The Life, Mathematics, and Political Advocacy of Sofya Kovalevskaya

I will talk about the groundbreaking and fantastical life of the 19thcentury Russian mathematician, writer, Sofya Kovalevskaya, who would achieve a lot of "firsts"! The first woman to officially obtain a PhD in Europe, the first to hold a professorship at a European university, the first to work as an editor of a scientific journal, the Acta Mathematica, the first to win the prestigious Prix Bordin of the French academy of science. A prolific writer, known especially for her memoir A Russian Childhood and novella Nihilist Girl, Sofya promoted the connection between these two facets of her creative self. A social-political activist, she would play an active part in the Russian nihilist movement and women's rights advocacy in Russia. This talk will cover her stellar, short, and rather tumultuous life, marked by many challenges and obstacles.