"My story in science began with wonder. I was always amazed that the world can not only be described with words but also 'explained' through structures, patterns, and models. Mathematics became the language through which I learned to ask questions about reality. Mathematics is honest. It does not promise easy answers but guarantees meaning if you are ready to think. And it is also the perfect tool to combine beauty, precision, and freedom of thought," says Katerina Terletska, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, head of the Laboratory of Mathematical Sciences at the National Center "Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine," senior researcher at the Institute of Mathematical Machines and Systems Problems of the NAS of Ukraine.
She works on mathematics herself and oversees the training of teachers to change the culture of teaching mathematics in Ukraine. She believes that success is when you want not only to look back at an interesting past but also to continue growing. To be afraid, face difficulties and doubts, overcome them, and grow. To combine a scientific career with personal life in wartime realities—and still grow. To grow and inspire others.
Here are a few more important messages from Ms. Katerina:
- "I am most proud of those moments when scientific predictions stop being formulas on paper and find confirmation in real life. When an abstract model suddenly begins to 'work'—describes a phenomenon, helps understand a process, influences decisions. In such moments, science ceases to be theory and becomes action."
- "It is important for women to be visible in the scientific space so that the presence of women in science is perceived as the norm, not as an exception. Visibility creates a mirror effect: other women and girls see that science is a space where they have a place, where they can be themselves, think, doubt, discover, and achieve. Role models are crucial; they do not impose a path but give permission to choose. It is through living examples that stereotypes about mathematics or science 'not being for women' are gradually broken, and a culture is formed where talent, curiosity, and work are more important than gender."
- "Today, the prioritization and visibility of women in science really work: a woman researcher ceases to be an exception and becomes the norm. And when the norm changes, there is no need to prove anything—there remains only to do your job well. <…> The best response is stable results and calm confidence."
Other conversations with Ukrainian women mathematicians are available on the project website "Her Scientific Story", implemented by the Institute of Mathematics of the NAS of Ukraine for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
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