The Institute for Advanced Study’s “Paths to Math” series comes to a close with a special edition video featuring one of our most beloved veteran mathematicians: Distinguished Visiting Professor Karen Uhlenbeck.

Watch to see Uhlenbeck, the first woman to win the Abel Prize, chart her career from her undergraduate days, when an introduction to calculus course awakened her love for mathematics, to the spirited female colleagues that she worked alongside at the University of Illinois Chicago, who helped to dispel any lingering doubts about being a woman in math.

Karen also introduces her abundant fields of interest within mathematics, which include the calculus of variations, dispersive equations, and integrable systems, as well as the questions that continue to intrigue her today.

“Paths to Math” chronicles the academic journeys of individual scholars from the Institute for Advanced Study, highlighting the moments that ignited their passion for math. With each unique story, this series celebrates the universality of mathematics and the inclusive community of practitioners at IAS, spanning a deep array of backgrounds, interests, geography, ethnicity, and gender.

“Paths to Math” is produced by OFC (ofc.tv)