Ionica Smeets (born 8 October 1979) is a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

mathematician,

science journalist Science journalism conveys reporting about science to the public. The field typically involves interactions between scientists, journalists, and the public. Origins Modern science journalism dates back to '' Digdarshan'' (means showing the d ...

, columnist, television presenter and professor in

science communication Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

Biography

Ionica Smeets was born in

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

, where she completed her propedeuse in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

at the

Delft University of Technology Delft University of Technology ( nl, Technische Universiteit Delft), also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2022 it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among ...

. She switched studies and graduated in

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathematical s ...

. Smeets was working on her thesis in mathematics, on a subject within

number theory Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and arithmetic function, integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777� ...

, at Leiden University when she started the blog ''Wiskundemeisjes'' (Math girls'''), on 14 March 2006, together with Jeanine Daems. The website has been awarded in 2007 with two ''Dutch Bloggies''. Since 2010, the two 'math girls' ran a

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

in ''

De Volkskrant ''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized c ...

'' for several years. Currently, Smeets writes a weekly piece titled "''Ionica zag een getal''" ("''Ionica saw a number''") in the periodical ''Sir Edmund'' (a magazine from ''

''). She completed her PhD at Leiden in 2010; her dissertation, ''On Continued Fraction Algorithms'', was supervised by

Robert Tijdeman Robert Tijdeman (born 30 July 1943 in Oostzaan, North Holland) is a Dutch mathematician. Specializing in number theory, he is best known for his Tijdeman's theorem. He is a professor of mathematics at the Leiden University since 1975, and was chai ...

and Cornelis Kraaikamp. After this, Smeets became a science journalist. She performs research, together with

Bas Haring Sebastiaan (Bas) Haring (born 23 April 1968 in De Bilt) is a Dutch writer of popular science and children's literature, television presenter and professor. He is a full professor at Leiden University, where he has held a chair in "public unde ...

, on successful methods to explain science to the general audience. In this function, she appeared on Dutch television, such as in ''

De Wereld Draait Door ''De Wereld Draait Door'' (; English: "The world keeps on turning") also known by the acronym DWDD was an early-evening talk show on Dutch television, broadcast every weekday at 7:00 p.m. on NPO 1. It is the Netherlands' longest-running, reg ...

''. On 19 October 2011, the book ''Ik was altijd heel slecht in wiskunde'' (''I have always been bad in mathematics'') appeared, which she wrote together with Jeanine Daems. Begin 2012, Smeets co-presented eight editions of the

KRO KRO, or (Catholic Radio Broadcasting), was a Dutch public broadcasting organization founded on 23 April 1925. Broadly Catholic in its spiritual outlook, KRO broadcast the bulk of its television output on the NPO 1 channel. KRO was also responsi ...

-program ''De Rekenkamer'', replacing Sofie van den Enk. In 2013, Smeets presented the mathematics program ''Eureka'', together with Van den Enk. On 17 August 2014 she was guest in the Dutch television program ''Zomergasten''. Furthermore, she participated in the

NCRV NCRV (Nederlandse Christelijke Radio Vereniging) (English: Dutch Christian Radio Association) was a public radio and television broadcaster in the Netherlands, mostly transmitting on NPO 1 and NPO 2. On 1 January 2014, NCRV merged with KRO to for ...

's television quiz ''De Slimste Mens'' in August 2014, almost reaching the final round. In July 2015, Smeets was inaugurated to professor in Science Communication at the University of Leiden.De Volkskrant (4 juli 2015): Van 'wiskundemeisje' tot hoogleraar communicatie
/ref> In December 2015, she started presenting the

VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more soc ...

television program ''de Nationale Wetenschapsquiz'' (''the National Science Quiz''), which she has presented together with Pieter Hulst up until now.

Selected publications

* Ionica Smeets: ''Zoete kinderen eten geen suiker''. Amsterdam, Uitgeverij Nieuwezijds, 2016. * Ionica Smeets: ''Het exacte verhaal''. Amsterdam, Nieuwezijds, 2014. * Jeanine Daems & Ionica Smeets: ''Ik was altijd heel slecht in wiskunde. Reken maar op de wiskundemeisjes''. Amsterdam, Nieuwezijds, 2011. * Ionica Smeets & Bas Haring: ''Vallende kwartjes. Een slimme selectie van leesbare wetenschap''. Amsterdam, Nijgh & Van Ditmar 2010. 5th print 2012: * Ionica Smeets: ''On continued fraction algorithms''. Enschede, Ipskamp Drukkers, 2010. (Proefschrift Universiteit Leiden) No ISBN. Digital version

References

External links

Personal website

Wiskundemeisjes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smeets, Ionica 1979 births 21st-century Dutch mathematicians Delft University of Technology alumni Dutch women mathematicians Dutch television presenters Dutch bloggers Leiden University alumni Academic staff of Leiden University Living people Number theorists People from Delft Science journalists Dutch women journalists 21st-century women mathematicians Dutch women bloggers Dutch women television presenters