Organization: ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN MATHEMATICS INC
Mission: THE PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION IS TO ENCOURAGE WOMEN AND GIRLS TO STUDY AND TO HAVE ACTIVE CAREERS IN THE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, AND TO PROMOTE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND THE EQUAL TREATMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES.
Activities: AWM SPONSORS SEVERAL PRIZES THAT ACKNOWLEDGE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF WOMEN MATHEMATICIANS (THE NUMBER OF ANNUAL AWARDS ARE INDICATED IN PARENTHESES). THESE INCLUDE THE AWM HUMPHREYS (ONE), HAY (ONE), ALICE T. SCHAFER (ONE WINNER, ONE RUNNER-UP, AND ONE TO TWO HONORABLE MENTIONS), AND THE MICROSOFT, SADOSKY AND BIRMAN RESEARCH PRIZES (AWARDED ONE OF EACH EVERY TWO YEARS). AWM SPONSORS AN ONLINE MENTOR NETWORK WHICH MATCHES MENTORS AND MENTEES WITHIN THE MATHEMATICS COMMUNITY; APPROXIMATELY 100 MENTOR/MENTEE RELATIONSHIPS ARE ESTABLISHED EACH YEAR. AWM SPONSORS THE ANNUAL ESSAY CONTEST: BIOGRAPHIES OF CONTEMPORARY WOMEN IN MATHEMATICS. EACH YEAR, 100-300 APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED FOR THE ESSAY CONTEST; THERE ARE ONE TO TWO WINNERS/HONORABLE MENTIONS IN EACH OF THE THREE CATEGORIES: MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATES. AWM SPONSORS A BOOTH AT THE U.S.A. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FESTIVAL AND THE NATIONAL MATH FESTIVAL (EACH HELD EVERY OTHER YEAR)IN WASHINGTON, DC. EACH YEAR, 500 - 1,000 GIRLS PARTICIPATE IN THE HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AT THE AWM BOOTH.
THE ORGANIZATION (AWM) SPONSORS WOMEN MATHEMATICIANS TRAVEL COSTS TO NATIONAL CONFERENCES ON MATHEMATIC. THROUGH AN APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS, AWM SPONSORS WOMEN MATHEMATICIANS TO ATTEND NATIONAL CONFERENCES. THE PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE WOMEN THE FUNDING TO PRESENT THEIR MATHEMATICAL RESEARCH AT THE CONFERENCES, THEREBY INCREASING THE VISIBILITY OF THE WORK BEING DONE BY WOMEN IN MATHEMATICS. PARTICIPATION AT THE CONFERENCES PROVIDES ADDITIONAL NETWORKING AND DISCUSSION OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE 40 TO 50 WOMEN WHO ARE SPONSORED ANNUALLY. ADDITIONALLY, AWM PROVIDES TRAVEL SUPPORT TO 8 TO 12 WOMEN MATHEMATICIANS EACH YEAR TO WORK ONE-ON-ONE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS WITH SENIOR WOMEN MENTORS IN THEIR MATHEMATICAL FIELD OF SPECIALTY.
AWM ORGANIZES SPECIAL CONFERENCES SESSIONS THAT COINCIDENT WITH NATIONAL CONFERENCES FOR WOMEN TO MEET AND DISCUSS THEIR PROGRESS IN THE FIELD. AWM PARTICIPATES IN MEETINGS OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY (AMS), THE MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (MAA) AND THE SOCIETY FOR INDUSTRIAL AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS (SIAM) BY ORGANIZING PANELS, SYMPOSIA, AND WORKSHOPS TO DISCUSS ISSUES OF CURRENT INTEREST IN THE PROFESSION AND TO HIGHLIGHT THE RESEARCH WORK OF WOMEN. THE AWM WORKSHOPS FOR WOMEN GRADUATE STUDENTS AND RECENT PhDs ARE HELD ANNUALLY AT THE JOINT MATHEMATICS MEETING AND THE ANNUAL SIAM MEETING. THE WORKSHOPS SHOWCASE THE WORK OF EARLY CAREER MATHEMATICIANS AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPANTS TO DISCUSS THEIR RESEARCH AND PROGRESS WITH MID-AND-SENIOR CAREER LEVEL WOMEN MATHEMATICIANS. 50 TO 55 WOMEN ARE PROVIDED WITH SUPPORT TO ATTEND THESE WORKSHOPS EACH YEAR. ADDITIONALLY, AN AWM LECTURER SERIES TO HONOR WOMEN'S ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AND EDUCATION ARE PRESENTED AT THESE COINCIDENT MEETINGS. THE EMMY NOETHER LECTURE IS HELD AT THE JOINT MEETING OF AMS, MAA AND SIAM. THE AWM ETTA B. FALCONER LECTURE IS HELD AT THE MAA MEETING. THE WOMEN LECTURER FOR EACH ANNUAL LECTURE IS SELECTED BASED ON OUTSTANDING QUALITY OF THEIR RESEARCH. APPROXIMATELY 200 - 300 ATTENDEES, BOTH WOMEN AND MEN, ATTEND THE LECTURES. AWM SUPPORTS ESTABLISHING RESEARCH NETWORKS FOR WOMEN BY FOSTERING RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS AT CONFERENCES AND AWM WORKSHOPS. THESE NETWORKS ARE INITIATED AT RESEARCH COLLABORATION CONFERENCES FOR WOMEN (RCCWs), WHICH ARE WEEK-LONG CONFERENCES, HELD AT MATHEMATICS INSTITUTES, WHERE JUNIOR AND SENIOR WOMEN COME TOGETHER TO WORK ON PRE-DEFINED RESEARCH PROJECTS.
NTEE category: Education
Secondary category: Youth Development