Organizing Committee
Abstract

GirlsGetMath@ICERM is a five-day non-residential mathematics program that is open to high schoolers, regardless of gender, who live in or near greater Rhode Island and who will be entering the 10th or 11th grade in the fall of 2019.

GirlsGetMath occurs in an encouraging environment that builds young students' confidence in math and science.

GirlsGetMath expands participants' understanding and knowledge of mathematics through computations and experimentations.

GirlsGetMath provides expert mathematical training and mentoring.

GirlsGetMath@ICERM encourages 20-25 high schoolers to explore topics such as cryptography, the mathematics of voting, image processing, prime numbers and factoring, and fractals.

The goals of the program are:

  • to show young adults that the study of mathematics can be exciting, beautiful, and useful
  • to build confidence in students' mathematical knowledge through engaging and expert mathematical instruction
  • to provide an affirming environment that introduces high schoolers to a variety of career opportunities in which sophisticated mathematical ability plays a key role
  • to emphasize the strategic role mathematics plays for success in STEM careers
  • to provide the participants with a support group and expert mentors who are successful undergraduate, graduate students, postdocs, and professionals from the STEM workforce
  • to have a positive influence on the way students view their mathematical interest and ability

Image for "GirlsGetMath@ICERM: Summer Math Camp for High Schoolers"
Students and instructors from the 2019 GirlsGetMath@ICERM program.
GirlsGetMath@ICERM is made possible solely through grants and donations. The 2019 program is made possible through grants and gifts from the American Mathematical Society, the JetBlue Foundation, Microsoft Research, the Phoebe Snow Foundation.

Program Details

Instructors
The faculty organizers will be joined by undergraduate, graduate students, and postdocs who will serve as teaching fellows in the program. Two GirlsGetMath alumni will be chosen to assist during the program as well.**
Location
Pandemic permitting, the program will take place at the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) on the Brown University campus.
Participant Requirements
  • Students must not have attended a previous GirlsGetMath@ICERM program
  • Students must be in the 10th or 11th grade in the fall of 2019
  • Students must live in or near the greater Providence, RI area
  • Students must ask one math teacher to submit a letter of reference
Tuition
Tuition is $100. Full financial aid is available. Daily lunch included.

GirlsGetMath Schedule

Monday, August 12, 2019
TimeEventLocationMaterials
8:30 - 9:00am EDTRegistration / Check In11th Floor Collaborative Space, 121 South Main Street, 11th Floor 
9:00 - 9:50am EDTWarm up: LockBox and Introductions11th Floor Collaborative Space 
9:50 - 10:00am EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Break 
10:00 - 11:00am EDTIntroduction to cryptography11th Floor Lecture Hall 
11:00 - 11:10am EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Space 
11:10 - 12:00pm EDTIntroduction to matrices and vectors11th Floor Lecture Hall 
12:00 - 1:00pm EDTLunch 11th Floor Collaborative Space 
1:00 - 1:50pm EDTIntroduction to MATLAB10th Floor Seminar Room 
1:50 - 2:00pm EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Space 
2:00 - 3:30pm EDTLab: Introduction to MATLAB10th Floor Seminar Room 
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
TimeEventLocationMaterials
9:00 - 9:50am EDTWarm up: The Monty Hall problem11th Floor Collaborative Space 
9:50 - 10:00am EDTGroup Photo / Break11th Floor Collaborative Break 
10:00 - 11:00am EDTRecommendation systems11th Floor Lecture Hall 
11:00 - 11:10am EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Space 
11:10 - 12:00pm EDTLab: Recommendation systems and heat maps11th Floor Lecture Hall 
12:00 - 1:00pm EDTLunch 11th Floor Collaborative Space 
1:00 - 1:50pm EDTProbability primer11th Floor Lecture Hall 
1:50 - 2:00pm EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Space 
2:00 - 2:45pm EDTSpam or Ham11th Floor Lecture Hall 
2:45 - 3:30pm EDTLab: Bayesian classifiers10th Floor Seminar Room 
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
TimeEventLocationMaterials
9:00 - 9:50am EDTWarm up: Topology puzzles11th Floor Collaborative Space 
9:50 - 10:00am EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Break 
10:00 - 11:00am EDTTransforming images with matrix arithmetic11th Floor Lecture Hall 
11:00 - 11:10am EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Space 
11:10 - 12:00pm EDTImage filters and effects11th Floor Lecture Hall 
12:00 - 1:00pm EDTLunch 11th Floor Collaborative Space 
1:00 - 1:50pm EDTTemplate matching11th Floor Lecture Hall 
1:50 - 2:00pm EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Space 
2:00 - 2:45pm EDTLab: Image filters and effects10th Floor Seminar Room 
2:45 - 3:30pm EDTLab: Template matching10th Floor Seminar Room 
Thursday, August 15, 2019
TimeEventLocationMaterials
9:00 - 9:30am EDTWarm up: The game SET11th Floor Collaborative Space 
9:30 - 1:30pm EDTVisit to Brown campus and Harris Lab, lunch on campus  
1:30 - 2:00pm EDTApportionment11th Floor Lecture Hall 
2:00 - 2:10pm EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Space 
2:10 - 3:30pm EDTLab: Apportionment10th Floor Seminar Room 
Friday, August 16, 2019
TimeEventLocationMaterials
9:00 - 9:50am EDTWarm up: Geometry and gerrymandering11th Floor Collaborative Space 
9:50 - 10:00am EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Break 
10:00 - 11:00am EDTIntroduction to graph theory11th Floor Lecture Hall 
11:00 - 11:10am EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Space 
11:10 - 12:00pm EDTEpidemic spread11th Floor Lecture Hall 
12:00 - 1:00pm EDTLunch 11th Floor Collaborative Space 
1:00 - 1:50pm EDTLab: Epidemic spread on graphs10th Floor Seminar Room 
1:50 - 2:00pm EDTBreak11th Floor Collaborative Space 
2:00 - 2:45pm EDTWrap up session11th Floor Lecture Hall 
2:45 - 3:30pm EDTWhat's next? Panel on college and internships11th Floor Lecture Hall 
3:30 - 4:30pm EDTClosing Ceremony11th Floor Lecture Hall 

