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Daina Taimina

ダイナ・タイミニャ

Daina Taimina

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1954-08-19 （Riga, Latvia）
Nationality
Latvia
Languages
Latvian, English
Residence History
Riga (birthplace / early life) → Pennsylvania (summer stays) → Ithaca, New York (resident while at Cornell University)

Career

Occupations
mathematician, educator, fiber artist
Active Years
1977-
Affiliations
University of Latvia, Cornell University (Mathematics, retired adjunct associate professor), Mathemalchemy (team member)
Influenced By
William Thurston (inspiration via paper models), David W. Henderson (geometry educator and collaborator)
Influenced
Margaret Wertheim (influenced Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project and popularization efforts), Institute For Figuring (exhibitions and public outreach), Geometry educators and students (wider adoption of tactile models for teaching), Mathemalchemy team and the fiber arts / mathematics community

Education

University of Latvia
Department of Mathematics
Degree: 学士（summa cum laude）
Period: 〜1977
Year of Graduation: 1977
Country: Latvia
Graduated summa cum laude in 1977
Institute of Mathematics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Mathematics
Degree: Candidate of Sciences（博士相当）
Period: 〜1990
Year of Graduation: 1990
Country: Belarus (degree formally issued)
Defended doctoral thesis in Minsk due to restrictions in Latvia under Soviet system
University of Latvia
Mathematics
Degree: Doktor nauk（上級博士）
Period: 1991〜
Year of Graduation: 1991
Country: Latvia
Received higher doctoral degree (doktor nauk) in 1991 and taught at the University of Latvia for ~20 years

Awards

Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year
2009
Work: Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes
Organization: The Bookseller
Result: winner
Euler Book Prize
2012
Work: Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes
Organization: Mathematical Association of America
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes

2009 mathematics / popular mathematics / pedagogy 224 pages

Introduces a method of modeling hyperbolic planes using crochet, combining theoretical background with practical instructions and pedagogical guidance. Emphasizes tactile and visual approaches to teaching non-Euclidean geometry.

hyperbolic geometrymathematics educationfiber artstactile learning

Experiencing Geometry: Euclidean and Non-Euclidean with History

2005 textbook / geometry

Coauthored with David W. Henderson. A textbook designed to teach Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry through historical context and experiential learning, including chapters that use tactile models such as crocheted representations.

geometry educationhistorical approachteaching materials

Bibliography

  • Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes (2009)
  • Experiencing Geometry: Euclidean and Non-Euclidean with History (2005, coauthored)
  • Differential Geometry: A Geometric Introduction (1998, contributed chapter)

Adaptations

  • Exhibitions in galleries and museums (e.g., Eleven Eleven Sculpture Space)
  • Public exhibits and materials curated by the Institute For Figuring

Style & Themes

Literary Style
expository and pedagogical styleclear explanations aimed at visual and tactile understanding
Recurring Motifs
crochetnature (coral, natural forms)tactile models

Legacy

Popularized tactile crocheted models for understanding hyperbolic geometry, significantly impacting mathematics education and the fiber arts. Her work has been featured in mainstream media and museum collections and is used worldwide as an educational tool.

Museums

  • Smithsonian (American Mathematical Model Collection) Washington, D.C., United States
  • Cooper–Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum New York, United States
  • Institut Henri Poincaré collection Paris, France

Archives

  • Cornell University Mathematics Department archives / personal webpage materials

In Popular Culture

  • Featured in New Scientist, Discover, The Times, The New York Times, and other media
  • Influence on exhibitions by the Institute For Figuring and the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project

Quotes

  • For example, adding an extra stitch in the second line for every five stitches in the first. And for every five stitches in the second line, adding an extra one in the third. The number of stitches increases at an exponential rate. As the lines are longer, but joined together, the material quickly starts to fold in interesting ways.
    Source: Alex Bellos, The Times (article) (2008)

Trivia

  • Known for using crochet to visualize hyperbolic planes.
  • Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes won the 2009 Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year.
  • Member of the Mathemalchemy team, blending mathematics and art.