Enriqueta González Baz

Enriqueta González Baz y de la Vega (September 22, 1915 – December 22, 2002) was a Mexican mathematician, a co-founder of the Mexican Mathematical Society, and the first woman to earn a degree in mathematics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1944.[1][2]

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is González and the second or maternal family name is Baz.

Early Life

Enriqueta González Baz was born in Mexico City on Calle de Correo Mayor on September 22, 1915. She attended Escuela número 8 for women where she studied to become a teacher. After completing secondary school, her father, Roberto González Baz, sent her to a two-year program at the Escuela Doméstica for domestic studies. Her father believed that above all, his daughters should be women: learn how to cook, tend the house, etc.

At this school, one of her teachers, Elena Picazo de Murray, recognized González Baz's talent for studying, so she urged her to pursue higher education.[2]

Education

After finishing domestic school, González Baz enrolled in night classes at the former San Ildefonso College while studying at the Escuela Nacional de Maestros in Mexico City where she earned a teaching credential to become a school teacher. She then enrolled in the National Preparatory School, where she studied physical sciences and mathematics.

After graduating high school, she enrolled at the Faculty of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She was part of the first cohorts of students majoring in mathematics. In 1944, she became the first woman at National Autonomous University of Mexico and in Mexico to earn a degree in mathematics. She wrote a thesis on Special Functions (Bessel, Gama, and Legender) and completed postgraduate studies at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2]

Career and contributions

During this time, the Ministry of Public Education in Mexico did not distinguish between the title of a mathematician and a mathematics teacher, so González Baz became a high school math teacher. She taught mathematics at the National Preparatory School and various other secondary schools.

She also taught mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences and was a researcher at the Institute of Physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Among her mathematical works, she translated Solomon Lefschetz's 1930 textbook Topology.[2]

Legacy

González Baz was one of the five founding women of the Mexican Mathematical Society. She is regarded as a distinguished student and professor of mathematics.

González Baz died on December 22, 2002, "leaving an open door for the next generations of women attracted to the study of mathematics." [3]

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References
  1. García de León, Porfirio (2005), "Mujeres Pioneras de la Sociedad Matemática Mexicana", in Blazquez Graf, Norma; Flores, Javier (eds.), Ciencia, tecnología y género en Iberoamérica (in Spanish), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias en Ciencias y Humanidades, Enriqueta González Baz, pp. 24–25, ISBN 9789703230044
  2. "Enriqueta González Baz", Matemáticos in Mexico (in Spanish), UNAM, retrieved 2018-05-06
  3. "Enriqueta González Baz the first mexican woman to earn a degree in mathematics", Mathematics science and technology, Pioneering Women, retrieved 2020-01-15
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