Born: 1935 (Metz, Lorraine, France)
Died: 1989 (Location Unknown)
Biography:
Louise Schmir was born in Metz, Lorraine, France, on June 14, 1935, to Marjem (née Szafran) and Samuel Szmir. Her mother tragically passed away in 1938. Coming from a Polish-Jewish heritage, the family was forced to flee the Nazis, seeking refuge in Switzerland in 1944. Two years later, they immigrated to New York City, where they Anglicized their surname to Schmir.
Louise attended William Howard Taft High School in the Bronx, where her intelligence and dedication earned her recognition. During her senior year, she received the prestigious Westinghouse Science Talent Search award. Graduating as her high school’s valedictorian, Louise went on to pursue her higher education at Swarthmore College.
In 1955, towards the end of her junior year, Louise Schmir married John Hay. Despite her marriage, she remained committed to her academic pursuits and completed her Bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1956. She then embarked on her master’s studies at Cornell University, following her husband, who transferred to Oberlin College. Though she conducted her groundbreaking research on mathematical logic at Oberlin, Louise was awarded her Master’s degree by Cornell in 1959. Her master’s thesis, titled An Axiomatization of the Infinitely Many-Valued Predicate Calculus, showcased her prowess in the field.
After teaching for a year at Oberlin, Louise found employment at the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory in Buffalo, New York. When her husband moved to Boston, she stood by his side and worked at Mount Holyoke College for three years. However, the birth of her first son in 1963 prompted her to return to Cornell to pursue her doctorate.
In 1965, Louise Hay received her Ph.D., with her thesis focusing on co-simple isols and making significant advancements in the Dekker-Myhil-Nerode theory on recursive equivalence types. The following year, she was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship, allowing her to conduct research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1966 to 1968.
In 1968, Louise went through a divorce and relocated to Chicago. She joined the University of Illinois as an associate professor, making history by becoming the only woman to head a mathematics department at a major research university during that era. Her exceptional knowledge and contributions to the field led to her promotion to full professor in 1975.
Throughout the 1970s, Louise Hay published extensively on recursively enumerable sets, making a profound impact on the field. Her work also introduced the concept of the weak jump, which represented a generalization of the Halting problem, distinct from the usual notion of the Turing jump. Additionally, she proved analogues of the Rice and Rice-Shapiro theorems while delving into computational complexity theory.
Louise Hay’s influence extended beyond her home country, as her work resonated with mathematicians both in the United States and the Soviet Union. Her contributions to the field and dedication to her craft earned her respect and admiration among her peers. She left an indelible mark on the academic community and challenged the status quo, ultimately paving the way for future generations of women in mathematics.
Tragically, Louise Hay’s life was cut short when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1974. Despite her health struggles, she continued to persevere and contribute to the field until her passing on October 28, 1989. Louise Hay’s legacy endures as a testament to her brilliance, resilience, and unwavering commitment to advancing the boundaries of mathematics.
Awards:
– Westinghouse Science Talent Search award