– In August 2014, Stanford professor Maryam Mirzakhani was the first woman ever (and the second scientist from Stanford University) to win the prestigious 2014 Fields Medal for her original research on matters as complex as “mathematical symmetry of curved surfaces” and “saddle-shaped spaces”. The Fields Medal is considered, around the world, as the “Nobel Prize for mathematics.”

– By her teens, Mirzakhani had already won two gold medals at the International Math Olympiads, in 1994 and 1995. In a recent Stanford press release, Mirzakhani said about her new trophy: “I will be happy if it encourages young female scientists and mathematicians. This is a great honor. I am sure there will be many more women winning this kind of award in coming years.”

Image: Associated Press

READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE