1923-

Canadian-American mathematician who received her Ph.D. from New York University in 1951. The first woman in the United States to head a mathematical institute, she was appointed director of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in 1982. Her research has focused on the wave equation, attempting to answer the classical problem of whether light should be treated as waves or streams of particles. She has been the recipient of many awards, including from the National Academy of Sciences and from the National Organization of Women for successfully combining career and family.