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Programs for Women in Math
Women in the School of Science at Purdue are fortunate to have a variety of support programs from which to choose. In mathematics, there are programs for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doc women sponsored by the School of Science. Two of these are the Women in Science Program (WISP) and the Women in Science and Engineering Conference (WISE).
WISP began as a mentor/mentee program for graduate women in science and was initially sponsored by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. At the end of the term of the grant, the Dean of the School of Science decided the program should continue and be expanded to include a program for undergraduate women. The undergraduate and graduate programs are coordinated by Barb Clark, Director of Women in Science Programs, and two leaderships teams, one of undergraduates and the other of graduate and post-doc women from the School of Science.
The goals of WISP include: expanding the overall proportion of women completing degrees in science at the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. levels; increasing the interaction between women students and faculty members in science; and providing a method for more experienced students to support less experienced students. WISP also hopes their programs will enhance the self-esteem of women in the sciences and create an opportunity for an exchange of effective strategies for dealing with school and life.
WISP attempts to achieve these goals for graduate and post-doc women with a series of monthly programs. At the first meeting last September, students and faculty were divided into mentor/mentee groups. The roles of mentors and mentees were discussed and some group activities were planned. Looking back, this was an important topic because it gave structure to the groups that had been lacking in the past.
The Mathematics and Statistics group is the largest it has ever been, with sixteen members. For our first event, most of us got together to go to a movie. This may seem like a common activity, but it actually served several purposes: it allowed us to discuss our likes and dislikes when we were choosing which movie to see, and the new graduate students learned where the movie theater is (it's about six miles from campus!). We had a great time, and several of us went out for coffee and more socializing afterwards. From this, the new students formed relationships with the more senior students which were useful throughout the year. They had someone to give them advice on taking their first exam, someone to complain to about homework, and someone to help out when they felt overwhelmed with their teaching and when they were wondering what classes to take in the spring.
Other monthly programs for the graduate women have focused on professional and self development. Topics have included grant writing, stress management, applying for positions in industry and academics, and international opportunities for women in science. One program, entitled "Being the Other: Challenges and Strategies," dealt with being a woman in a male-dominated world. Another program was on outreach activities, at which Sylvia Wiegand gave a great talk about the AWM and its activities. Our last program for the year was a panel of dual career couples who discussed the choices they have made and the trials and tribulations they have endured. This last meeting produced dialogue on the idea that you can have it all, but maybe not all at the same time, or when you want it exactly.
Freshmen women in science at Purdue have a unique opportunity to participate in a residential program. WISP reserves rooms in one of the residence halls to house a group of freshmen women. Tutoring and other special programs, including the Undergraduate Mentoring Program, are brought to the residence hall. Each freshman woman in the program is matched with a more advanced student in the same major to provide a unique mentoring relationship. WISP provides monthly dinner programs which feature speakers talking on topics such as career options, time management, preparing for graduate school, campus safety, and conflict management. An additional feature is the WISE Tutoring Program, in which upper-level honor students are trained to assist the beginning students by teaching them transferable skills that will aid them throughout their college career.
This past April, there was another opportunity for the women in science and engineering at Purdue to enhance their professional development. In November, a group of female students from Purdue, together with Barb Clark and Jane Daniels, attended a CIC-WISE student leadership conference at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. This conference included undergraduate and graduate women from the Big Ten schools, along with the University of Chicago. The schools were then to conduct similar programs in the spring for their institutions. Purdue's program was entitled "Investing in Your Tomorrow: Effective Strategies for Professional Development." The one-day workshop was open to all women in the Schools of Science and Engineering. It included sessions on professional and graduate school, sexual discrimination, conflict resolution, resume writing and interviewing, choosing a graduate advisor, obtaining research grants, and applying for positions in academia. The conference was small but extremely successful. Participants appreciated the topics and the opportunity to meet other women in their fields and came away with very useful information and ideas.
For more information on any of the above programs, contact Barb Clark by e-mail at clark@science.purdue.edu, or visit the home page at http://www.science.purdue.edu/WISP, which has links to many resources on the web for women in science.
Tami Worner is a Ph.D. candidate in Mathematics. Her article appeared in the July-August issue of the AWM Newsletter.
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School's Out
Professor Sylvia Wiegand, University of Nebraska and President of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), spent her sabbatical as a visitor in the Purdue Math Department. Looking happy and relaxed, she and several other women in Mathematics and Statistics at Purdue gathered in May for this photo, taken in front of the Loeb Fountain, to celebrate the end of the semester.
Top Row (left to right):
Lih-Ing Wu
Rebecca Doerge
Mary Ellen Bock
Olga Korosteleva
Sylvia Wiegand
Jean Rubin
Middle Row:
Anna Guerrieri
Amelia Taylor
Clare DıCruz
Anna Spagnuolo
Sarah Ferguson
Bottom Row:
Janet Vassilev (holding Katja Vassilev)
Jung-Chen Liu
Cristina Blancafort
Devilyna Nichols
Csilla Tamas
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