Remembering a pioneer in mathematics: Christine Ayoub
The Penn State Eberly College of Science community honors the life and groundbreaking career of Christine Williams Ayoub, professor emerita of mathematics, who passed away last year at the age of 102. Christine was a member of the mathematics faculty at Penn State for 32 years, beginning at a time when being a woman in math was rare. Her career is marked by a number of “firsts” or near firsts, and she is remembered for being an excellent algebraist, teacher, mentor, and an important member of the community. She was recently recognized by Mary Beth Williams, acting dean of the Eberly College of Science, at a Women in Science Celebration held in March, as a scientist who paved the way for women today and as an inspiration for our students.
Christine was born on Feb. 7, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio and grew up in Montreal, Canada near McGill University, where her father was a mathematics professor. Christine followed in her father’s footsteps, studying math at Bryn Mawr College for her undergraduate degree. She then earned master’s degrees from Radcliffe College and McGill before being the only women in her class at Yale to earn a doctoral degree in mathematics.
After Yale, Christine was among the first women to be a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, where she studied mathematics with the best minds of the time and shared the halls with Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer. She was also one of the first women to be on the mathematics faculty at Cornell, before receiving a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study at Harvard for a year. Christine and her husband Raymond Ayoub joined the faculty at Penn State in 1952 as assistant professors of mathematics and stayed until their retirements in 1984.
“When I came to Penn State in 1964, Raymond was interim department head.” said George Andrews, Atherton Professor of Mathematics. “When I was department head in 1980, Christine was head of the graduate program. She was a very good mathematician, an algebraist who dabbled in number theory.”
While Christine had been the only women in her class at Yale and the only women on the mathematics faculty during her time at Cornell, women had an unusually early acceptance and role in mathematics at Penn State, according to Andrews. There were five women on the faculty when he arrived.
“Maybe because of her experiences, she was a classical proponent of the underdog,” Andrews said. “She was a very spirited person, witty and quite direct. I remember her fondly as a fiery individual who was a joy to be around.”
Christine was also remembered for her skill as a teacher and mentor.
“I first met Christine in 1972 when I was a mathematics major at Penn State,” said James Hager, Jr., Academy Professor and professor emeritus of mathematics.
Hager had completed all of the department's first and second year required courses during his first year and needed permission from a faculty member to register for advanced-level offerings.
“Christine readily agreed with one caveat,” Hager said. “To make sure that I was keeping up with the course content, and to improve my chances of success, I would need to meet with her weekly and she would challenge me to work at a broad set of supplemental problems at the blackboard under her tutelage. She was an exceedingly patient mentor but expected much from me in these sessions. I considered these meetings to be seminal in my decision to continue with a mathematics program and complete my doctoral degree. I am very grateful to have found Christine at this early stage in my math development and have tried to pay-forward her graciousness to me throughout my career with young math students.”
Hager recalled that Christine was one of the few faculty members who employed the Moore method of instruction in her classrooms. In the Moore method, the content of the course is usually presented in whole or in part by the students themselves. Instead of using a textbook, the students are given a list of definitions and theorems which they are then to prove and present in class.
“It is a highly charged, intimidating experience for many students, requiring a skilled moderator to intervene at times, but still allow the dynamics of the class to play out,” Hagar said. “Christine seemed to have an innate sense of when a student at the board reached their breaking point, providing just the right amount of help to nudge a student along while still allowing the free flow of class criticism.”
Hager also noted that although mathematics can be a very solitary scholarly activity, he remembered fondly the many times that he returned to the math commons room and found Christine and her husband sitting in a corner, quietly checking in with each other.
“I cannot remember a time when they did not exit the building together at the end of the day,” Hagar said.
Following their retirement, the Ayoubs remained in State College for the rest of their lives. Christine was raised as a Quaker and the Ayoubs were active member of the State College Friends Meeting. In 1985, the Ayoubs and a group of Friends began planning for founding a Quaker-directed community. By 1990, the retirement community that became Foxdale Village was completed and the Ayoubs moved into an apartment there in 1997.
After 62 years of marriage, Raymond passed away in 2013. Christine then established the Raymond and Christine Ayoub Award, a fund that recognizes graduate students for an outstanding thesis in algebra or number theory.
In honor of Christine, contributions may be made to Foxdale Village, 500 E Marylyn Ave, State College, PA 16801 or to the State College Friends Meeting, 611 E Prospect Ave., State College, PA 16801.