Ballerina Turned Mathematician Credits Discipline for Success in Both Fields

By James Devitt

     Jessica Lin, who graduates today from the College of Arts and Science, leaves NYU as she entered it: solving problems through understanding the mechanics.
     However, over the past four years, Lin’s intended career path has taken a significant turn—one perhaps best described as a pirouette.
     “When I entered NYU in the fall of 2005, I had the intentions of becoming a professional ballet dancer, not a mathematician,” says Lin, who’s from Acton, Massachusetts. “However, in my first semester, I saw mathematics in a completely different light. I was challenged by the material in my courses, and I began learning about the open problems pursued by mathematicians.”
     Lin was offered a contract by the Nashville Ballet at the conclusion of her first year at NYU—an opportunity she turned down. She begins a doctoral program in mathematics at the University of Chicago this fall.
     “I think one of the most important things ballet taught me was to work hard and to focus,” explains Lin, a recipient of a Goldwater Scholarship, a national award recognizing students who excel in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. “As much as I loved being a ballet dancer, it was the discipline that I appreciated most—meticulously studying and analyzing the movements until I understood the mechanics of every step.”
     At NYU, the bulk of Lin’s coursework was at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, where her freshman mentor was professor Robert Kohn.
     “I always liked mathematics in high school, but I had no idea what research in the field entailed until I came here,” recounts Lin.
     In addition to engaging in research at NYU—she took part in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program last summer—she also served as a coordinator for the institute’s cSplash program, which seeks to engage high school students in mathematics.
     Lin, who graduates with a minor in physics, will seek to develop mathematical tools that can be used to understand phenomena in other fields, notably the physical sciences. While Lin feels the University of Chicago best suits her research interests, Courant’s impact on her career path is incalculable.
     “Courant is where I grew up,” says Lin. “My mathematical family is there.”