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" Maryam Mirzakhani, a professor at Stanford University, is now the first woman ever to win the Fields Medal, the highest honor possible for a mathematician [via The Washington Post]. In mathematics, even the greatest female minds are often under-recognized for their work. Mirzakhani is currently studying geometry and dynamical systems \u2014 work that&amp;#039;s applied to engineering, for those of us who are not brilliant geniuses. Mirzakhani grew up in Iran. &amp;quot;As a kid, I dreamt of becoming a writer. My most exciting pastime was reading novels; in fact, I would read anything I could find. I never thought I would pursue mathematics until my last year in high school,&amp;quot; she told The Guardian in an interview. She studied mathematics at a local university before making her way to Harvard and landing her research job at Stanford. &amp;quot;This is a great honor. I will be happy if it encourages young female scientists and mathematicians,&amp;quot; Mirzakhani said in a statement. Follow Frank on Twitter. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/news/a30041/this-brilliant-woman-just-became-the-first-female-to-win-maths-highest-honor/>