To conclude Black History Month, NSTEM would like to feature 3 amazing mathematicians: John Urschel, Euphemia Lofton Haynes, and Elbert Frank Cox. To check out last week’s post, you can find it here.
John Urschel — Mathematician, NFL Football Player, and Author
Born on June 24, 1991, John Urschel is both an avid mathematician and athlete. Urschel received a full ride scholarship to Penn State University, where he received a Bachelor and Master degree in Mathematics. In addition to his academics, he played football, earning the Campbell Trophy (also known as the ‘Academic Heisman’). He also earned the Sullivan Award given to “[t]he most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States”, he was “named to Forbes ‘30 under 30’ list of outstanding young scientists.”
After attending Penn State, the Baltimore Ravens drafted Urschel into the NFL, where he lasted 3 seasons. He missed “puzzling over problems in graph theory, machine learning and numerical analysis,” so he retired from the NFL at the age of 26 years old. He then “set food on the MIT campus to begin work on his PhD” in January 2016.
In 2019, he published a book called “Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football.” In the book, he begs the question: “So often, people want to divide the world into two: matter and energy. Wave and particle. Athlete and mathematician. Why can’t something (or someone) be both?” NSTEM applauds Urschel for his accomplishments in the world of mathematics and football history.
Euphemia Lofton Haynes — Mathematician & Teacher
Euphemia Lofton Haynes graduated high school in 1909. She later earned a BS in math in 1914 from Smith College. She continued her education and received a Masters degree in Education in 1930. Haynes earned a PhD in mathematics in 1943 from the Catholic University in Washington, D.C, becoming the first African-American woman to receive a PhD in mathematics!
Haynes taught in public schools in Washington, D.C. for 47 years and became “the first woman to chair the D.C. school district.” Furthermore, she occasionally taught at Howard University, until she died on July 25, 1980. NSTEM honors Haynes’ contribution to the world of education and thanks her for paving the way for future African-American women!
Elbert Frank Cox — Mathematician
Born in December 1895 in Indiana, Elbert Frank Cox completed his schooling at a segregated school, but it had scarce resources. He rose up from the adversity of his childhood to pursue a mathematics degree from Indiana University in 1917. He would later become the first African-American man to receive a PhD in mathematics.
At the time, World War I had erupted across Europe. Cox joined the Army and served in France during the war. After returning from the war, he taught mathematics in both Kentucky and North Carolina at Shaw University. He later enrolled in Cornell University’s graduate mathematics program. From there, he graduated in 1925 and obtained a PhD in mathematics. This accomplishment made him the first Black Doctor of Mathematics!
In September 1925, Cox took a teaching position at West Virginia State College. Then in 1929, he transferred to Howard University, where he taught until his retirement in 1965. From 1957-1961, Cox took the position of chairman of the Math Department.
In November 1969, Elbert Frank Cox died. In his honor, “Howard established a scholarship fund in Cox’s name to encourage future Black mathematicians” to achieve and be recognized for their excellence in Mathematics.
Written by Chelsea Kowal
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