Helena Rasiowa
Encyclopedia
Helena Rasiowa was a Polish
mathematician
. She worked in the foundations of mathematics
and algebraic logic
.
on June 20, 1917 to Polish parents. As soon as Poland regained its independence in 1918, the family settled in Warsaw
. Helena's father was a railway specialist. She exhibited many different skills and interests, from music to business management and the most important of her interests, mathematics.
In 1938, the time was not very opportune for entering a university. Rasiowa had to interrupt her studies, as no legal education was possible in Poland after 1939. Many people fled the country, or at least they fled the big towns, which were subject to German bombardment and terror. The Rasiowa family fled also, as most high-ranking administration officials and members of the government were being evacuated to Romania
. The family spent a year in Lvov. After a Soviet invasion in September 1939, the town was taken over by the Soviet Union. The lives of many Poles became endangered, so Helena's father decided to return to Warsaw
.
broke out and consequently Warsaw
was almost completely destroyed. This was not only due to the immediate fighting, but also because of the systematic destruction which followed the uprising after it had been suppressed. Rasiowa's thesis burned with the whole house. She herself survived with her mother in a cellar covered by the ruins of the demolished building.
After the war, Polish mathematics began to recover its institutions, its moods, and its people. Those who remained considered their duty to be the reconstruction of Polish universities and the scientific community. One of the important conditions for this reconstruction was to gather all those who could participate in re-creating mathematics. In the meantime, Rasiowa had accepted a teaching position in a secondary school. That is where she met Andrzej Mostowski
and came back to the University. She re-wrote her Master's thesis in 1945 and in the next year she started her academic career as an assistant at the University of Warsaw
, the institution she remained linked with for the rest of her life.
At the University, she prepared and defended her PhD thesis, Algebraic Treatment of the Functional Calculi of Lewis and Heyting,in 1950 under the guidance of Prof. Andrzej Mostowski. This paper pointed to the main field of Rasiowa's future research: algebraic methods in logic. In 1956, she made her second academic degree, doktor nauk
(equivalent to habilitation
today) in the Institute of Mathematics of the Polish Academy of Sciences
, where between 1954 and 1957, she held a post of Associate Professor, becoming a Professor in 1957 and subsequently Full Professor in 1967. For the degree, she submitted two papers, Algebraic Models of Axiomatic Theories and Constructive Theories, which together formed a thesis named Algebraic Models of Elementary Theories and their Applications.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
. She worked in the foundations of mathematics
Foundations of mathematics
Foundations of mathematics is a term sometimes used for certain fields of mathematics, such as mathematical logic, axiomatic set theory, proof theory, model theory, type theory and recursion theory...
and algebraic logic
Algebraic logic
In mathematical logic, algebraic logic is the study of logic presented in an algebraic style.What is now usually called classical algebraic logic focuses on the identification and algebraic description of models appropriate for the study of various logics and connected problems...
.
Early years
Rasiowa was born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on June 20, 1917 to Polish parents. As soon as Poland regained its independence in 1918, the family settled in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. Helena's father was a railway specialist. She exhibited many different skills and interests, from music to business management and the most important of her interests, mathematics.
In 1938, the time was not very opportune for entering a university. Rasiowa had to interrupt her studies, as no legal education was possible in Poland after 1939. Many people fled the country, or at least they fled the big towns, which were subject to German bombardment and terror. The Rasiowa family fled also, as most high-ranking administration officials and members of the government were being evacuated to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The family spent a year in Lvov. After a Soviet invasion in September 1939, the town was taken over by the Soviet Union. The lives of many Poles became endangered, so Helena's father decided to return to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
Academic development
Rasiowa became strongly influenced by Polish logicians. She wrote her Master's thesis under the supervision of Jan Łukasiewicz and Bolesław Sobociński. In 1944, the Warsaw UprisingWarsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
broke out and consequently Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
was almost completely destroyed. This was not only due to the immediate fighting, but also because of the systematic destruction which followed the uprising after it had been suppressed. Rasiowa's thesis burned with the whole house. She herself survived with her mother in a cellar covered by the ruins of the demolished building.
After the war, Polish mathematics began to recover its institutions, its moods, and its people. Those who remained considered their duty to be the reconstruction of Polish universities and the scientific community. One of the important conditions for this reconstruction was to gather all those who could participate in re-creating mathematics. In the meantime, Rasiowa had accepted a teaching position in a secondary school. That is where she met Andrzej Mostowski
Andrzej Mostowski
Andrzej Mostowski was a Polish mathematician. He is perhaps best remembered for the Mostowski collapse lemma....
and came back to the University. She re-wrote her Master's thesis in 1945 and in the next year she started her academic career as an assistant at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
, the institution she remained linked with for the rest of her life.
At the University, she prepared and defended her PhD thesis, Algebraic Treatment of the Functional Calculi of Lewis and Heyting,in 1950 under the guidance of Prof. Andrzej Mostowski. This paper pointed to the main field of Rasiowa's future research: algebraic methods in logic. In 1956, she made her second academic degree, doktor nauk
Doktor nauk
Doktor nauk is a higher doctoral degree, the second and the highest post-graduate academic degree in the Soviet Union, Russia and in many post-Soviet states. Sometimes referred to as Dr. Hab. The prerequisite is the first degree, Kandidat nauk which is informally regarded equivalent to Ph.D....
(equivalent to habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
today) in the Institute of Mathematics of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Polish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
, where between 1954 and 1957, she held a post of Associate Professor, becoming a Professor in 1957 and subsequently Full Professor in 1967. For the degree, she submitted two papers, Algebraic Models of Axiomatic Theories and Constructive Theories, which together formed a thesis named Algebraic Models of Elementary Theories and their Applications.
Works
- The Mathematics of Metamathematics (1963, together with Roman SikorskiRoman SikorskiRoman Sikorski was a Polish mathematician.Sikorski was from 1952 until 1982 professor at the Warsaw University...
) - An Algebraic Approach to Non-Classical Logics (1967)
External links
- "Helena Rasiowa", Biographies of Women Mathematicians, Agnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott College is a private undergraduate college in the United States. Agnes Scott's campus lies in downtown Decatur, Georgia, nestled inside the perimeter of the bustling metro-Atlanta area....
- Rasiowa's Biography
- A tribute to Helena Rasiowa – by Melvin Fitting
- On the contributions of Helena Rasiowa to mathematical logic – an article by J. M. Font
- Web site dedicated to Helena Rasiowa