Violet B. Haas
Violet B. Haas | |
---|---|
Born | November 23, 1926 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Died | January 21, 1986 Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. | (aged 59)
Alma mater | Brooklyn College Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Spouse | Felix Haas |
Children | 3 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Control theory, optimal estimation |
Institutions | University of Detroit Mercy Purdue University College of Engineering |
Doctoral advisor | Norman Levinson |
Violet Bushwick Haas (November 23, 1926 – January 21, 1986) was an American applied mathematician specializing in control theory and optimal estimation who became a professor of electrical engineering at Purdue University College of Engineering.
Early life and education
Haas was born November 23, 1926, in Brooklyn.[1] She completed a A.B. in mathematics[2] at Brooklyn College in 1947.[1] Haas earned a M.S. (1949) and Ph.D. (1951) in mathematics from the MIT Department of Mathematics (MIT).[1] Her dissertation was titled Singular perturbations of an ordinary differential equation. Norman Levinson was her doctoral advisor.[3] She met her future husband, Felix Haas , a fellow mathematician at MIT.[4] Haas was selected as an American Association of University Women Vassie James Hill Fellow in 1951.[2][4] She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and Eta Kappa Nu.[2]
Career
Haas was a lecturer at
She joined the faculty at Purdue University in January 1962[1] as an assistant professor in the college of electrical engineering and computer engineering.[4] By 1978, Haas was a full professor of electrical engineering in the Purdue University College of Engineering.[4][2] Her areas of expertise included optimal control, nonlinear control, and optimal estimation.[2] Due to nepotism rules (her husband was a fellow mathematician), Haas took a position in electrical engineering rather than mathematics.[5]
Haas advocated for women in STEM fields. Some of her earlier academic environments were hostile to women.[5] In a few instances, she was the only department member excluded from grant proposals. This had largely improved by the early 1980s.[5] For 15 years, Haas was the counselor of the Purdue University student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers.[5]
Haas joined the Association for Women in Mathematics in 1975, serving as a coordinator for the speakers' bureau.[5] She was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) committee on professional opportunities for women and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) constituent committee on women in engineering.[5] For Haas' support and encouragement of women students in engineering, in 1977, she was elected as one of five "Very Important Women" on campus by the Association of Women Students.[6] In 1977, Haas received the D.D. Ewing Award as an outstanding teacher in the Purdue School of Electrical Engineering.[7] She received the 1978 Helen B. Schleman Medallion Award for her service and encouragement of women in academic and professional areas.[7] In the 1970s, Haas was a nominee for the distinguished science award of the Society of Women Engineers.[7]
From 1983 to 1984, Haas was a visiting professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology through the National Science Foundation visiting professorships for women program. In this position, she was a full time researcher investigating control theory and infinite dimensional control problems.[5]
Haas was active in the
Haas and sociologist
Eight months after leaving MIT in 1984, Haas was diagnosed with a brain tumor and was soon unconscious.[5]
Personal life
Haas resided in West Lafayette, Indiana.[1] She was married to Felix Haas.[1] They had a daughter and two sons.[1]
Haas was unconscious from a brain tumor from 1984 until her death on the morning of January 21, 1986, at St. Elizabeth Hospital.[1][6]
In 1990, the Council on the Status of Women at Purdue University established Violet B. Haas award that recognizes people who promote the status of women at the university.[4]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Journal & Courier 1986, p. 12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h The Indianapolis Star 1986, p. 55.
- ^ Haas 1951.
- ^ a b c d e f g Purdue University Archives and Special Collections.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Coxson 1986, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics 1986, p. 10.
- ^ a b c Journal & Courier 1978, p. 6.
Bibliography
- "Obituary". Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics News. March 1986.
- Coxson, Pamela G. (July 1986). "In Remembrance of Violet Bushwick Haas (1926-1986)". Association for Women in Mathematics Newsletter. Vol. 16, no. 4. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- Haas, Violet B. (1951). Singular perturbations of an ordinary differential equation (Ph.D. thesis). OCLC 30350947.
- "Prof. Haas receives Schleman award for service". Journal & Courier. 1978-05-11. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- "Dr. Violet Haas, 59, dies; was on Purdue faculty". Journal & Courier. 1986-01-22. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- "Haas, Violet B." Purdue University Archives and Special Collections.
- "Memorial rites Friday for Professor Violet Haas". The Indianapolis Star. 1986-01-23. p. 55. Retrieved 2022-04-19.