MARYAM MIRZAKHANI: A HARDWORKING GENIUS
How many of you have ever felt that life is a never-ending struggle? Felt that the circumstances always hold you back from reaching your potential and have felt exhaustive about this hustle? Here is the story of one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, Maryam Mirzakhani, who defied all odds to accomplish her aspirations and relentlessly strove for excellence in her work until her last breath.
Figure 1: Maryam Mirzakhani
Maryam Mirzakhani was an Iranian mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. The first woman to win the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in the field of mathematics. Hailing from a country less conducive to women education, Mirzakhani finished her elementary school when the Iran-Iraq War was on the verge of coming to a standstill. Following are the inspirational facets of her life which empower people to withstand obstacles and emerge as warriors in their lives.
Taking initiatives and embracing life out of a comfort zone
Figure 2: Mirzakhani as a child
Maryam Mirzakhani was a voracious reader since her childhood. Enthusiastic about reading, she almost read every book within her reach. The biographies of her invincible role models, Marie Curie and Helen Keller fascinated her to become a writer as a kid. After her preliminary education, Mirzakhani went on to get selected at the Farzanegan middle school for girls in Tehran, which is monitored by Iran’s National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents.
Curious about various International Olympiads, Mirzakhani along with her friend explored these competitions at school. Soon, they realized that their preparation was not on par with the level of these Olympiads. At that time, special math problems solving classes were provided in parallel high schools for boys. Iran’s International Mathematical Olympiad team had never witnessed the participation of a girl’s team in the past. So Mirzakhani along with her friend acquiesced the school principal to arrange similar classes for girls and at the age of 17, she was awarded her first gold medal at the Olympiad. The streak continued for the following year as well. For all the girls who aren’t given equal opportunities and are deprived of the basic amenities, Mirzakhani’s indomitable determination and deep love for learning serve as the roadmap to achieve their goals. Even with the minimum of what these girls are provided, they can thrive in all aspects.
Encouragement works better than Dejection
Fig 3: Mirzakhani being felicitated after her performance at the IMO, Hong Kong in 1994
Many a time in life, we are welcomed by criticisms. Criticisms, which if taken in a positive stride are beneficial. Otherwise, can be enough to stop a person from pursuing things he/she is most passionate about. Mirzakhani had encountered a similar situation in the first year of her high school. That year, her performance in the subject of mathematics was fairly poor. Her dull performance in the subject made her teacher feel negative about her abilities in this domain. That was the phase when she lost confidence and interest in maths because of the discouragement she received from her teacher. But in her next year at high school, she was bestowed with a different teacher in the subject. This teacher was very encouraging in her approach and was able to boost Mirzakhani’s undermined confidence. Eventually, the appreciation from her teacher restored Mirzakhani’s lost interest in maths and thereafter, her performance improved extortionately in the field. Anything met with appreciation just reinforces the positive behavior and brings the best out of people. So it is very essential to understand that one bad performance should not have the potential to mark someone as ‘not so good’. Taking more number of tries and practicing indeed are the pathways to learning.
Humility — the most beautiful asset of a person
After completion of high school, Mirzakhani pursued her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Sharif University in Tehran and then got enrolled in the Harvard University’s Graduate School. Her professors and colleagues fondly recall her avid imagination regarding the shapes and surfaces she dealt with. Hyperbolic geometry was the subject which catered to her interests at Harvard and fascinated by the beauty of this arena, Mirzakhani often asked intriguing questions, which were never brought into the limelight back then. She was slow and steady at her research. With unwavering patience, she explored the roots of the mathematical concepts and calmly solved the problems which she encountered on her journey to exploration.
Mirzakhani became the first female recipient of the Fields Medal — popularly regarded as the highest honor in mathematics. It is given to the greatest contributors to mathematics under the age of 40 by International Congress of Mathematicians. At that time, she couldn’t believe the received email for the award and amused herself by thinking that the email was sent from a hacked account. She felt that her contribution to the research in Hyperbolic Geometry was not very praiseworthy though other mathematicians describe her work to be brilliant and enriching. The attention and adulation that her work received, never had enough power to bring distraction and amidst everything, she continued to focus on her research. Mirzakhani’s humility is something which is admired by all her friends and coworkers to this day.
Fig 5: Maryam Mirzakhani is awarded the 2014 Fields Medal by South Korean President Park Geun-hye
The sex ratio at IITs is skewed. This issue draws attention for not-so-good reasons and makes us feel concerned about our girls. It is a reflection of the shortcomings in the education system and throws light on the confining culture prevalent for girls in the society for a very long time. Mirzakhani also came from a country which is forbidding in nature when it is about providing equal opportunities to girls. The best part about her was that she never shied away from taking initiatives and kept chasing her passion for learning. So should be the case with all the people out there, who are forced to suppress their desires because of whatever reasons and are scared to take the leap of faith. A firm belief in your goals can take you to the places you never thought of traversing and breaking the stereotypes is just a part of the process. Finally, a question for the fear-ridden population to ponder about: ‘You are afraid of heights but aren’t you afraid of never flying?’.
Written by: Shreya Santra(16IE10028), Edited by: Ratnottam Das(16PH20028)
(Editors at Technology Students’ Gymkhana, IIT Kharagpur)
References:
https://www.quantamagazine.org/maryam-mirzakhani-is-first-woman-fields-medalist-20140812/
