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May 12 is International Women in Mathematics Day. The day is in honor of Maryam Mirzakhani, born May 12, 1977. The goal of the day is to inspire women everywhere to celebrate their achievements in mathematics, and to encourage an open, welcoming, and inclusive work environment for everybody.

Dr. Mirzakhani was the first woman (and only so far) to win the Fields Medal, one of the most prestigious award in mathematics. The award recognized "her outstanding contributions to the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces". Dr Mirzakhani, who was a professor at Stanford University, died from breast cancer in 2017.

Today, we also recognize an outstanding Math and Education dual major at UAH: Cierra Veizer

Cierra chose to pursue a Mathematics degree because she had great female math teachers all throughout high school and college and she wants to "instill the same appreciation for math in my students that they have given me."

Visit the Mathematical Sciences Department to learn more about their undergraduate programs.