Talithia Williams

Last updated
Talithia D. Williams
Nationality American
Alma mater Spelman College
Howard University
Rice University
Known forSpatial–temporal modeling of rainfall data
Scientific career
FieldsStatistics
Institutions Harvey Mudd College
Thesis Real-time estimation of rainfall: A dynamic spatio-temporal model  (2008)
Doctoral advisor Katherine Bennett Ensor

Talithia D. Williams is an American statistician and mathematician at Harvey Mudd College who researches the spatiotemporal structure of data. [1] [2] She was the first black woman to achieve tenure at Harvey Mudd College. [2] Williams is an advocate for engaging more African Americans in engineering and science. [3]

Contents

Education

Her educational background includes a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Spelman College, Master's degrees in both Mathematics from Howard University and Statistics from Rice University, and a Ph.D. in Statistics from Rice University. [4] Williams was in one of the first EDGE cohorts. [5] She is a winner of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.

Career and research

Williams has worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the National Security Agency (NSA), and NASA. [1] [6] She is an associate professor of mathematics and also serves as Associate Dean for Research and Experiential Learning at Harvey Mudd College. [7] [1] [6] She is Secretary and Treasurer for the EDGE Foundation which sponsors summer programs for women, and on the boards of the MAA and SACNAS. [1] Williams has done significant outreach, with the goal of bringing mathematics to life and "rebranding the field of mathematics as anything but dry, technical or male-dominated but instead a logical, productive career path that is crucial to the future of the country." [4] [8]

Williams has developed statistical models focused on understanding the structure of spatiotemporal data, with environmental applications. [1] [9] She has partnered with the World Health Organization in developing a cataract model used to predict the cataract surgical rate for countries in Africa. [9]

Williams was a host of the six part PBS series NOVA Wonders in April 2018. [10] She is the author of the book Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics (Race Point Publishing, 2018). [11] [12] Williams was the narrator for the five-part PBS series NOVA Universe Revealed in November 2021. [13]

TED talk

In 2014, Williams gave a highly viewed TED talk titled "Own Your Body's Data", discussing the potential insights to be gained from collecting personal health data. [2]

Honors

In 2015 Williams received the MAA Henry L. Alder Award for exemplary teaching by an early career mathematics professor. [14] Williams was honored by the Association for Women in Mathematics and the Mathematical Association of America, when they selected her to be the AWM/MAA Falconer Lecturer at MathFest 2017 in Chicago, IL. [15] The title of her talk is "Not So Hidden Figures: Unveiling Mathematical Talent." Williams was also recognized by Mathematically Gifted & Black as a Black History Month 2017 Honoree. [16] She received the 2022 Joint Policy Board for Mathematics Communication Award "for bringing mathematics and statistics into the homes of millions through her work as a TV host, renowned speaker, and author." [17] [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Keen</span> American mathematician

Linda Jo Goldway Keen is an American mathematician and a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. Since 1965, she has been a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Lehman College of the City University of New York and a Professor of Mathematics at Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

The Etta Z. Falconer Lecture is an award and lecture series which honors "women who have made distinguished contributions to the mathematical sciences or mathematics education". It is sponsored by the Association for Women in Mathematics and the Mathematical Association of America. The lectures began in 1996 and were named after the mathematician Etta Z. Falconer in 2004 "in memory of Falconer's profound vision and accomplishments in enhancing the movement of minorities and women into scientific careers". The recipient presents the lecture at MathFest each summer.

Sylvia D. Trimble Bozeman is an American mathematician and Mathematics educator.

There is a long history of women in mathematics in the United States. All women mentioned here are American unless otherwise noted.

Trachette Levon Jackson is an American mathematician who is a professor of mathematics at the University of Michigan and is known for work in mathematical oncology. She uses many different approaches, including continuous and discrete mathematical models, numerical simulations, and experiments to study tumor growth and treatment. Specifically, her lab is interested in "molecular pathways associated with intratumoral angiogenesis," "cell-tissue interactions associated with tumor-induced angiogenesis," and "tumor heterogeneity and cancer stem cells."

Suzanne L. Weekes is the Executive Director of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. She is also Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). She is a co-founder of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Undergraduate Program.

Erica Nicole Walker is an American mathematician and the Clifford Brewster Upton Professor of Mathematics Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she also serves as the Chairperson of the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology and as the Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. Walker’s research focuses on the "social and cultural factors as well as educational policies and practices that facilitate mathematics engagement, learning and performance, especially for underserved students".

Karen Saxe is an American mathematician who specializes in functional analysis, and in the mathematical study of issues related to social justice. She is DeWitt Wallace Professor of Mathematics, Emerita at Macalester College,. She is Associate Executive Director of the American Mathematical Society and Director of its Office of Government Relations, based in Washington DC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie A. Vitulli</span> American mathematician

Marie A. Vitulli is an American mathematician and professor emerita at the University of Oregon.

