GirlsGetMath@ICERM: Summer Math Camp for High School Girls
(August 17 - 21, 2015)

GirlsGetMath is a weeklong mathematics summer day-program for 9th and 10th grade high school girls in the Providence, RI area.

GirlsGetMath occurs in an encouraging environment that builds young women's 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 will become a replicable national model of mathematical outreach for high school girls, with an emphasis on mathematical experimentation.


Description

This five-day non-residential mathematics program is open to high school girls from the greater Providence, RI area who will have just completed either grade 9 or grade 10 by July 2015.

GirlsGetMath@ICERM will encourage 20 young women to explore, and invite them to excel in, the mathematical sciences. Accomplished professional women, enthusiastic about serving as career models as well as scientific mentors, will lead the program. Potential topics include: cryptography, the mathematics of voting, image processing, prime numbers and factoring, and fractals.

The goals of the program are:

  • to show high school women 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 introduce high school students 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 and professionals from the STEM workforce
  • to have a positive influence on the way students view their mathematical interest and ability

Instructors
The faculty organizers will be joined by undergraduate and graduate women in Mathematics and Computer Science from Brown University who will serve as teaching fellows in the program.

Sample Schedule from 2014

The program will take place at ICERM on the Brown University campus in historic Providence, RI.

TO APPLY:
APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED FOR 2015
The faculty organizers will begin reviewing all the applications the week of May 18, 2015. Applicants can expect to hear about their status by the first week of June. Questions can be emailed to ruth_crane@icerm.brown.edu.


Co-sponsored by a grant from the Phoebe Snow Foundation and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED FOR 2015

2015 Organizing Committee

Cost

  • Tuition is $100, lunch included. Generous financial aid is available.

2015 Participating Institutions

  • Attleboro High School
  • Blackstone Academy Charter School
  • Classical High School
  • Cranston High School East
  • East Greenwich High School
  • Jacqueline M. Walsh School for the Performing and Visual Arts
  • Moses Brown School
  • Paul Cuffee High School
  • Rhode Island Nurse Institute Middle College
  • Rocky Hill School
  • Rogers High School
  • South Kingstown High School
  • The Greene School
  • Warwick Veterans Memorial High School
  • West Warwick High School

Workshop Schedule and Supporting Materials

Monday August 17, 2015
Time Description Speaker Location Abstracts Slides
9:00 - 10:00Cipher Scavenger Hunt121 South Main St, 11th Floor
10:00 - 10:10Break
10:10 - 11:00Fractals11th Floor Lecture Hall
11:00 - 11:10Break
11:10 - 12:00Fibonacci numbers11th Floor Lecture Hall
12:00 - 1:00Lunch11th Floor Collaborative Space
1:00 - 1:50Modular arithmetic11th Floor Lecture Hall
1:50 - 2:00Break
2:00 - 3:30GirlsGetMATLAB, an introduction to MATLAB11th Floor Lecture Hall

Tuesday August 18, 2015
Time Description Speaker Location Abstracts Slides
9:00 - 10:00The game SET11th Floor Lecture Hall
10:00 - 10:10Break
10:10 - 11:00Probability and counting11th Floor Lecture Hall
11:00 - 11:10Break
11:10 - 12:00Introduction to Markov chains11th Floor Lecture Hall
12:00 - 1:00Lunch11th Floor Collaborative Space
1:00 - 1:50Long run predictions and steady states11th Floor Lecture Hall
1:50 - 2:00Break
2:00 - 2:45MATLAB - Matrix Algebra11th Floor Lecture Hall
2:45 - 3:30MATLAB - Markov chains predictions11th Floor Lecture Hall

Wednesday August 19, 2015
Time Description Speaker Location Abstracts Slides
9:00 - 10:00Fractal cuts11th Floor Lecture Hall
10:00 - 10:10Break
10:10 - 11:00Transforming images with matrix arithmetic11th Floor Lecture Hall
11:00 - 1:00Tour of Brown University and lunch at the "V-Dub"
1:00 - 1:50Image filters and effects11th Floor Lecture Hall
1:50 - 2:00Break
2:00 - 2:45MATLAB - Image transformations11th Floor Lecture Hall
2:45 - 3:30MATLAB - Obama me! and other image effects11th Floor Lecture Hall

Thursday August 20, 2015
Time Description Speaker Location Abstracts Slides
9:00 - 10:00Logic puzzles11th Floor Lecture Hall
10:00 - 10:10Break
10:10 - 11:00Fair division11th Floor Lecture Hall
11:00 - 11:10Break
11:10 - 12:00Apportionment I11th Floor Lecture Hall
12:00 - 1:00Lunch and College Planning11th Floor Collaborative Space
1:00 - 1:50Apportionment II11th Floor Lecture Hall
1:50 - 2:00Break
2:00 - 2:45MATLAB - Apportionment11th Floor Lecture Hall
2:45 - 3:30MATLAB - Modular arithmetic11th Floor Lecture Hall

Friday August 21, 2015
Time Description Speaker Location Abstracts Slides
9:00 - 10:00Thomas Jefferson's wheel cipher11th Floor Lecture Hall
10:00 - 10:10Break
10:10 - 11:00Elementary cryptography11th Floor Lecture Hall
11:00 - 11:10Break
11:10 - 12:00A brief prime-er11th Floor Lecture Hall
12:00 - 1:00Lunch11th Floor Collaborative Space
1:00 - 1:50Public key cryptography11th Floor Lecture Hall
1:50 - 2:00Break
2:00 - 2:45MATLAB - Multiplication, Caesar, and affine ciphers11th Floor Lecture Hall
2:45 - 3:30MATLAB - Exponentiation ciphers and public key exchanges11th Floor Lecture Hall
3:30 - 4:30Awards Ceremony11th Floor Lecture Hall