Ada and the Supercomputer: A Tale of Resilience and Inspiration for the Tech-Savvy Generation, is available on Amazon.
Quant finance portfolio manager and 2009 MIT Math alumna Doris Dobi recently published her first novel, Ada and the Supercomputer, a book that she hopes can serve as a beacon of inspiration for young readers, especially STEM-centric young girls.
Ada and the Supercomputer is a coming-of-age tale of a 13-year-old girl who responds to her mother’s tragic accident by turning to technology as a source of education and inspiration. As she immerses herself in the world of coding, algorithms, and innovation, she embarks on a journey of resilience, self-discovery, and personal growth.
“MIT makes a strong appearance in it, and there is at least one chapter dedicated to the institution,” says Doris, who received her PhD from NYU, and became a trader as well as a mom of two living in NYC. “I have many fond memories of my days in the MIT Math Department, and it will forever occupy a special place in my heart.”
Looking back at her time at MIT, she recalls so many positive role models. She says that when she asked her advisor Richard Stanley what he considered one of the most important problems, he surprised her by replying, “Consciousness.” “He wanted to know how consciousness originated from inanimate matter among other things,” she says. “That stuck with me, and it demonstrated the widespread reaches of a mathematician’s mind.”
She also recollects Professor Hartley Rogers’ 18.022 class. “I emailed him a solution to a problem and a philosophical essay about why I loved mathematics,” she recalls, and he asked for a meeting. “He asked me where I learned to ‘write like that.’ He was impressed, and I was encouraged and full of confidence because I could see his sincerity. What ensued was a mentorship that lasted throughout my undergraduate years where we discussed everything from intractable math problems to Putnam questions, to his years as a grad student at Princeton and his getting to know John Nash and John’s wife (he was a consultant for the movie A Beautiful Mind.)”
Doris enjoys mentoring young students, starting with Girl’s Angle while at MIT, and now as a MathCounts team coach at her child’s school. She hopes that this novel can also serve as a mentor to many more.
“It’s been an eight-year labor of love, and I consider it my biggest creative achievement to date (that includes a math PhD!),” says Doris.
Early Amazon reader reviews of the book were overwhelmingly positive. “The message was great, and I loved the strong female characters,” wrote a mathematician book reviewer. “I wish I’d had it when I was younger. My 10-year-old cousin also read my copy of the book, and he reported that he found it ‘AMAZING!!!’ He read the whole book in one day.”