Danica Mckellar

Danica McKellar (born January 3, 1975), is an American actress and mathematician. She is best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the television show The Wonder Years and for the "Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem."

Born in La Jolla, California, McKellar moved with her family to Los Angeles when she was eight. McKellar and sister Crystal McKellar have maintained a friendly competition to see who gets more acting jobs. Indeed, when the actress who would play Winnie had to be chosen, the last two actresses under consideration for the role were the McKellar sisters

Danica McKellar has admitted the transition from "child actor to adult actor was a little bumpy." Since leaving the Wonder Years, McKellar has had several guest roles in television series (including one with former co-star Fred Savage on Working), and has written and directed two short films. She briefly returned to regular television with a recurring role in the 2002–03 season of The West Wing portraying Elsie Snuffin the sister and assistant of deputy White House Communications Director Will Bailey.

Danica McKellar studied at UCLA, majoring in mathematics. She graduated summa cum laude in 1998. As an undergraduate, she co-authored a scientific paper with Professor Lincoln Chayes and fellow student Brandy Winn. The paper proves a theorem in mathematical physics that could be called the "Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem," although this appellation is not in widespread use. Referring to the mathematical abilities of his coauthor students, Chayes was quoted in the New York Times as saying, "I thought that the two were really, really first-rate." McKellar also provides free online math tutoring for her fans at her official internet website. While a student at UCLA, she was a sister in the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

McKellar is the author of the book Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail, which encouraging girls in middle school to enjoy and succeed at mathematics.. The book has been favorably reviewed by Tara C. Smith, the founder of Iowa Citizens for Science and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa. In an interview with Smith, McKellar said that she wrote the book "to show girls that math is accessible and relevant, and even a little glamorous" and to counteract "damaging social messages telling young girls that math and science aren't for them".

McKellar was named Person of the Week on ABC World News with Charles Gibson for the week ending 10-Aug-2007. The news segment highlighted her book Math Doesn't Suck and her efforts to help girls develop an interest in mathematics, especially during the middle school years.