Contact Information

Elizabeth City State University
Professor of Computer Science

http://nia.ecsu.edu/nrts/lhayden/haydenresume.html
Elizabeth City NC 27909

Biography

Mathematician Linda Bailey Hayden was born on February 4, 1949 in Portsmouth, Virginia to Sarah Vaughn Bailey and Linwood Copeland Bailey Sr.  Growing up, Hayden loved mathematics, particularly graphing functions and determining their characteristics.  She attended Portsmouth’s Public Schools for her elementary and secondary education.  Hayden was the first of her family to attend college, and her family was not surprised that she chose to concentrate her studies in math and science.  Pulling together the funds that her family could provide, as well as a scholarship to cover her tuition, Hayden attended Virginia State University and graduated in 1970 with her B.S. degree in mathematics and physics.  At Virginia State University, Hayden’s math professors, Dr. Ruben McDaniel Jr. and Dr. Louise Hunter, made an impression on Hayden through their style and enthusiasm for the material.  Hayden went on to attain her M.A. degree in math education from the University of Cincinnati just two years later.

Hayden began her teaching career as an instructor of mathematics at the Kentucky State University in 1972 and the University of Kentucky in 1976.  Three years later, she became an assistant professor of mathematics at Norfolk State University.  During her tenure at Norfolk State University, she received her second M.S. degree in computer science from Old Dominion University.  She then became an assistant professor of computer science at American University in 1985, where she pursued further graduate studies and received her Ph.D. degree in mathematics education in 1988.  Her dissertation was entitled: “The Impact of an Intervention Program for High Ability Minority Students on Rates of High School Graduation, College enrollment, and Choice of a Quantitative Major.”  After a two year term at the University of the District of Columbia, Hayden moved on to become a full professor of computer science at Elizabeth State University in 1989.  She has been influential in her position on the faculty of the university, particularly in the foundation and implementation of the Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research program.  One of the project’s topics of interest is the cyber-infrastructure support for remote sensing of ice sheets, which is of great importance in polar science field research. Other interests of Hayden include Grid Networks and the PolarGrid Project.  In addition her funding efforts have resulted in millions of dollars in scholarship and fellowship for underrepresented students in mathematics, science and technology fields.

Hayden has been the recipient of several awards recognizing her commitment to education and the sciences. She was honored with the 2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring by the National Science Foundation, and in 2009, she was given the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Noble Prize.
 

[REF: http://nia.ecsu.edu/nrts/lhayden/haydenHistoryMakers.html ]