2019 Participating Institutions

  • Barrington High School
  • Beacon Charter HS
  • Blackstone Valley Prep High School
  • Cranston High School West
  • East Greenwich High School
  • La Salle Academy
  • Milton Academy
  • Moses Brown School
  • Narragansett High School
  • North Kingstown High School
  • North Providence High School
  • Paul Cuffee Upper School
  • Ponaganset High School
  • Portsmouth Abbey School
  • Portsmouth High School
  • Rising Tide Charter School
  • Seekonk High School
  • South Kingstown High School
  • St. Mary Academy Bay View
  • Tolman High School
  • William M. Davies Career and Technical High School

Purpose of Program

Despite the fact that jobs in STEM are multiplying and pay better than other careers, women remain woefully underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math jobs. Some of this imbalance may be traced back to attitudes about mathematics and sciences in middle school and high school. There is a documented decline in girls’ positive feels about mathematics beginning in middle school, and from this point forward girls are far less likely than their male peers to choose elective courses in mathematics and the sciences[1][2]. The absence of girls in mathematics and science elective courses is especially severe among low-income and disadvantaged students. Research has shown that school-aged girls may not realize that their preferred career choice requires coursework in mathematics and sciences[3], so these decisions can have long lasting consequences.

GirlsGetMath@ICERM aims to build knowledge and confidence in mathematics ability early in education, ultimately shaping the way the students view themselves and their mathematical interests and potential. The program will:

  • Demonstrate through hands-on activities, games, and computer simulations that the study of mathematics can be exciting, beautiful and useful;
  • Introduce the high school participants to a variety of career opportunities for which sophisticated mathematical ability plays a key role, with an emphasis on the central role mathematics plays for success in STEM careers; and
  • Provide the participants with a support group of like-minded peers and mentors.
  • An outstanding feature of the GirlsGetMath@ICERM program is its commitment to quality. The program content is created by Ph.D. mathematicians who collectively have many years of experience as researchers and educators. The content is chosen to be at the appropriate level for the participants, but at the same time challenging, useful, and engaging to high school students. The Faculty Organizers of GirlsGetMath are college and university faculty in mathematics with experience leading summer mathematics programs for students. The Teaching Assistants are undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and computer science.

References:
[1] J. Blue and D. Gann, When do girls lose interest in math and science?, Science Scope, (2008).
[2] J. Wilkins and X. Ma, Modeling change in students attitude toward and beliefs about mathematics, Journal of Educational Research, (2007).
[3] L. Pettitt, Middle School Students’ Perception of Math and Science Abilities and Related Careers, 61st Biennial Meeting of Research in Child Development, (1995).

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