The Most Famous Mexican Mathematicians

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By James Collins

The subject of mathematics can be dull and complicated for most people, so they don’t understand the reasons to learn mathematics at school or university. However, it’s not always true. Read about the most famous Mexican mathematicians that make this discipline exciting.

1. Alejandro Adem

Alejandro is one of the highly accomplished researchers in the field of mathematics. He is a faculty member at the University of British Columbia. He has proven leadership experience in the Canadian innovation ecosystem and research.

He primarily focused on the interplay between the cohomology of groups and algebraic topology. After his inventions, questions were analyzed about the representation theory and K-theory. Adem loves to work with postdocs and students on the topics of algebra.

Dr. Alejandro Adem is the CEO of Mitacs which is a Canadian non-profit organization. It offers internships to graduate students.

2. Melania Alvarez

Dr. Melania Alvarez served as a Mathematics teacher assistant from 1981-to 1983. Later on, in 2016, she obtained her Ph.D. degree in Mathematics Education from Simon Fraser University. She has proven and significant contributions to mathematics education in Canada. In 2012, For her contributions, she received the award of the Pouliot Award from the Canadian Mathematical Society.

She is active in organizing different mathematics competitions and workshops among the public. She has played an active role in promoting mathematics in the general population. Every year, she organizes the Math Mania contest at UBC. She runs a math circle for students in grades 4th to 7th. She also arranges problem-solving workshops for students of secondary and elementary schools. She engages the students in different educational activities related to Mathematics.

When the incident of racial discrimination occurred in Madison, where her son was placed in the lower-level mathematics track because he belongs to minorities, then Dr. Melania showed her interest in helping the minorities with mathematics. In summer camps, she helps to improve the mathematical questions of the secondary school students.

3. Selenne Banuelos

Selenne is a Mexican-American Mathematician. She is an associate Mathematics professor at California State University Channels Islands. In 2007, she graduated in Mathematics from UC Santa Barbara. Then in 2013, Selenne got her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University Of Southern California (USC) 2013. Her major research is in differential equations and dynamical systems. She did her research on different applications of mathematical biology.

Selena Banuelos has committed to increasing the opportunities and access to higher education in STEM. She desperately worked for underrepresented minority students. Thanks to her, many international students got a chance to improve their skills in solving differential equations and other math tasks. Selenne Banuelos really did a lot to support young people in their striving for a career in the field of mathematics. She is also a mentor for the National Mathematics Alliance. In general, her goal is to increase the degrees in mathematical science among the people who are considered as not suitable for these fields.

4. Graciano Ricalde

Graciano was a student and a researcher of arithmetical books, and he was a professor by profession at the school of Commerce in the City of Mérida. He is famous for the evaluation of Hally’s Comet in 1910. He was able to calculate the solar eclipse in 1923. Due to this, Graciano became a member of the Mexican Geodetic Commission.

His devotions surround the solutions of quintic problems of equations. In order to do this, elliptic functions were a great choice for him. He did not like to showcase his services. He liked to serve and live in his homeland. To further add to his achievements, he was able to solve the Pell equation. During his journey, he shared the names of those influential people that had inspired him.

His city houses a great library and a high school in his name and honor. This shows his notability across his hometown as a brilliant mathematician. In 1959, a plaque was placed on his house. In 2016, the plaque was placed and presented on Graciano’s professional residence. Now, the home is a boutique hotel in Mérida, Yucatán called Hotel Casa San Ángel.

Pixabay via Pexels

5. Carlos Castillo-Chavez

Dr. Carlos is the founding director of (SAL-MCMSC) Simon A. Levin Mathematical and Computational Modeling Sciences Center. His most famous recognitions are 3 White House Awards, the AAAS Mentor Award, and the 12th American Mathematical Society Distinguished Public Service Award in 2010. He has mentored 49 Ph.D. students, which includes 20 women, 28 from US underrepresented groups, and 25 USA underrepresented minorities, in his 30 years in academia, at Cornell University, and at Arizona State University.

His interests in research are related to being a mathematical epidemiologist. The research is associated with the spread of disease, prevention, and elimination of diseases. He was recognized as one of the most prominent and famous mathematicians by Arizona State University in 2006. In his career, he has mentored over 500 undergraduates through the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute. It is also known as MTBI, which Dr. Carlos founded in 1996.

6. Pamela E. Harris

She is one of the most well-known Mathematicians. She works on the theorem of Zeckendorf. She loves teaching Mathematics to students, but more than teaching, she loves to see her students thrive. In 2019, she won a national teaching award for young faculty. She goes the extra mile, above and beyond for her students, and she always makes sure to help the students with problem-solving questions.

Currently, she is working as an Associate Professor in the Mathematics and Statistics department at Williams College. Her research interests are in combinatorics and algebra. Her recent research was on vector partition functions that have been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics.

She is very much interested in improving the retention rates among minorities and women in the mathematical sciences.

About the author

James Collins is an academic coach, mentor, and math teacher. James helps young people achieve their big study goals in different fields. But his favorite discipline is still mathematics.

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