BSSC had a visit from one of its most accomplished alumna on Friday afternoon, when Professor Ruth Williams dropped by. Professor Williams is on sabbatical from the University of California in San Diego where she holds a chair in Mathematics, analysing math models associated with real-life problems.
A student at Bendigo High between 1967 and 1972, Professor Williams was in Form 1 the year that C-Block was officially opened. It’s fitting that she was here to see the beginning of its refurbishment.
Over the past three decades, Professor Williams has received numerous scholarly accolades, including last year’s John von Neumann Theory Prize, regarded as the Nobel Prize in her branch of mathematics.
Professor Williams takes a special interest in mentoring young women and people from underrepresented groups, to study and consider careers in mathematics.
“I love working with students and training the next generation,” she said. “When people grasp a new maths problem there’s a kind of ‘aha’ moment and that’s wonderful.”