Rachel Levy is an American mathematician and blogger. She currently serves as the inaugural Executive Director of the North Carolina State University Data Science Academy. She was a 2020-21 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, serving in the United States Senate and sponsored by the American Mathematical Society. From 2018-2020 she served as deputy executive director of the Mathematical Association of America(2018-2020). As a faculty member at Harvey Mudd College from 2007-2019 her research was in applied mathematics, including the mathematical modeling of thin films, and the applications of fluid mechanics to biology. This work was funded by The National Science Foundation, Research Corporation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and US Office of Naval Research.

Candice Renee Price is an African-American mathematician and is an Associate professor at Smith College. She, along with Erica Graham, Raegan Higgins, and Shelby Wilson created the website Mathematically Gifted and Black which features the contributions of modern-day black mathematicians. She is an advocate for greater representation of females and people of color in the STEM fields. Price's area of mathematical research is DNA topology.

Lesley Ann Ward is an Australian mathematician specializing in harmonic analysis, complex analysis, and industrial applications of mathematics. She is a professor in the School of Information Technology and Mathematical Sciences of the University of South Australia, director of the Mathematics Clinic at the university, and former chair of the Women in Mathematics Group of the Australian Mathematical Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alissa Crans</span> American mathematician

Alissa Susan Crans is an American mathematician specializing in higher-dimensional algebra. She is a professor of mathematics at Loyola Marymount University, and the associate director of Project NExT, a program of the Mathematical Association of America to mentor post-doctoral mathematicians, statisticians, and mathematics teachers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn Lott</span> -American applied mathematician

Dawn Alisha Lott is an applied mathematician at Delaware State University, where she is a professor in the department of physical and computational sciences and, since 2009, the director of the university's honors program.

Pamela Estephania Harris is a Mexican-American mathematician, educator and advocate for immigrants. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was formerly an associate professor at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and is co-founder of the online platform Lathisms. She is also an editor of the e-mentoring blog of the American Mathematical Society (AMS).

Roselyn Elaine Williams is an American mathematician who is an Associate Professor and former chair of the mathematics department at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Her decades long involvement in the National Association of Mathematicians includes a 14 year term as secretary-treasurer.

Bonita Valerie Saunders is an American mathematician specializing in mathematical visualization. She works at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the Applied and Computational Mathematics Division of the Information Technology Laboratory, where she contributes to the Digital Library of Mathematical Functions as the Visualization Editor and the principal designer of visualizations and graphs.

The Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching is a national award established in 2003 by the Mathematical Association of America. The award is presented to beginning college or university mathematics faculty members to recognize success and effectiveness in undergraduate mathematics education, as well as an impact that extends beyond the faculty member's own classroom. Up to three college or university teachers are recognized each year, receiving a $1,000 award and a certificate of recognition from the MAA.

Naomi D. Fisher is an American mathematician and mathematics educator and professor emerita of mathematics and computer science at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Emille Davie Lawrence is a mathematician specializing in topological graph theory. She is Term Associate Professor and Chair of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of San Francisco.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Talithia Williams, Harvey Mudd College - AWM Association for Women in Mathematics". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  2. 1 2 3 Paoletta, Rae. "These Black Female Mathematicians Should Be Stars in the Blockbusters of Tomorrow". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  3. ↑ Klawe, Maria. "Increasing Education Opportunities For Minorities In STEM". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  4. 1 2 "Talithia Williams : Harvey Mudd College". www.math.hmc.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  5. ↑ "EDGE: A Program for Women in Mathematics - THE EDGE PROGRAM". THE EDGE PROGRAM. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  6. 1 2 Williams, Talithia. "Talithia Williams | Speaker | TED.com" . Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  7. ↑ "Mathematics Faculty". Harvey Mudd Department of Mathematics. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Talithia Williams | Book for Speaking, Events and Appearances". www.apbspeakers.com. 2015-12-16. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  9. 1 2 "Mosaic: Talithia Williams - Mackinac Gazette - Grand Valley State University". www.gvsu.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  10. ↑ "Meet Talithia Williams". NOVA Wonders. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  11. ↑ Reviews of Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics:
  12. ↑ "Williams' Book Highlights Female Mathematicians". Harvey Mudd College News. June 11, 2018.
  13. ↑ "NOVA Universe Revealed". NOVA. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "Henry L. Adler Award". Mathematical Association of America. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  15. ↑ "Invited Lectures at MathFest 2017". Mathematical Association of America. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  16. ↑ "Talithia Williams". Mathematically Gifted & Black.
  17. ↑ "Statistician Talithia Williams is the 2022 JPBM Communications Award Recipient". SIAM News. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  18. ↑ Meetings (JMM), Joint Mathematics. "Joint Mathematics Meetings". Joint Mathematics Meetings. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.