Mary L. Boas
Mary L. Boas | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 10, 1917 |
| Died | February 17, 2010 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Washington Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Occupation(s) | Mathematician and physicist |
| Employer | DePaul University |
| Known for | Author of Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences |
| Spouse | Ralph P. Boas, Jr. |
| Children | Harold P. Boas |
Mary Layne Boas (1917–2010) was an American mathematician and physics professor[2] best known as the author of Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences[3] (1966), an undergraduate textbook that was still widely used in college classrooms as of 1999.[4]
Education and career
[edit]She received a bachelor's degree (1938) and a master's degree (1940) in mathematics at the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. (1948) in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[1] She taught physics at DePaul University in Chicago for thirty years, retiring in 1987 to return to Washington.[1] Prior to her time at DePaul University, she served as an instructor in the mathematics department at Duke University.
Contributions
[edit]In 2005, at the age of 88, Boas published the third edition of her textbook.[3] She established the Mary L. Boas Endowed Scholarship at the University of Washington in 2008 to recognize outstanding academic achievements by female students in physics.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Mary Boas was married to mathematician Ralph P. Boas, Jr. Her son, Harold P. Boas, is also a noted mathematician. She died on February 17, 2010, at her home near Seattle, Washington.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Mary Elizabeth Layne Boas's obituary in The Seattle Times". The Seattle Times. 2010-02-20.
- ^ DePaul Department of Physics Archived 2010-06-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Boas, Mary (2005-07-22). Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences, 3rd Edition. Wiley.com. ISBN 978-0-471-19826-0.
- ^ Spector, Donald (1999). "Book Reviews". American Journal of Physics. 67 (2): 165–169. Bibcode:1999AmJPh..67..165R. doi:10.1119/1.19216.
- ^ "Univ. Wash. Department of Physics awards". Archived from the original on 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
Further reading
[edit]- Boas, Sherry (7 March 2010). "An exceptional mother-in-law beat the 'meddling' stereotype". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- American women physicists
- American physicists
- 20th-century American mathematicians
- 21st-century American mathematicians
- American textbook writers
- Women textbook writers
- Mathematics writers
- University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni
- DePaul University faculty
- 1917 births
- 2010 deaths
- 20th-century American women scientists
- Mathematicians from Washington (state)
- People from Prosser, Washington
- 20th-century American women mathematicians
- 21st-century American women mathematicians