photographist

"I like telling people about mathematics, whether the general public or industrialists. There are these abstract objects which we manipulate, cause to interact with each other and which, in a way, have their own life, a bit like the characters of a book. We do not learn about contemporary mathematics at school, but mathematics research continues. Mathematicians ask themselves questions, carry out research, join together. There is a good deal of diversity in mathematical domains and in working methods. I meet mathematicians who share their research with me. To make people understand the importance of the Navier-Stokes equation, I co-wrote a storyline in a comic book with a mathematician. At the Mathematical Sciences Foundation in Paris, we produce articles and videos to show living mathematics and we finance research and training programmes.

Mathematics is a discipline populated by few women; there are enduring stereotypes, especially in education. Many studies show that teachers have a tendency not to treat boys exactly like girls, as well as showing that male students tend to overestimate themselves, whereas female students underestimate themselves – with the same result. This really damages the images that women have of themselves in terms of their abilities in the sciences. At university, the proportion of female mathematics professors is still low. The compliment of precociousness in mathematics can also disadvantage women who have children at this stage. Moreover, the spirit of competition and the inherent aggression of competition are not encouraged in girls. However, a large number of French women count among the best mathematicians in the world. I hope that at the next presentation of the Fields Medal in 2014 there will finally be one – hopefully several – female recipients!”

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