AWM Travel Grants for Women in the Mathematical Sciences

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The Association for Women in Mathematics will administer the NSF-AWM Travel Grants Program for a three-year period beginning October 15, 2008. This program, which has run for the past twenty years, supports the travel of women mathematicians who wish to actively participate in domestic or international research conferences, as well as longer-term visits to work with a mentor. Funding is allocated competitively, and allows approximately one hundred and forty-five regular travel grants and twenty-five mentoring grants to be awarded over the three-year period. Most of the funding is intended to benefit mathematics research, but one fifth of the travel grants will fund mathematics researchers to participate in mathematics education research conferences and mathematics education researchers to travel to mathematics conferences.Data indicate that women's participation rates in conferences and mathematics workshops remain lower than their proportion in academic departments, especially at the junior ranks. By providing grants that draw women's attention to the benefits of sharing their knowledge and communicating their results, AWM is intervening positively to increase the role of women in the profession. Reports by an independent evaluator have confirmed that this program is reaching its target group of women with excellent training and serious research potential who do not have consistent access to resources enabling them to attend mathematics meetings. In addition, the mentoring grants have succeeded in starting many of the young women participants in fresh new research directions and have broadened their view of mathematical research careers. The mathematics education research track is beginning to be utilized by women at all stages of their careers and will advance the understanding of mathematics by education researchers and of education research by mathematicians. This communication between different communities has the potential of contributing constructively to the ongoing dialogue about the learning of mathematics by girls and women.