Mina Spiegel Rees (August 2, 1902 – October 25, 1997) was an American

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

. She is known for her assistance to the US Government during WWII, as well as making several breakthroughs for women in science. Her most notable accomplishments include becoming the first female President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1971) and head of the mathematics department of the

Office of Naval Research The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to plan ...

of the US. Rees was a pioneer in the history of computing and helped establish funding streams and institutional infrastructure for research. She also helped other women succeed in mathematics with her involvement in the

Association for Women in Mathematics The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is a professional society whose mission is to encourage women and girls to study and to have active careers in the mathematical sciences, and to promote equal opportunity for and the equal treatment o ...

as well as her life-long career as a professor at

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

Personal life

Rees was the daughter of Moses and Alice Louise (née Stackhouse) Rees. Her mother (Alice Louise) emigrated from Germany in 1882. Mina Rees grew up with four siblings: Elsie Isabella Rees, Albert L Rees, Clyde Harvey Rees, and Calrence Eugene Rees. The family moved from

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

to the Bronx, New York City. Here, Rees received her primary education in the city's public schools. In 1955, Rees married physician Leopold Brahdy (1892–1977) who she had met a party in 1936. Upon their meeting, they went to Russia together to learn more about their culture, and while on the trip Rees was able to attend a mathematical congress in Oslo. Due to his interests in science as well, Rees often stated that they made good partners. Mina Rees died in 1997 at the Mary Manning Walsh home in Manhattan.Oakes, Elizabeth. ''International Encyclopedia of Women Scientists.'' 2002. Facts on File.

Education

After a suggestion from a junior high teacher, Rees took an entrance exam and was accepted into a school for gifted women,

Hunter College High School Hunter College High School is a public academic magnet secondary school located in the Carnegie Hill section of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is administered and funded by Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and no t ...

in New York City. She graduated valedictorian in 1919, after taking 4 years of mathematics classes. After graduation, Rees attended

where she majored in mathematics. As a sophomore there, she was given the opportunity to teach a laboratory

trigonometry Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics concerned with relationships between angles and side lengths of triangles. In particular, the trigonometric functions relate the angles of a right triangle with ratios of its side lengths. The fiel ...

class, which she prepared for by attending a class at

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

. While a student, she became a part-time teacher at Hunter High School. She graduated summa cum laude with a math major at

in 1923. She received a master's degree in mathematics from

in 1925, where she also studied law. At that time, she was told unofficially that "the Columbia mathematics department was not really interested in having women candidates for PhD's". She started teaching at

then took a sabbatical to study for the doctorate at 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 1929. She earned her doctorate in 1931 with a dissertation on abstract algebra titled "Division algebras associated with an equation whose group has four generators," published in the

American Journal of Mathematics The ''American Journal of Mathematics'' is a bimonthly mathematics journal published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. History The ''American Journal of Mathematics'' is the oldest continuously published mathematical journal in the United S ...

, Vol 54 (Jan. 1932), 51–65. Her advisor was

Leonard Dickson Leonard Eugene Dickson (January 22, 1874 – January 17, 1954) was an American mathematician. He was one of the first American researchers in abstract algebra, in particular the theory of finite fields and classical groups, and is also rem ...

,Wolfgang Saxon (1997
Mina S. Rees, Mathematician and CUNY Leader dies at 95

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

who agreed to help Rees with

division algebra In the field of mathematics called abstract algebra, a division algebra is, roughly speaking, an algebra over a field in which division, except by zero, is always possible. Definitions Formally, we start with a non-zero algebra ''D'' over a fie ...

even though he was no longer in the field. Dickson was known to advise female scientists, and he worked with 8% of all women PhDs in mathematics in the US.

