Newswise — The Department of Mathematics at Bryn Mawr College is the 2012 recipient of the AMS Award for an Exemplary Program or Achievement in a Mathematics Department. Presented annually by the American Mathematical Society, the award recognizes a college or university mathematics department that has distinguished itself by undertaking an unusual or particularly effective program of value to the mathematics community, internally or in relation to the rest of society.
Phil Kutzko of the University of Iowa, who served as chair of the award selection committee, said: "I was surprised to learn that the math department at Bryn Mawr had not already received this award. Their historic role in supporting women in mathematics at all levels---they provided, for example, an academic home for Emmy Noether at a critical moment---together with their activities aimed at broadening the participation in mathematics of women from underrepresented backgrounds, made the decision an easy one for our committee."
The Bryn Mawr mathematics department has a long history of encouraging women to pursue careers in mathematics. By cultivating a special atmosphere---fun-loving yet serious, supportive yet challenging---the department has been enormously successful in attracting a diverse group of students. The professors in the department take a positive, inclusive approach based on the idea that all students can learn to use and enjoy mathematics. Many Bryn Mawr math majors are self-confessed "math nerds" who have sought out the college as a top place to prepare for graduate school, while others never dreamed they would major in math until they were hooked by the dynamic and caring math professors. Bryn Mawr math majors have gone on to successful careers in areas such as teaching, consulting, finance, government, and medicine, as well as to graduate school in various subjects.
As one of the few small colleges in the United States to have a serious graduate program in mathematics, Bryn Mawr has played a significant role in increasing the participation of women in mathematics, both by graduating its own PhDs and by giving its undergraduates a strong background that serves them well in the most competitive PhD programs. The PhD program is central to the identity of the math department and allows the department to attract top mathematicians. With just six professors, all of them active in research, the department has a research output that, when considered on a per-professor basis, is comparable to that of a math department at a top university.
The Bryn Mawr math department has developed a welcoming and supportive community where all members---faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates---have an important role. The students interact in a non-competitive environment where working together and mutual support are encouraged, and the faculty members put a great deal of personal effort into making all students feel welcome and valued. The sense of community is supported by various activities. One example is the weekly "Distressing Math Collective", in which students present short lectures on "distressingly weird" math topics in a casual, friendly environment where discussion, interruptions, and a bit of silliness are encouraged. Other examples are a celebratory tea for math majors and potential majors, held once a semester; a careers panel discussion held each spring; and the Mathematics Shakespeare Reading Group, a light-hearted activity that actually involves little math but goes a long way towards building camaraderie among the students. Math students pitch in to organize these activities by becoming officers in the Bryn Mawr Student Chapter of the Mathematical Association of America.
The Bryn Mawr math department has also made many innovations in its course offerings to better meet students' needs. For example, when the department found that many students were having trouble moving from courses focused on calculation to those focused on proofs, it developed a sophomore-level course called ``Transitions to Higher Mathematics'', which orients students towards active reading of mathematics and communicating through proofs. To show students that mathematics is not just a collection of techniques but has a special beauty, faculty developed a sophomore-level course on knot theory. To appeal to students interested in applying math to the real world, there are now courses in financial mathematics, and a revised differential equations course that features a focus on mathematical modeling for environmental issues. Some Bryn Mawr math faculty have also been involved in national and regional efforts to improve mathematics education in the schools.
The Bryn Mawr math professors have been active on the academic scene nationally in a variety of ways, with the most outstanding example being the EDGE program. The name stands for ``Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education'' and refers to the idea of helping to give women an ``edge'' in PhD programs. Founded in 1998 by Rhonda Hughes, now retired from Bryn Mawr, and Sylvia Bozeman, Spelman College, EDGE has had a significant impact on the representation of women in the mathematical sciences, with a total of 40 EDGE alumnae having received PhDs in the mathematical sciences. In 2007, EDGE received the ``Mathematics Programs that Make a Difference'' award, presented by the AMS Committee on the Profession. In 2004, Hughes received the Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Bozeman received it in 2008.
The Bryn Mawr mathematics department produces outstanding math majors who receive prestigious fellowships to attend graduate school in top universities around the nation. At the same time, it manages to transform attitudes towards mathematics in students who come in with the mind-set that math was their worst subject. That the department succeeds so well in these two very different endeavors points to a faculty united by a love of mathematics and a deep commitment to students.
The official announcement of the award, including the selection committee's citation, is available from the AMS Public Awareness Office and will appear in the May 2012 issue of the NOTICES OF THE AMS. That issue will be posted to the web site, http://www.ams.org/notices, on April 11, 2012.
Find out more about this and other AMS awards at http://www.ams.org/prizes-awards.
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Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, today the more than 30,000 member American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.
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