Minerva Cordero

Minerva Cordero Braña (a.k.a. Mirnerva Cordero-Epperson [1][2]) is a Puerto Rican mathematician, and a professor of mathematics at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is also the university's Senior Associate Dean for the College of Science, where she is responsible for the advancement of the research mission of the college.[3]

Minerva Cordero
Born
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Alma materB.S., Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1981
M.S., University of California, Berkeley, 1983
PhD, University of Iowa, 1989
Known forFinite Geometries
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics
InstitutionsTexas Tech University, University of Texas at Arlington
ThesisOn p-primitive Planes
Doctoral advisorNorman Johnson

Early life and education

Cordero was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Her mother, whose schooling stopped after the fifth grade, made education a top priority in the family home. She told her children "the best thing I can give you is an education." Cordero and her siblings would do their homework together and discussed what they learned in school each day. Cordero said, "We learned each other's subjects". Wanting to go to college, Cordero bought herself an SAT preparation book in high school and studied for the exam. Her SAT exam scores are the highest scores for her high school, Miguel Melendez Munoz High School.[4]

Cordero attended the Universidad de Puerto Rico and received her B.S. degree in 1981. She was granted a National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellowship which she used to attend the University of California at Berkeley to obtain a Master of Arts degree in Mathematics. Cordero graduated from Berkeley in 1983 with a M.A. in Mathematics. She continued her studies at the University of Iowa, and obtained her PhD in Mathematics in 1989 under Norman Johnson.[5][4]

Research and Professional career

After earning her PhD, she worked as an Associate and Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University until 2001, when she joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington.[3] Cordero served as the Mathematical Association of America's Governor-at-Large for Minority Interests from 2008 to 2011.[6][7] Her most cited work is A survey of finite semifields.[8] She was the Principal Investigator for a $2.85 million National Science Foundation grant awarded to the University of Texas Arlington in 2009 for a project that placed mathematics graduate students in Arlington public schools to enhance teaching and learning in the classrooms and to inspire students to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).[9]

Research

Cordero's research is in the area of finite semifields (non-associative algebras) and their associated planes (viewed affinely or projectively) in the general area of finite geometry.[10] Her earlier work was on the classification side, namely, sorting out isomorphisms among constructed semifield planes—this is a highly technical and difficult endeavor. Cordero is one of the experts in this area.

Awards
  • New Faculty Award at Texas Tech University, 1994.[4]
  • Professor of the Year, Student chapter of the Mathematical Association of America at Texas Tech University, 1995.[4]
  • President's Excellence in Teaching Award, Texas Tech University, 1999
  • Outstanding Hispanic Women of the South Plains, South Plains Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 2000.
  • Featured Biography, Mathematical Association of America Strengthening Underrepresented Minority Mathematics Achievement (SUMMA) Program, 2001.[11]
  • University of Texas Board of Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award, 2009.[12]
  • Featured Biography, SACNAS Biography Project, 2011.
  • Certificate of Meritorious Service, Mathematical Association of America, 2012
  • Ford Legendary Women (Mujeres Legendarias de Ford), 2016[13]
  • Great Minds in STEM 2016 HENAAC Award “Education Distinction, 2016.

References
  1. "Minerva Cordero-Epperson – Academy of Distinguished Teachers – The University of Texas at Arlington". www.uta.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  2. "Links". wweb.uta.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  3. "College of Science". www.uta.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  4. Hill, Vicki. "Minerva-Cordero Epperson". MAA. Mathematical Association of America. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  5. "Mathematics PhDs from the University of Iowa (Year) | Department of Mathematics | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | The University of Iowa". math.uiowa.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  6. "Minerva Cordero, University of Texas at Arlington – AWM Association for Women in Mathematics". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
  7. "January 2012 Prizes and Awards" (PDF). American Mathematical Society. January 5, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  8. Cordero, M.; Wene, G.P. (1999). "A survey of finite semifields". Discrete Mathematics. 208–209 (28 October 1999): 125–137. doi:10.1016/S0012-365X(99)00068-0.
  9. Stevens, Sue. "UT Arlington math department wins $2.85 million NSF grant; project places graduate students in Arlington public schools to improve math teaching". University of Texas Arlington. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  10. "SACNAS Biography Project". bio.sacnas.org. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
  11. "Strengthening Underrepresented Minority Mathematics Achievement". Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  12. "Nine UT Arlington". University of Texas Arlington. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  13. Unamo, Liz. "Minerva Cordero of Texas University at Arlington acknowledged as Ford's Legendary Woman". PRODU. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
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