The First Russian Woman-Scientist (1850-1891)

Oxbridge

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Two universities, Oxford and Cambridge, Oxbridge, as they are sometimes jointly called, for seven hundred years dominated British education, and today they dominate more than ever. T students of Oxbridge make up one of the most elite elites in the world. Many great men studied here. Among them Bacon, the philosopher, Milton, the poet, Cromwell, the soldier, and Newton, the scientist. Many prominent Conservative and Labour leaders and ministers, members of the Royal family studied there too.

Today Oxford and Cambridge have less than one-tenth of all British university students (less than 1% of Britain's population). Only a small per cent of the candidates are chosen — mainly on the results of the written examinations.

The division between Oxford and Redbrick is sharp. The division is essentially a class one. A large per cent of Oxford undergraduates come from public schools. Only since the 1870s women have been admitted and the women's colleges constitute only 12% of the Oxbridge population.

Oxford and Cambridge preserve an antique way of life in the midst of the twentieth century. Oxbridge is only in session half the year. Both Oxford and Cambridge now consist of self - governing colleges where students live. The "students have lectures and tutorials. Each student has a tutor who tells him to write papers on the subjects he is studying. Tutors are responsible for the students' progress.

1. What universities dominate British education?

2. What great men studied at Oxbridge?

3. Who is responsible for the students' progress?

4. Is the division between Oxford and Redbrick universities sharp?

A great Russian mathematician, Sophia Kovalevskaya lived and worked in the second half of the 19th century. It was the period of Russia's progress in science and culture. It was the time when Lobachevsky created a new non-Euclid­ean geometry and Chebyshev organized a new school of mathematicians.

Sophia was born in Moscow on February 15, 1850 in a well-off family¹ but spent her childhood in a village. Her father, a well-educated person himself gave a good education to his children. When Sophia was eight an experienced teacher taught her arithmetic, grammar, literature, geography and history. The girl showed an unusual gift in mathematics and at the age of twelve puzzled her teacher when she gave a new solution to a difficult unsolved problem.

In 1867 Sophia wanted to continue her studies in St. Petersburg, where her family spent winters. But it was im­possible for a woman to attend lectures at the University. Even Chebyshev who at that time headed the Russian mathe­matical school had no right to allow her to attend his own lectures. The only way out for her² was to go abroad, but in this case there was a condition that the woman should be mar­ried. Sophia married Vladimir Kovalevsky and soon left Russia.

Sophia Kovalevskaya studied at the Heidelberg Univer­sity, she attended lectures and did a lot of research and prac­tical work.

In 1871 the Kovalevskys went to Berlin. During four years in Berlin Sophia wrote three dissertations. When three scientific masterpieces by Kovalevskaya appeared in 1874, Hettingen University awarded her the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

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