EMSW21-MCTP: The Carleton College Summer Mathematics Program for Women

卡尔顿大学暑期数学项目(SMP)自1995年开始运作。它的目的是支持、鼓励和指导女性参与者从早期本科数学专业到早期职业数学家的所有智力、专业和个人过渡。关于增加女性和少数族裔在数学中的参与度的文献表明，提高自信和成功的最有效的方法是：强调努力而不是能力，接触榜样，使斗争正常化(即表明每个人都在奋斗)，以及采用建立相互依赖的小组工作。SMP有意识、有意识地使用所有这些技术。指导员和主任设计课程和课程，使每个参与者都受到深刻的挑战和最大限度的支持，从而使她的努力通向成功。规模庞大的SMP社区-由大约300名女性数学家组成，从数学专业的本科生到研究生，再到年轻的博士和职业生涯中期的专业人员--提供了丰富的资源，提供了随时准备和愿意提供指导和榜样的人。SMP参与者在项目后评估中的自我报告增加了对研究生院和数学界的知识，增加了对他们获得博士学位能力的信心，并增加了获得博士学位的可能性。SMP校友接受调查的博士后报告称，SMP是灵感、知识和信心建立的重要来源。这项提议将资助i)为期四周的数学沉浸强化课程，从2010年到2014年每年夏天在Carleton举行，ii)为后来获得数学博士学位的项目校友举办一年一度的夏季聚会，以及iii)为攻读博士学位的研究生院项目校友提供咨询和指导的年度冬季研讨会。这些活动旨在增加美国女性数学科学家的数量。暑期本科课程在帮助我们的学生从计算的数学观点过渡到更多的理论理解方面做了一项特别的工作。我们建议并帮助我们的校友在大三和大四之间的暑期找到合适的经历。我们在他们选择研究生项目时提供咨询和支持，近年来，随着博士毕业生进入学术就业市场，我们越来越多地向他们提供广泛的建议和建议。针对研究生的冬季研讨会是这项提议的一个新特点，旨在更新我们与校友的联系，并帮助他们选择导师，从课程工作过渡到研究，然后从学生过渡到年轻的专业人员。到2014年，也就是根据这项建议寻求的支持期结束时，我们预计SMP校友将获得大约140个硕士学位和至少70个博士学位，另外还有50-60个SMP校友正在或进入数学科学研究生课程。最终，在这笔赠款和以前的赠款下支持的SMP博士校友社区应该有大约140人。(在完成SMP之后，完成博士学位有七到十年的滞后，因为项目参与者是本科头两年的女性。)这些女性不仅将拥有博士学位，她们还将拥有富有成效的职业生涯，并愿意以指导和鼓励其他年轻女性的形式回馈社会。

The Carleton College Summer Mathematics Program (SMP) has operated since 1995. It is designed to support, encourage and mentor the female participants through all the intellectual, professional, and personal transitions from early undergraduate math major through early career as a practicing professional mathematician. The literature on increasing female and underrepresented minority participation in mathematics suggests that among the most effective techniques for increasing confidence and success are: emphasizing effort over ability, providing exposure to role models, normalizing struggle (i.e., show that everyone struggles), and employing group work that builds interdependence. The SMP consciously and deliberately uses all these techniques. The instructors and directors design the program and the courses so that every participant is deeply challenged and maximally supported so that her efforts lead to success. The large SMP community ---consisting of approximately three hundred female mathematicians ranging from undergraduate mathematics majors, to graduate students, to young PhDs and mid-career professionals--- provides a rich resource of ready and willing mentors and role models. SMP participants self-report in post-program evaluations increased knowledge of graduate school and the mathematical community, increased confidence in their ability to earn a PhD, and increased likelihood of doing so. SMP alumnae surveyed post-PhD report that SMP was an important source of inspiration, knowledge and confidence building.This proposal will fund i) a four-week intensive program of mathematical immersion for undergraduate female mathematics majors held at Carleton each summer from 2010 to 2014, ii) an annual summer reunion conference for program alumnae who subsequently earned PhDs in mathematics, and iii) an annual winter workshop for advising and mentoring program alumnae in graduate school working towards the PhD. These activities are designed with the goal of increasing the number of female mathematical scientists in the US. The summer undergraduate program does an exceptional job at helping our student participants make the transition from a computational view of mathematics to a more theoretical understanding. We advise and assist our alumnae in finding an appropriate experience for the summer between the junior and senior undergraduate years. And we provide counsel and support as they choose graduate programs and, increasingly in recent years, extensive advice and counsel to our PhD alumnae as they enter the academic job market. The winter workshop for graduate students, a new feature with this proposal, is designed to renew our contacts with alumnae and aid them as they choose an advisor, make the transition from coursework to research and later from student to young professional. By 2014, the end of the period of support sought under this proposal, we expect that SMP alumnae will have earned approximately 140 Masters degrees and at least 70 PhDs, with another 50-60 SMP alumnae in or entering graduate programs in mathematical sciences. Ultimately the community of PhD alumnae of SMP supported under this and previous grants should number approximately 140. (There is a seven- to ten-year lag in completing a PhD after completing SMP since program participants are women in their first two years of undergraduate study.) These women will not only have PhDs, they will have productive careers and the inclination to give back in the form of mentoring and encouraging other young women.