Laura Anne Taalman, also known as mathgrrl, is an American mathematician known for her work on the

mathematics of Sudoku Mathematics can be used to study Sudoku puzzles to answer questions such as "How many filled Sudoku grids are there?", "What is the minimal number of clues in a valid puzzle?" and "In what ways can Sudoku grids be symmetric?" through the use o ...

and for her mathematical

3D printing 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

models. Her mathematical research concerns

knot theory In topology, knot theory is the study of knot (mathematics), mathematical knots. While inspired by knots which appear in daily life, such as those in shoelaces and rope, a mathematical knot differs in that the ends are joined so it cannot be und ...

and singular algebraic geometry; she is a professor of mathematics at

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

Life

Taalman earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1994. She completed her Ph.D. at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

in 2000; her dissertation, ''Monomial Generators for the Nash Sheaf of a Complete Resolution'', was supervised by William L. Pardon. On finishing her doctorate, she joined the James Madison faculty; she has also worked as the mathematician-in-residence at the

National Museum of Mathematics The National Museum of Mathematics or MoMath is a mathematics museum in Manhattan, New York City. It opened on December 15, 2012, with over thirty interactive exhibits. The mission of the museum is to "enhance public understanding and perceptio ...

in 2014–2015. Borromean ring knitting

3d printing

In 2013–2014, after becoming head of the 3d printing lab at James Madison University, Taalman set out on a project of printing one 3d model per day. Her models have included subjects from mathematics including knots, fractals, and snap-together polyhedra.

Books

With Peter Kohn, Taalman is the author of a textbook ''Calculus''. She is also the author of a different text, ''Calculus I with Integrated Precalculus''. With

Jason Rosenhouse Jason Rosenhouse is an American author and professor of mathematics at James Madison University, where he was originally appointed an assistant professor in 2003. He became a full professor in 2014. His research focuses on algebraic graph theory, ...

(also a mathematics professor at James Madison University) she is the author of '' Taking Sudoku Seriously: The Mathematics Behind the World’s Most Popular Pencil Puzzle''. She has also written a series of Sudoku puzzle books with Philip Riley.

Awards and honors

Taalman won the Trevor Evans Award of the

Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary edu ...

in 2003 for her work with

Eugénie Hunsicker Eugénie Lee Hunsicker is an American mathematician who works at Loughborough University in England as a senior lecturer in pure mathematics and as director of equality and diversity for the school of science. Her research in pure mathematics has ...

on the mathematics of modular architecture. In 2005, Taalman won the Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member, given by the

. Her book ''Taking Sudoku Seriously'' was the 2012 winner of the

PROSE Awards The PROSE Awards (where ''PROSE'' is an abbreviation for "professional and scholarly excellence") are presented by the Association of American Publishers' (AAP) Professional and Scholarly Publishing (PSP) Division. Presented since 1976, the awar ...

in the popular science and popular mathematics category.

References

External links

Home page
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taalman, Laura Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American mathematicians Recreational mathematicians Mathematics popularizers University of Chicago alumni Duke University alumni James Madison University faculty 21st-century American women mathematicians