Person: Morawetz, Cathleen Synge
Cathleen Morawetz was a Canadian mathematician who worked on the partial differential equations governing fluid flow, particularly those of mixed type occurring in transonic flow.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Cathleen won a scholarship and entered the University of Toronto to study mathematics.
- She strongly encouraged Cathleen continue her study of mathematics.
- However, strongly encouraged by Cecilia Krieger to study for her doctorate, Morawetz went to New York University to undertake research.
- During this period Morawetz applied for US citizenship and she was granted this in 1950.
- In 1978 Morawetz became the associate director of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences a position which she held until 1984 when she was appointed Director of the Courant Institute.
- Morawetz's predictions have been confirmed subsequently through both actual experiments and careful numerical simulation which indicate the appearance of shock waves in the flow past the purturbed profile.
- In the 1960s Morawetz worked on the scattering of sound waves and electromagnetic waves striking objects.
- Morawetz showed that, for a medium with constant light speed outside a reflecting star-shaped object, high frequency waves are, asymptotically, streams of particles moving along the rays.
- In 1998 Morawetz was awarded the National Medal of Science.
- The list of honours which Morawetz has received certainly does not stop at those already mentioned above.
- In 2001 Morawetz was made an honorary member of the London Mathematical Society.
Born 5 May 1923, Toronto, Canada. Died 8 August 2017, New York City, New York, USA.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin Canada, Women
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
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- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