Career

After her graduation from Hunter College, Rees was immediately offered a job as a professor which she declined. Instead, she opted to become a high school teacher at Hunter High School. Her decision was based on the fact she did not feel knowledgeable enough to be teaching at the college level so soon after her own graduation. She worked at Hunter High School as an assistant teacher while also attending

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

for her master's degree. After receiving her degree from Colombia University, Rees became an assistant professor at Hunter College in 1925, taking a leave of absence from 1929-1932 to get her PHD from the

. In 1940, she was promoted to Associate Professor at Hunter College. In 1943, Rees took another leave of absence to help with the war efforts. She became a Technical Aide/Executive Assistant with the Applied Mathematics Panel at Office of Scientific Research and Development. Here, she was given problems by the panel, and was tasked with discovering the mathematical reasoning behind them. Other positions she held include: * 1947: She became an ACM Council member. * 1945–51: Head of Mathematics branch at the

. * 1952–53: Deputy Science Director for the Office of Naval Research. * 1953–61: Rees returned to Hunter College where she became the Dean of Faculty. * 1961–67: Full Professor and First Dean of Graduate Studies at

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

* 1964–70: Member, U.S.

National Science Board The National Science Board (NSB) of the United States establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation (NSF) within the framework of applicable national policies set forth by the President of the United States, president and the United ...

* 1967–69: Provost of the Graduate School and University Center at

CUNY The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

. * 1969–72: Founding president (and, in 1972, first president emerita) of the Graduate School and University Center at

* 1971: First female president of the AAAS, and first female chair, U.S. Council of Graduate Schools

Research

When working on her PhD at the University of Chicago, Rees was very interested in researching

associative algebra In mathematics, an associative algebra ''A'' over a commutative ring (often a field) ''K'' is a ring ''A'' together with a ring homomorphism from ''K'' into the center of ''A''. This is thus an algebraic structure with an addition, a mult ...

. Most of her research was self-taught, as her advisor had switched his focus to

number theory Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and arithmetic functions. Number theorists study prime numbers as well as the properties of mathematical objects constructed from integers (for example ...

. Her thesis was published in 1932 in the

. During her first three years as a professor, she created several book reviews which were published in

Scripta Mathematica ''Scripta Mathematica'' was a quarterly journal published by Yeshiva University devoted to the Philosophy, history, and expository treatment of mathematics. It was said to be, at its time, "the only mathematical magazine in the world edited by spe ...

. During her time at the Office of Naval Research, Rees headed research in a variety of programs, including hydrofoils, logistics, computers, and numerical development for applications such as rocketry and defense against submarines. She was especially instrumental in developing the ONR's implementation of projects studying mathematical algorithms for computing, as well as university research programs to build computers such as

Project Whirlwind Whirlwind I was a Cold War-era vacuum-tube computer developed by the MIT Servomechanisms Laboratory for the U.S. Navy. Operational in 1951, it was among the first digital electronic computers that operated in real-time for output, and the first ...

at MIT. She was an early proponent of magnetic-core and electrostatic memory, the use of transistor components rather than vacuum tubes, and the design of machines with visual displays and multiple inputs.

Honors

In 1953, the council of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

adopted a resolution reading stating that under Dr. Rees's "guidance, basic research in general, and especially in mathematics, received the most intelligent and wholehearted support. No greater wisdom and foresight could have been displayed and the whole postwar development of mathematical research in the United States owes an immeasurable debt to the pioneer work of the Office of Naval Research and to the alert, vigorous and farsighted policy conducted by Miss icRees."Mina S. Rees, 1989 Computer Pioneer Award
from

IEEE Computer Society IEEE Computer Society (commonly known as the Computer Society or CS) is a technical society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) dedicated to computing, namely the major areas of hardware, software, standards and people ...

In 1962 Rees received the first Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics from 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 ...

. This was "for outstanding service to mathematics, other than mathematical research" and for "contributions

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

influence significantly the field of mathematics or mathematical education on a national scale." In 1965, Rees was awarded the Achievement Award by the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...

, an award given annually in honor of women who have made outstanding contributions in their fields. In 1983, she was awarded the

Public Welfare Medal The Public Welfare Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "in recognition of distinguished contributions in the application of science to the public welfare." It is the most prestigious honor conferred by the academy. First awar ...

