Hypatia of Alexandria

Years ago, before we even thought of dating, my husband Kevin emailed me and suggested that if I ever have a daughter, I could name her Hypatia (I was engaged to another at that time, and Kevin's email was a congratulatory gesture, but that is another story entirely). It was about a year before I went back to school to study Computer Engineering, and I was a little intimidated about diving headlong into such a male dominated profession. So I was amazed to learn about a woman who was a prominent mathematician and astronomer and who gained the utmost respect from her male contemporaries in the 4th century, when women barely had rights at all, much less commonly held down careers in the hard sciences.

Hypatia was born somewhere between 350 and 370 A.D. to Theon Alexandricus, a mathematician who was one of the last known scholars associated with the Library of Alexandria. Hypatia collaborated with her father on many writings, but she also wrote works of her own. Among these solo projects was a commentary on the 13-volume Arithmetica by Diophantus, a commentary on the Conics of Apollonius, and editing of her father's commentary on Euclid's Elements. She is thought to have invented the hydrometer, which is used to measure the specific gravity (or relative density) of a liquid. She was also the head of the Neo-platonist school in Alexandria where she taught philosophy.

Her life was ended too soon when she became the target of those who blamed her, falsely, for the strained relations between Imperial Prefect Orestes and the Bishop Cyril. Unfortunately, her demise has sometimes overshadowed her accomplishments, as others in later generations have used accounts of her death to support their various religious (or anti-religious) views. I prefer to be inspired by what she accomplished while she was still living, which were so unique for a woman of her time.

Though I have grown increasingly more at ease with my place as a woman in a still primarily male dominated vocation, I still get excited whenever I discover new female role models in the area of mathematics or other sciences. Today is a day to honor another such woman: Ada Lovelace Day. A day created in honor of one such woman who has been credited as the first computer programmer, and to draw attention to women who have excelled in science and technology.

On my summer reading list: Hypatia of Alexandria: Mathematician and Martyr by Michael A. B. Deakin.