May 12 is the International Women in Mathematics Day. This is the second year it is celebrated. The day is in honour of Maryam Mirzakhani, born the 12 May 1977, the first and only woman to win the Fields Medal. A film showing her life and achievements is being screened these days, open to anyone who wants to watch it until May 19.
The International Women in Mathematics Day was an initiative of the Women’s Committee of the Iranian Mathematical Society. It was voted and approved in Rio de Janeiro in the summer of 2018 in the World Meeting for Women in Mathematics, which occurred in the frame of the International Congress of Mathematicians. 2019 was, therefore, the first year that the Women in Mathematics Day, May 12, was celebrated.
The chosen day refers to the birth of Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, who was born on the 12 May 1977 and was the first woman to win a Fields medal, and the only one so far. The prize recognised "her outstanding contributions to the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces". Dr Mirzakhani, who was a professor at Stanford University, died from breast cancer in 2017.
A film has been realized to explain her contributions. Filmed in Canada, Iran, and the United States, Secrets of the Surface: The Mathematical Vision of Maryam Mirzakhani examines her life and work. Several screenings of this documentary are part of the activities being held to celebrate the Women in Mathematics Day. You can visit the May 12 webpage to register to watch the film until May 19.
More information about the film:
http://www.zalafilms.com/secrets/
Image from: Beyond Curie - March for Science Posters by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya.