When María Soria Carro was ten years old, her father drew her a few dots on a piece of paper and challenged her to join them together with edges that did not intersect. Together with her older sister, she entertained herself for hours drawing and trying to solve it, although it was practically impossible due to the number of points. “But we had a good time,” she confesses. Thus her vocation for mathematics was born. Originally from Barcelona, she completed her studies at the Autonomous University of her city and later at the Autonomous University of Madrid. She then moved to the United States to do her doctoral thesis at the University of Texas at Austin under the direction of the Abel Prize winner (the so-called “Nobel of mathematics”) Luis Caffarelli and Pablo Raúl Stinga, and is currently a professor at the University of Rutgers of the United States. She is one of the six young scientists who have been awarded the Vicent Caselles prize from the Royal Spanish Mathematical Society (RSME) and the BBVA Foundation for her advances in mathematics in the first years of her career.
The equations that Soria (Barcelona, 30 years old) studies explain, for example, why a reed half submerged in a lake appears to be broken. They can also be used in aeronautical engineering to develop materials composed of different fibers, such as those used to build airplane wings. “It is useful to study how certain waves pass through these types of materials to predict how they will respond to impacts or vibrations,” he says.
Ask. Your interest in mathematics sparked with the games that your parents played when you were little. Is mathematics still a challenge for you?
Answer. They are still entertaining, but when you get to an advanced level, there are also many difficult moments. Sometimes thinking only about math can be exhausting. When I go to work at the office, it’s just me with a pen and a piece of paper doing math for hours. Eventually the day ends and if I haven’t managed to try anything, it can be very frustrating.
Q. How do you handle that frustration?
R. It’s good for me to disconnect and go out with friends.
Q. What do you think of the media representation of mathematicians or scientists, which sometimes shows them as obsessive people or isolated from the world?
R. It is true that there are mathematicians who perhaps get too wrapped up in solving a problem and that can isolate you. Since everything is so abstract, perspective is lost a little. There are mathematicians of all kinds and some are more sociable than others. Mathematics is of course something fundamental for me, but it cannot be the only priority. It is important to socialize and do other things, but I understand why those of us who are part of the mathematical world are classified as complicated.
Q. You have been recognized as a young woman, what has it been like to function in a field where there are usually more men?
R. There have always been more men than women. Both in my career, at work and at the conferences I attend, girls are always in the minority. But I think it is an issue that is improving. In recent years I have seen many more female teachers than there were when I was studying and the representation is noticeable. I never felt belittled nor was it a problem to be with more men, although it is essential that there are more and more women.
Q. How to bring women closer to mathematics?
R. Above all, representation is needed. If during their studies they do not have female teachers with whom it is perhaps easier for them to talk than with a man, it can be difficult. One way is to give more visibility to women’s work, making them part of the recognitions and awards. Another good initiative would be to go to schools to give talks to capture the attention of the little ones who are interested. You have to make them feel that they can and that there are opportunities for them.
Q. What did you think of the mathematics they taught you at school?
R. Having good teachers helped me continue my interest in mathematics. It is important to have teachers who like to teach this subject. One of the problems that I detect is that if a teacher is not very motivated, he does not teach you well and does not awaken interest in mathematics in the children. I was lucky to have mathematician parents and that helped me understand a little more, but once you decide to venture into this world, it is important to have good mentors.
Q. How has your experience been as a teacher?
R. The students are very grateful for the teaching and for me it is very rewarding.
Q. Is it common to abandon a mathematics degree?
R. Many young people do not finish their studies because they now find it very attractive to work in companies, especially now with the rise of artificial intelligence. You can earn very well as a mathematician in this field and the academic world can be difficult to achieve stability. I am 30 years old and I would like to have it, but it is not easy to get a permanent position.
Q. How is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) perceived from the world of mathematics?
R. For now it has been proven that it is not entirely efficient. It is not going to solve an open question problem for example.
Q. Did you sense a concern with artificial intelligence that mathematics was a replaceable profession?
R. Yes, there was concern, but at least for now they are not cause for alarm. As a teacher, I do not agree that my students use it to solve exercises. It takes away the purpose. I am worried that kids today learn using these tools, we are trying less.
Q. Have you used them?
R. I have tried it, but it doesn’t work for my field. I have used it for some specific questions outside of mathematics, but really not much.
Q. You have highlighted the application in aeronautics, in what other fields can the equations you solve be applied?
R. In earth sciences they are used to study the interaction between the oceans and the earth’s atmosphere. And in biology, if you have two species of populations that live in contiguous regions, you can observe what interaction there is between these two species.
Q. During the process of solving mathematical problems, do you think about their social application?
R. I don’t usually do it because theoretical mathematicians achieve very abstract results, unlike what happens in the business world, where they have a concrete application. We don’t see the direct impact on society as much, but when we reflect on a mathematical problem we do think about where it could be applied and what use it has. It is true that as a mathematician you can get a little lost in the abstract and sometimes it is good to have a concrete approach and in that case, one motivation may be to think about its possible application.
Q. What is mathematics to you?
R. They are a language. They serve to describe the world around us. They are part of my life, I grew up with them and now it is my profession too. It’s a wonderful world.
Q. What do you like most about them?
R. I like that they are exact. They tell the truth and are not subjective. They are everywhere and behind many fields. In science, from biology to chemistry, mathematics is needed.
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