Organizing Committee
- Katharine Ott
Bates University - Jenna Sousa
ICERM
Abstract
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 will become a replicable national model of mathematical outreach for high school girls, with an emphasis on mathematical experimentation.
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, postdocs, and professionals from the STEM workforce
- to have a positive influence on the way students view their mathematical interest and ability.
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
- The program will take place at ICERM on the Brown University campus in historic Providence, RI.
- Participant Requirements
-
- Students must not have attended a previous GirlsGetMath@ICERM program (unless they are applying to be an alumni intern -- see below)
- Students must be in the 9th or 10th grade at the time of application submission
- Students must live in or near the greater Providence, RI area
- Students must ask one math teacher to submit a letter of recommendation
- Students must submit a one-page personal statement of interest
- Tuition
- Tuition is $100. Full financial aid is available. Daily lunch included.
- To Apply as a Participant
- Applicants will need to include their letter-writer's name and email with their application. Applicants must also upload a one-page personal statement about why they want to attend the GirlsGetMath@ICERM program. Applications are accepted through MathPrograms.org.
- **To Apply as an Alumni Intern Volunteer
- ICERM will only accept alumni internship applications from the previous year's GGM alumni group. Alumni only need to submit a one-page personal statement explaining why they wish to return as an intern when they apply. No teacher reference is required for alumni interns. Intern applications are accepted through MathPrograms.org.
- Deadline
- Applications for the 2015 program are now closed. Applications open in late winter, and the application deadline is mid-to-late May.
GirlsGetMath Schedule
Monday, August 17, 2015
| Time | Event | Location | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 10:00 | Cipher Scavenger Hunt | 121 South Main St\, 11th Floor | |
| 9:00 - 10:00 | Cipher Scavenger Hunt | 121 South Main St, 11th Floor | |
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Break | ||
| 10:10 - 11:00 | Fractals | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 11:00 - 11:10 | Break | ||
| 11:10 - 12:00 | Fibonacci numbers | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 11:10 - 12:00 | Fibonacci numbers | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 12:00 - 1:00 | Lunch | 11th Floor Collaborative Space | |
| 1:00 - 1:50 | Modular arithmetic | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 1:50 - 2:00 | Break | ||
| 2:00 - 3:30 | GirlsGetMATLAB, an introduction to MATLAB | 11th Floor Lecture Hall |
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
| Time | Event | Location | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 10:00 | The game SET | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Break | ||
| 10:10 - 11:00 | Probability and counting | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 11:00 - 11:10 | Break | ||
| 11:10 - 12:00 | Introduction to Markov chains | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 12:00 - 1:00 | Lunch | 11th Floor Collaborative Space | |
| 1:00 - 1:50 | Long run predictions and steady states | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 1:50 - 2:00 | Break | ||
| 2:00 - 2:45 | MATLAB - Matrix Algebra | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 2:45 - 3:30 | MATLAB - Markov chains predictions | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 2:45 - 3:30 | MATLAB - Markov chains predictions | 11th Floor Lecture Hall |
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
| Time | Event | Location | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 10:00 | Fractal cuts | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Break | ||
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Break | ||
| 10:10 - 11:00 | Transforming images with matrix arithmetic | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 11:00 - 1:00 | Tour of Brown University and lunch at the "V-Dub" | ||
| 1:00 - 1:50 | Image filters and effects | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 1:50 - 2:00 | Break | ||
| 2:00 - 2:45 | MATLAB - Image transformations | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 2:45 - 3:30 | MATLAB - Obama me! and other image effects | 11th Floor Lecture Hall |
Thursday, August 20, 2015
| Time | Event | Location | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 10:00 | Logic puzzles | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Break | ||
| 10:10 - 11:00 | Fair division | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 11:00 - 11:10 | Break | ||
| 11:10 - 12:00 | Apportionment I | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 12:00 - 1:00 | Lunch and College Planning | 11th Floor Collaborative Space | |
| 1:00 - 1:50 | Apportionment II | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 1:50 - 2:00 | Break | ||
| 2:00 - 2:45 | MATLAB - Apportionment | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 2:45 - 3:30 | MATLAB - Modular arithmetic | 11th Floor Lecture Hall |
Friday, August 21, 2015
| Time | Event | Location | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 10:00 | Thomas Jefferson's wheel cipher | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Break | ||
| 10:10 - 11:00 | Elementary cryptography | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 11:00 - 11:10 | Break | ||
| 11:10 - 12:00 | A brief prime-er | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 12:00 - 1:00 | Lunch | 11th Floor Collaborative Space | |
| 1:00 - 1:50 | Public key cryptography | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 1:50 - 2:00 | Break | ||
| 2:00 - 2:45 | MATLAB - Multiplication, Caesar, and affine ciphers | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 2:45 - 3:30 | MATLAB - Exponentiation ciphers and public key exchanges | 11th Floor Lecture Hall | |
| 3:30 - 4:30 | Awards Ceremony | 11th Floor Lecture Hall |
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
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).
