Mary Ellen Rudin
Encyclopedia
Mary Ellen Rudin is an American
mathematician
.
Born Mary Ellen Estill, she attended the University of Texas
, completing her B.A. in 1944 and her Ph.D. in 1949, under Robert Lee Moore
. In 1953, she married the mathematician Walter Rudin
. Following her mentor Moore, her research centers on point-set topology
. She was appointed as Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin in 1971, and is currently a Professor Emerita there. She served as vice-president of the American Mathematical Society
, 1980–1981. In 1984 she was selected to be a Noether Lecturer. She is an honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
(1995).
Rudin is best known in topology
for her constructions of counterexamples to well-known conjectures. Most famously, she was the first to construct a Dowker space
, thus disproving a conjecture of Dowker's that had stood, and helped drive topological research, for more than twenty years. She also proved the first Morita conjecture
and a restricted version of the second. Her latest major result is a proof of Nikiel's conjecture. Rudin's Erdős number
is 1.
"Reading the articles of Mary Ellen Rudin, studying them until there is no mystery takes hours and hours; but those hours are rewarded, the student obtains power to which few have access. They are not hard to read, they are just hard mathematics, that's all." (Steve Watson)
She resides in Madison, Wisconsin
, in the Rudin House
, a home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
.
Born Mary Ellen Estill, she attended the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, completing her B.A. in 1944 and her Ph.D. in 1949, under Robert Lee Moore
Robert Lee Moore
Robert Lee Moore was an American mathematician, known for his work in general topology and the Moore method of teaching university mathematics.-Life:...
. In 1953, she married the mathematician Walter Rudin
Walter Rudin
Walter Rudin was an American mathematician, for most of his career a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. Following her mentor Moore, her research centers on point-set topology
General topology
In mathematics, general topology or point-set topology is the branch of topology which studies properties of topological spaces and structures defined on them...
. She was appointed as Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin in 1971, and is currently a Professor Emerita there. She served as vice-president of the American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
, 1980–1981. In 1984 she was selected to be a Noether Lecturer. She is an honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
(1995).
Rudin is best known in topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
for her constructions of counterexamples to well-known conjectures. Most famously, she was the first to construct a Dowker space
Dowker space
A Dowker space is a topological space that is T4 but not countably paracompact.-Equivalences:If X is a normal T1 space , then the following are equivalent:* X is a Dowker space...
, thus disproving a conjecture of Dowker's that had stood, and helped drive topological research, for more than twenty years. She also proved the first Morita conjecture
Morita conjectures
The Morita conjectures in general topology are certain problems about normal spaces, now solved in the affirmative. They asked# If X × Y is normal for every normal space Y, is X discrete?...
and a restricted version of the second. Her latest major result is a proof of Nikiel's conjecture. Rudin's Erdős number
Erdos number
The Erdős number describes the "collaborative distance" between a person and mathematician Paul Erdős, as measured by authorship of mathematical papers.The same principle has been proposed for other eminent persons in other fields.- Overview :...
is 1.
"Reading the articles of Mary Ellen Rudin, studying them until there is no mystery takes hours and hours; but those hours are rewarded, the student obtains power to which few have access. They are not hard to read, they are just hard mathematics, that's all." (Steve Watson)
She resides in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, in the Rudin House
Walter Rudin House
The Walter Rudin House is a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marshall Erdman prefab building located at 110 Marinette Trail, Madison, Wisconsin. Designed in 1957, it is the first of the only two examples of the second type of the Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses...
, a home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
.
External links
- "Mary Ellen Rudin", Biographies of Women Mathematicians, Agnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott College is a private undergraduate college in the United States. Agnes Scott's campus lies in downtown Decatur, Georgia, nestled inside the perimeter of the bustling metro-Atlanta area....