, the highest honor of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

. This was given "in recognition of distinguished contributions in the application of science to the public welfare for her contributions to the scientific enterprise, especially in mathematics, astronomy, and computer sciences, from wartime, through the transition from war to peace, and continuing today." Mina Rees Library September 2021

Some of her other notable honors include: * Kings Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom (UK)Judy Green, Jeanne La Duke,

Saunders Mac Lane Saunders Mac Lane (August 4, 1909 – April 14, 2005), born Leslie Saunders MacLane, was an American mathematician who co-founded category theory with Samuel Eilenberg. Early life and education Mac Lane was born in Norwich, Connecticut, near w ...

& Uta C. Merzbach (1997
Mina Spiegel Rees (1902–1997)
from

Notices of the American Mathematical Society ''Notices of the American Mathematical Society'' is the membership journal of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), published monthly except for the combined June/July issue. The first volume was published in 1953. Each issue of the magazine ...

and the President's Certificate of Merit (USA) for her important contributions during World War II. * At least 18 honorary doctorates. * Library of Graduate University of the City University of New York named the Mina Rees library in 1985. * In 1989 the

Computer Pioneer Award The Computer Pioneer Award was established in 1981 by the Board of Governors of the IEEE Computer Society to recognize and honor the vision of those people whose efforts resulted in the creation and continued vitality of the computer industry. ...

Notable publications

* 1932: "Division algebras associated with an equation whose group has four generators,"

54: 51–65. * 1950: "The federal computing machine program"

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

112: 731–736. * 1952: "Digital Computers - their nature and use"

American Scientist ''American Scientist'' (informally abbreviated ''AmSci'') is an American bimonthly science and technology magazine published since 1913 by Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society. In the beginning of 2000s the headquarters was moved to ...

40: 328-335 * 1952: (with

Richard Courant Richard Courant (January 8, 1888 – January 27, 1972) was a German-American mathematician. He is best known by the general public for the book '' What is Mathematics?'', co-written with Herbert Robbins. His research focused on the areas of real ...

and Eugene Isaacson) "On the solution of nonlinear hyperbolic differential equations by finite differences",

Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics ''Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal which is published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. It covers research originating from or solicited ...

5: 243–255. * 1953: "Modern Mathematics and the Gifted Student"

The Mathematics Teacher Founded in 1920, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is a professional organization for schoolteachers of mathematics in the United States. One of its goals is to improve the standards of mathematics in education. NCTM holds an ...

46: 401-406. * 1954: "Computers:1954"

The Scientific Monthly ''The Scientific Monthly'' was a science magazine published from 1915 to 1957. Psychologist James McKeen Cattell, the former publisher and editor of '' The Popular Science Monthly'', was the original founder and editor. In 1958, ''The Scientific M ...

79: 118-124. * 1955: "New Frontiers for Mathematicians" Pi Mu Epsilon Journal 2: 122-127. * 1958: "Mathematics in the Market Place"

The American Mathematical Monthly ''The American Mathematical Monthly'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of mathematics. It was established by Benjamin Finkel in 1894 and is published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Mathematical Association of America. It is an exposito ...

: 332-343. * 1958: "The impact of the computer"

51: 162-168. * 1962: "The Nature of Mathematics" Science, New Series 138: 9-12. * 1975: "The Scientist in Society: Inspiration and Obligation"

63: 144-149.

References

External links

* http://www.agnesscott.edu/Lriddle/women/rees.htm * http://www.ams.org/notices/199807/memorial-rees.pdf * http://archives.aaas.org/people.php?p_id=175 * http://www.ams.org/notices/199807/memorial-rees.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Mina 1902 births 1997 deaths Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Hunter College alumni Hunter College faculty Hunter College High School alumni University of Chicago alumni 20th-century American mathematicians 20th-century American women mathematicians Mathematicians from New York (state) Recipients of the King's Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom Graduate Women in Science members