize in mathematics, even being compared to the uniqueness of winning a Nobel Prize. It is given every four years to mathematicians under the age of forty. Receiving this honor, she set the standard for countless young women to look up to. Finally, in 2017, the cancer had spread to her liver and bones. On July 14, 2017, Maryam Mirzakhani passed away at Stanford Hospital, leaving an unforgettable legacy behind. Her death was a great loss for people in STEM fields worldwide, but it was made clear that she is never forgotten. Stanford University held a memorial service in her honor on campus when students returned in the fall. Thousands of people were devastated and numerous scholars held memorials, remembering her as the devoted mathematician she was, as well as the impact she had made on so many. She was a mother, a mentor, and an incredible scholar. Maryam Mirzakhani was an inspiration for all, her outstanding work still being used for further advancements within the field.
Works Cited
Myers, Andrew, and Bjorn, Carey. “Maryam Mirzakhani, Mathematician and Fields Medal Winner, Dies at Stanford.” Stanford Report, 15 July 2017, news.stanford.edu/stories/2017/07/maryam-mirzakhani-stanford-mathematician-and-fields-medal-winner-dies.
Lamb, Evelyn. “Mathematics World Mourns Maryam Mirzakhani, Only Woman to Win Fields Medal.” Scientific American, 17 Jul 2017, www.scientificamerican.com/article/mathematics-world-mourns-maryam-mirzakhani-only-woman-to-win-fields-medal/. Webb, Jonathan. “First Female Winner for Fields Maths Medal.” BBC News, 12 Aug 2014, www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28739373.
About Me
Hello, my name is Kimia and I am an incoming sophomore in California. I’m interested in everything STEM has to offer, and hope to be able to write more articles like this in the future.
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