|
Math Center Seeks to Multiply Young Women’s
Success in the Field
NORTHAMPTON, Mass.—A year after announcing plans
for a Center for Women in Mathematics, Smith College welcomed seven women with undergraduate
degrees into an intensive yearlong program to prepare them for graduate programs
in the field.
Smith’s postbaccalaureate program is the only
one for mathematics in the country and is designed to increase the number of women
at the top of the field. Functioning much like yearlong preparatory programs for
medical schools, the postbaccalaureate students will earn a certificate of completion.
The center’s first class includes Vishwa Banker
of San Antonio, Texas; Anna B. Boatwright of Charleston, S.C.; Megan E. Heenehan
of Newburyport, Mass.; Jennifer A. Koonz of East Greenbush, N.Y.; Cheryl L. Milton
of Jacksonville, Fla.; Samantha M. Oestreicher of Cupertino, Calif.; and Megan E.
Sawyer of Denver, Colo.
The women earned their bachelor’s degrees at Smith,
Wellesley, Mount Holyoke and Gettysburg colleges, the University of Colorado and
Florida A&M University.
Established with part of a five-year, $1.5 million grant
from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the program provides students full tuition
as well as a $12,500 stipend for living expenses.
In awarding the grant, the NSF recognized the college’s
success in graduating women who go on to earn advanced degrees in mathematics.
Smith alumnae working in the field of mathematics will
return to campus Sept. 28-30 for a conference that will include talks ranging from
those on the subject matter to those that concern working in the field. “How
to be persuasive while keeping a poker face” and “Life after Smith with
math, family and remodeling” are two of those.
For more information on the SMath conference, go online
to http://www.math.smith.edu/smath/
Smith College educates women of promise for lives of
distinction. By linking the power of the liberal arts to excellence in research and
scholarship, Smith is developing leaders for society’s challenges. Smith
is the largest undergraduate women’s college in the country, enrolling 2,800
students from nearly every state and 61 other countries.
|
|
|
Office of
College Relations
Smith College
Garrison Hall
Northampton, Massachusetts 01063 |
|
Kristen Cole
Media Relations Director
T (413) 585-2190
F (413) 585-2174
kacole@email.smith.edu |
|
