Helen Mary Wily QSM (née Harrison; 27 April 1921 – 12 September 2009) was a New Zealand statistician and mathematician. With Sharleen Forbes she ran the first session on gender issues in statistics education, at the third International Conference on Teaching Statistics held in 1990 at the University of Otago.[1] She was a strong advocate of equal pay issues in the public service.[2] She was very involved with the Christchurch branch of the New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women.[3]

Helen Wily
Born
Helen Mary Harrison

(1921-04-27)27 April 1921
Died12 September 2009(2009-09-12) (aged 88)
SpouseHenry Alden Lascelles Wily

In the 1988 New Year Honours, Wily was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for public services.[4]

Academic career edit

Wily taught mathematics at Rangi Ruru Girls' School then for ten years she trained students in teaching mathematics at Christchurch College of Education, then later moved to the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.[5]

Selected works edit

Wily published several works on women in mathematics.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ "Speech to the Women in Statistics conference - Victoria University | Beehive.govt.nz". www.beehive.govt.nz. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  2. ^ Women with maths : making a difference. New Zealand Statistical Association. Wellington: New Zealand Statistical Association. 1995. pp. 110–112. ISBN 095976321X. OCLC 154659482.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ^ "Newsletter September 2009". NZ Federation of Graduate Women.
  4. ^ "No. 51173". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 31 December 1987. p. 35.
  5. ^ "New Zealand Mathematics Society Journal April 1988" (PDF).
  6. ^ Purser, Prue; Wily, Helen (1994). Gender and mathematics in New Zealand : a bibliography of New Zealand research, papers, statistics, etc. which have relevance to gender and mathematics in New Zealand. Christchurch, New Zealand: International Organisation of Women and Mathematics Education, New Zealand Chapter.