Women in STEM: Sophie Germain

Sophie Germain (1776-1831), a self-taught mathematician, developed the theory of elasticity. Germain was not allowed to attend school because she was a woman, but was able to obtain lecture notes. Under the pseudonym M Le Blanc she corresponded with several prominent mathematicians. She also worked on number theory and defined the "Sophie Germain prime" number.

Learn more:

• Germain's correspondence with Carl Friedrich Gauss
• "Math's Hidden Woman" by Simon Singh
• Bio from Agnes Scott College
• Dictionary of Scientific Biography
• Bio from Wichita State University
• Search the catalog for books, ebooks, and articles about Germain (search will need to be filtered)

public domain photo