Mina Rees

Born on 2 August 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, Mina Rees was a renowned mathematician, educator, and science advocate. Rees grew up in New York City, where she studied mathematics at Hunter College, graduating in 1923. She went on to earn her master’s from Columbia University in 1925 and PhD from the University of Chicago in 1931. Rees worked as an instructor and then professor of mathematics at Hunter College from 1926 to 1943 and from 1953 to 1961. She took a leave of absence during World War II to work for the Applied Mathematics Panel of the Office of Scientific Research and Development. There she brought together mathematicians from various universities to solve problems for the US military. For her efforts, she was awarded the US President’s Certificate of Merit and the King’s Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom from the British government. After the war, Rees continued her government service by joining the Office of Naval Research, where she established a mathematical research program and promoted the development of computers. In 1953 Rees returned to academia as professor of mathematics and dean of the faculty at Hunter College. In 1961 she was appointed professor and the first dean of graduate studies at the newly established City University of New York, where she would remain until her retirement in 1972. In 1970 Rees was elected the first woman president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Among her many honors and awards was the Mathematical Association of America’s first-ever Award for Distinguished Service, which she received in 1962, and the 1989 Computer Pioneer Award from the IEEE Computer Society. Rees died in 1997 at age 95. (Photo courtesy of the Graduate Center, CUNY)

Date in History: 2 August 1902