Photo Caption: Anneli Lax
“Anneli is an outstanding mathematical editor (look at any volume of the New Mathematical Library).” —Paul R. Halmos, I Have a Photographic Memory
Anneli Lax Cahn’s greatest contribution to mathematical literature was triggered by a very different sort of event. The launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957 was a shock to the American scientific community, a shock felt at every level. Much thought was devoted to the education of a new generation who would accelerate the pace of American scientific productivity. It was at this point that Lax realized the major contribution that could be made in mathematics education. Out of this endeavor grew the New Mathematical Library. The idea was to make accessible to interested high school students deep results in mathematics described by research mathematicians.
