Cypra Cecilia Krieger-Dunaij (9 April 1894 – 17 August 1974) was an Austro-Hungarian (more specifically, Galician)-born

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

ancestry who lived and worked in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Krieger was the third person (and first woman) to earn a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in mathematics from a university in Canada, in 1930,Krieger–Nelson Prize
Canadian Mathematical Society. as well as the third woman to have been awarded a doctorate in any discipline in Canada. Krieger is well known for having translated two works of

Wacław Sierpiński Wacław Franciszek Sierpiński (; 14 March 1882 – 21 October 1969) was a Polish mathematician. He was known for contributions to set theory (research on the axiom of choice and the continuum hypothesis), number theory, theory of functions, and t ...

general topology In mathematics, general topology is the branch of topology that deals with the basic set-theoretic definitions and constructions used in topology. It is the foundation of most other branches of topology, including differential topology, geometri ...

. The

Krieger–Nelson Prize The Krieger–Nelson Prize is presented by the Canadian Mathematical Society in recognition of an outstanding woman in mathematics. It was first awarded in 1995. The award is named after Cecilia Krieger and Evelyn Nelson, both known for their contri ...

, awarded annually by the Canadian Mathematical Society since 1995 for outstanding research by a female mathematician, is named in honour of Krieger and

Evelyn Nelson Evelyn Nelson (November 13, 1899 – June 16, 1923) was an American silent film actress whose career encompassed 12 films over three years. Biography Nelson was born in Chloride, Arizona, to William Henry and Georgia P. Nelson. Her sister, ...

Early life and education

Krieger was born on 9 April 1894 in

Jasło Jasło is a county town in south-eastern Poland with 36,641 inhabitants, as of 31 December 2012. It is situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), and it was previously part of Krosno Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is located in Lesse ...

in Galicia. The town was then part of Austria-Hungary, but is in modern-day

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. Her parents, Moses and Sarah Krieger, had two sons and two daughters besides Cecilia. Krieger began studying mathematics and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

in 1919, but moved with her family to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada in 1920. Krieger earned a

B.A Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1924 and a M.A in 1925 from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

. She obtained her Ph.D from the same university in 1930. Her thesis, under the supervision of W.J. Webber, was entitled "On the summability of trigonometric series with localized parameters—on Fourier constants and convergence factors of double Fourier series".

At the University of Toronto

While pursuing her Ph.D, Krieger was appointed as an instructor in 1928 and promoted to lecturer in 1930 when she completed her Ph.D. Krieger continued working at the rank of lecturer until she was promoted to

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree A docto ...

at the University of Toronto in 1942. She taught in both the department of engineering and the department of mathematics. Krieger married Dr. Zygmund Dunaij in 1953.

Retirement

Krieger continued at the rank of assistant professor until her retirement in 1962. However, she continued teaching after her retirement: for five years at the University of Toronto, leaving in 1968 upon the death of her husband and for six more years at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

, a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Toronto, until her own death in 1974."Cecilia Krieger", Biographies of Women Mathematicians
Agnes Scott College

Publications

In 1934, Krieger published an English translation of Sierpinski's book ''Introduction to General

Topology In mathematics, topology (from the Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without closing ...

''. She also translated ''General Topology'' by Sierpinski in 1952, adding a 30-page appendix on infinite cardinals and ordinals.

Recognition

Krieger was a strong supporter of women in mathematics. In honour of the contributions of Krieger and

, the Canadian Mathematical Society created the

in 1995. It is awarded to an outstanding woman in mathematics.

Notes

External links

Cecilia Krieger archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krieger, Cecilia Polish women mathematicians 20th-century Polish mathematicians 1894 births 1974 deaths People from Jasło Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Austro-Hungarian Jews University of Toronto alumni Canadian women mathematicians Polish women scientists 20th-century Polish scientists Polish women academics 20th-century Canadian women scientists 20th-century Polish women scientists Polish emigrants to Canada