Karen Marie Brucks (February 1, 1957 – July 8, 2017) was an American mathematician known for her research in

topological dynamics In mathematics, topological dynamics is a branch of the theory of dynamical systems in which qualitative, asymptotic properties of dynamical systems are studied from the viewpoint of general topology. Scope The central object of study in topol ...

, and for her advocacy of women in mathematics. She worked for many years as a faculty member and administrator at the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...

Life

Brucks was born on February 1, 1957, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. She majored in mathematics at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

, graduating in 1980. Next, she earned a master's degree in 1982 at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

, and continued there for doctoral study, completing her Ph.D. in 1988. Her doctoral dissertation, ''Dynamics of One Dimensional Maps'', was supervised by R. Daniel Mauldin. After postdoctoral positions at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

and

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system's ...

, she became a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1991, eventually serving for 24 years there. She was a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

in 1997–1998, on a research visit to Hungary. At the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, she chaired the mathematics department for four years, from 2001 to 2005, and spent seven years as Associate Dean of Natural Sciences, beginning in 2008. She retired as associate professor emeritus in 2015, and died on July 8, 2017.

Research

Brucks's research primarily concerned

dynamical system In mathematics, a dynamical system is a system in which a Function (mathematics), function describes the time dependence of a Point (geometry), point in an ambient space. Examples include the mathematical models that describe the swinging of a ...

s, and particularly systems operating on one-dimensional

intervals Interval may refer to: Mathematics and physics * Interval (mathematics), a range of numbers ** Partially ordered set#Intervals, its generalization from numbers to arbitrary partially ordered sets * A statistical level of measurement * Interval e ...

, including and applications of

Milnor–Thurston kneading theory The Milnor–Thurston kneading theory is a mathematics, mathematical theory which analyzes the iterates of piecewise monotone map (mathematics), mappings of an interval (mathematics), interval into itself. The emphasis is on understanding the proper ...

unimodal In mathematics, unimodality means possessing a unique mode. More generally, unimodality means there is only a single highest value, somehow defined, of some mathematical object. Unimodal probability distribution In statistics, a unimodal pr ...

maps on intervals such as the

tent map A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using g ...

logistic map The logistic map is a polynomial mapping (equivalently, recurrence relation) of degree 2, often referred to as an archetypal example of how complex, chaotic behaviour can arise from very simple non-linear dynamical equations. The map was popular ...

, and adding machines. With Henk Bruin she authored the book ''Topics from one-dimensional dynamics'', published in 2004 by the

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

as volume 62 of their London Mathematical Society Student Texts series.

Advocacy

Brucks was a regular instructor in a

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

summer program for undergraduate women in mathematics, beginning in 1997. She also served on the advisory board for the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Women in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Program, and was active in leadership in the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

Association for Women in Mathematics The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is a professional society whose mission is to encourage women and girls to study and to have active careers in the mathematical sciences, and to promote equal opportunity for and the equal treatment o ...

, and

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brucks, Karen 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians American women mathematicians University of Arizona alumni University of North Texas alumni University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee faculty 1957 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American women 21st-century American women