Philippa Fawcett -- Talented and Overlooked

 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY ! 
 Celebrate MATH-WOMEN by writing POEMS about them! 

     I want to shout out a THANK YOU to Larry Riddle of Agnes Scott College for his website, "Biographies of Women Mathematicians" -- around two-hundred women are portrayed there.  One of these is Philippa Fawcett (1868-1946) in an article that opens with these words:

    Became, in 1890, the first woman to score the highest mark 
      of all the candidates for the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge University. 
         Women at that time were not eligible for a Cambridge BA degree, however. 

A Wikipedia article quotes one of her students at Newnham College, Cambridge:

   “What I remember most vividly of Miss Fawcett's coaching was
        her concentration, speed, and infectious delight in what she was teaching ... "   

When I want to try to say a lot in a few words, often I choose the poetic device of limited syllable count -- below I have allowed myself three small syllable-square stanzas. AND I encourage my readers to celebrate Women's History Month by writing poems -- small or large -- that  help us to know math-women better!!  

          At Cambridge

          Philippa 

          Fawcett was

               first class.

               Alas,

          Fawcett was not

          eligible

          for lucrative

          posts or prizes.

 YOU can write a poem to introduce a Math-Woman.  Do it!  TODAY! 

For biographical information, visit Larry Riddle's website, "Biographies of Women Mathematicians"

For a bit more poetry about math women you may follow this link --

 and for a lot more you can use this blog's SEARCH feature -- or follow this link.