“Math is the language of the universe. So the more equations you know, the more you can converse with the cosmos.” — Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Today, I will be talking about the mathematician named Gloria Conyers Hewitt. And when I think of math, I think of patterns that suited these photos (see other photo below). 

Back to Gloria - she was born October 26, 1935, in Sumter, South Carolina, & she is turning 89 today! She was the fourth African-American woman to obtain her Ph.D. in mathematics and the first African-American woman to chair a math department at a University in the USA. Her primary research topics were abstract algebra and group theory. 

In 1956, she graduated from Fisk University, and without her knowledge, her department chair, Lee Lorch, recommended her to 2 different graduate schools. She was offered a fellowship at the University of Washington and got her M.S. and Ph.D. there (graduating in 1962). 

After her Ph.D., she joined the University of Montana’s faculty, became tenured by 1966, was promoted to associate professor, and finally, in 1972, became a full professor. She was elected chair in 1995 and retired in 1999 as Professor Emeritus. While at the University of Montana, she was on the executive council of Pi Mu Epsilon (the Math honor society) and served on other chairs and consultant work throughout her career, including the Board of Governors of the Mathematical Association of America. 

Awards: National Science Foundation postdoctoral Science Faculty Fellowship; 1995: ETS Certificate of Appreciation; Recognized by Mathematically Gifted & Black as a Black History Month 2018 Honoree. 

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Conyers_Hewitt & https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/gloria-conyers-hewitt/

Photos: “Autumn Leaves” and “Dogwood Tree in Autumn” - Two photos of these fantastic Pacific Dogwood trees (one of my favorites) I took up at Grants Grove in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park in October 2023 with my Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens. Wuksachi, Nyyhmy, Yokut, Tübatulabal, Nüümü, and Newe Sogobia Ancestral Homeland.