Diversity Programs in Mathematics Receive Honor

April 9, 2007

Providence, RI---The American Mathematical Society announced today honors for two exemplary programs that aim to increase diversity in the mathematics profession. The two programs are Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE), a joint project of Bryn Mawr and Spelman Colleges, and the Mathematical Theoretical Biology Institute (MTBI), based at Arizona State University.

This is the second year that the AMS Committee on the Profession has honored "Mathematics Programs that Make a Difference". The selection of EDGE and MTBI recognizes those programs' successful training and mentoring of women and minority students, preparing them for graduate work and careers in mathematics.

Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education

EDGE was started in 1998 by Sylvia Bozeman of Spelman College and Rhonda Hughes of Bryn Mawr College. The EDGE philosophy holds that students who have excelled in early mathematics courses, but who may have limited exposure to more advanced mathematics, can nevertheless successfully earn doctorates in the subject. Exposure to graduate-level mathematics and the culture of graduate school, along with a rich support network and positive feedback, will significantly enhance students' ability to obtain a PhD. The EDGE philosophy runs counter to the notion that only highly prepared, fast-thinking graduate students with high GREs will succeed in doctoral programs in mathematics. The ultimate aim is to increase the presence of women, especially women of color, in the upper ranks of the field.

The cornerstone of EDGE is a four-week summer program that provides two core courses in mathematics, giving students intense exposure to material through a combination of teamwork and individual effort. The summer program also includes social activities that help to build a community of scholars. The second major component of EDGE is the Follow-Up Mentoring Program, which provides support and encouragement to the students as they embark on graduate studies. Students are invited to attend a reunion at the following summer program, and an electronic bulletin board helps them stay connected throughout the academic year.

From 1998 to 2006, 105 outstanding women were accepted into EDGE. Ninety of them entered graduate programs, and over 90 percent of those have either earned a graduate degree or are persisting in graduate studies. To date seven EDGE participants have earned doctorates in mathematics, four of them white and three of them African American, and several other participants expect to complete degree requirements in 2007.

Read more information on EDGE.

Mathematical Theoretical Biology Institute

The MTBI merged with another program, the Institute for Strengthening Understanding of Mathematics and Science (SUMS), in 2004. The founder of MTBI is Carlos Castillo-Chavez of Arizona State University, and the founder of SUMS was the late Joaquin Bustoz Jr.

Since 1996, MTBI/SUMS has offered research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students in applications of mathematics and statistics to questions in the biological and social sciences. Most of the participants have been members of underrepresented minority groups or women. MTBI/SUMS participants have co-authored 111 technical reports since the program's inception. Some of these reports have been published, and many became the basis for later research by MTBI/SUMS alumni. The program has mentored and supported 277 undergraduate and 31 graduate students. Many have participated in MTBI/SUMS activities multiple times.

MTBI/SUMS summer programs operate like research workshops. New students take three and a half weeks of intense training in dynamical systems and modeling in the biological and social sciences. The students set the research agenda, forming groups of three or four to work on projects of their own choosing, with the advice of a faculty mentor.

In its first ten years of existence, MTBI/SUMS sent 130 minority students to graduate school and 169 students overall. In 2005, PhDs in the mathematical sciences were awarded to ten MTBI/SUMS alumni, seven of whom are members of underrepresented groups. Those seven PhDs account for one-quarter of all PhDs awarded that year to US citizens who are members of minority groups. Also in 2005, 15 women who are members of underrepresented minorities received PhDs in mathematics, and 5 of them are MTBI/SUMS alumnae. MTBI/SUMS is thus having a major impact on the number of advanced degrees being awarded to members of underrepresented miniorities. Overall, 24 MTBI/SUMS alumni have received PhDs in the mathematical sciences.

Read more about MBTI/SUMS

Contact:
Annette Emerson or Mike Breen, Public Awareness Officers
American Mathematical Society
201 Charles Street
Providence, RI 02904
Tel: 401-455-4000
paoffice@ams.org

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Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, 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.