Sarah J. Greenwald

Sarah J. Greenwald is professor of mathematics at Appalachian State University and faculty affiliate of gender, women's and sexuality studies.^[1]

Sarah J. Greenwald
Photo by Joel Landsberg, May 2021
Born	(1969-09-10) September 10, 1969 (age 54) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania, PhD, 1998, Union College, BS
Known for	Riemannian Geometry, Mathematics and Society
Awards	MAA Henry L. Alder Award MAA Pólya Lecturer AWM Service Award AWM Fellow
Scientific career
Fields	Mathematics
Institutions	Appalachian State University
Thesis	Diameters of Spherical Alexandrov Spaces and Constant Curvature One Orbifolds
Doctoral advisor	Wolfgang Ziller

Research

Greenwald's research interests include geometry and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She also investigates connections between mathematics and society, such as women, minorities and popular culture. For example, she was part of a team that looked into allusions to mathematics in The Simpsons.^[2]

Education

In 1991, Greenwald graduated summa cum laude with honors in mathematics from Union College with a BS degree.^[3] In 1998, she earned a PhD in mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her thesis in Riemannian geometry was entitled Diameters of Spherical Alexandrov Spaces and Constant Curvature One Orbifolds and was supervised by Wolfgang Ziller^[4]

Career

Greenwald is a professor of mathematics at Appalachian State University and faculty affiliate of the gender, women's and sexuality studies program there. She has published numerous articles and books in the areas of Riemannian geometry, math education, and math in society.^[5] Greenwald has been trying to get young women in Girl Scouts interested in STEM. She and Appalachian State colleagues Amber Mellon and Jill Thomley have created a merit badge in mathematics to foster interest in mathematics.^[6][7] Greenwald has also created a series of short video interviews of women in STEM who were former Girl Scout members. This is a work in progress. Greenwald was elected in 2020 to serve as Member at Large of the Council of the American Mathematical Society during 2021-2024.^[8]

Honors

Greenwald was a 2005 winner of the Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).^[9] In 2017, Greenwald was selected as a plenary speaker at spring southeast section meeting of the MAA at Clemson University in March 2018.^[10] She received the AWM Service Award in 2018 for her work on the Executive Committee and as Associate Editor of the AWM newsletter.^[11] In 2020 she was named a Fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics.^[12] Her citation reads "For her creative and effective efforts to spark interest in mathematics among young people, especially girls; for her extensive contributions to advancing women in mathematics through writing, lectures and working with the AWM and other professional societies; and for her mentorship of students". The Mathematical Association of America selected Greenwald as a George Pólya Lecturer from 2021 to 2022.^[13]

Publications

Greenwald co-edited with Jill Thomley the 3-volume Encyclopedia of Mathematics & Society,^[14] which was named a "Best Reference of 2011" by Library Journal and was reviewed extensively.^[15][16] She also co-edited the 2018 Springer volume Women in Mathematics: Celebrating the Centennial of the Mathematical Association of America.^[17] She was part of the cast in 'Futurama': Bite My Shiny Metal X^[18] and served as a consultant on Flatland: The Movie.^[19]

References

1. "Sarah J. Greenwald". Sarah J. Greenwald. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
2. "Andrew Nestler's Guide to Mathematics and Mathematicians on The Simpsons". homepage.smc.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
3. "Sarah J. Greenwald" (PDF). Appalachian State University. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
4. "Sarah Greenwald - The Mathematics Genealogy Project". genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
5. "Sarah J. Greenwald's research works | Appalachian State University, NC (ASU) and other places". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
6. "ASU Professors Create Girl Scout Badge to Encourage Girls to Pursue Mathematics" (PDF). Appalachian State University. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
7. Greenwald, Sarah J.; Mellon, Amber L.; Thomley, Jill E. (Jan–Feb 2015). "Women in Mathematics Badge (Yes, An Actual Badge!) for Girl Scouts". Association for Women in Mathematics Newsletter. 45 (1): 17–19. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
8. "American Mathematical Society election results". Retrieved 9 December 2020.
9. "Henry L. Alder Award". Mathematical Association of America. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
10. "Sarah Greenwald selected as MAA Lecturer". Sarah Greenwald selected as MAA Lecturer. 2017-09-05. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
11. "AWM Service Award 2018". Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). Retrieved 2020-01-17.
12. "AWM Fellows". Association for Women in Mathematics. AWM. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
13. "Pólya Lectures". Mathematical Association of America. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
14. The Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society (3 volumes) (1st ed.). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press. October 2011. ISBN 978-1-58765-844-0.
15. Bemis, Michael (February 15, 2012). "Review of Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society". Library Journal. 137 (3): 127.
16. Karaali, Gizem (September 2013). "Review of Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society". The College Mathematics Journal. 44 (4): 332–335. doi:10.4169/college.math.j.44.4.332. S2CID 218548986.
17. Women in Mathematics: Celebrating the Centennial of the Mathematical Association of America (1st ed.). Springer-Verlag. 4 September 2018. ISBN 978-3319883038.
18. 'Futurama': Bite My Shiny Metal X, retrieved 2020-01-26
19. Flatland: The Movie, retrieved 2020-01-26

External links

• Official website
• Sarah Greenwald's Author Profile Page on MathSciNet