1st BLACK WOMAN EARNS MATH DOCTORATE AT FAU

Mary Hopkins, 36, will soon graduate with a math doctorate from Florida Atlantic University, one of five math PhDs expected to go to the largest class of women in the school’s history. She also will be the first black woman to earn a doctorate in math from FAU and only the third among all state universities since at least 1990.
“I just had very encouraging teachers. I’ve heard of math teachers not encouraging females, especially minorities, but all of my professors are so great, and they’re all old white men,” said Hopkins, who spent a full hour last week working out a lengthy math question in front of her classmates and professors.

FAU will award four other women with math PhDs: Bashak Ay, Marcela Chiorescu, Zhihua Liu and Viktoria Villanyi. FAU math administrators said they didn’t do anything special to recruit more women into their doctoral program and believe there’s a natural increase of women studying math as traditional stereotypes fall away.

Comment by CHINKEE on November 25, 2008 at 12:25pm: WELL DESERVED... SALUTE!!!

Comment by ms_bossy_sb on November 25, 2008 at 1:53pm: THAT'S GREAT FOR REAL...

Comment by Mikeno on November 25, 2008 at 4:31pm: Lets get it..

Comment by Wally Manning on November 25, 2008 at 10:16pm: I used to see her on campus like "damn she kinda off" but i guess u cant judge a book by its cover...Congrats to her, hopefully other people of follow her lead..You dont have to be a white man to break academic barriers...