Timed for a Successful Career: NSF/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. This program, which has run for over twenty years, supports the travel of women in the mathematical sciences 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-four regular travel grants and twenty-six mentoring grants to be awarded over the three-year period. Most of the funding is intended to benefit mathematical sciences research, but a portion of the travel grants will fund mathematics researchers to participate in mathematics education research conferences and mathematics education researchers to travel to mathematics conferences. A portion of the mentoring grants will foster communication between mathematicians and researchers in mathematics education and related fields. Recent 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 junior women participants in fresh new research directions and have broadened their view of mathematical research careers.