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By Christina M. Lipsky
According to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, gender inequality, not lack of innate ability or aptitude, is the primary reason fewer females than males excel in mathematics. This summer, two programs at the university encouraged women mathematicians to defy the odds and succeed, while providing a sense of community.

Now in its 15th year, the Woman and Mathematics (WAM) program welcomed approximately 50 graduate students, undergraduates, postdocs and visiting lecturers for an 11-day workshop at the Institute for Advanced Study. The WAM program included daily mathematical lectures, allowed participants to network with other female mathematicians, and introduced future career opportunities.

The program was organized by professors Sun-Yung Alice Chang and Ingrid Daubechies of Princeton University, along with Antonella Grassi (UPenn), Tanya Khovanova (MIT), Chuu-Lian Terng (University of California), and Karen Uhlenbeck (University of Texas at Austin).

As of 2006, 41 percent of math majors were female. However, these numbers dwindle during graduate education: only 32 percent of mathematics Ph.Ds were granted to women and 12 percent were tenured, full-time faculty.

"We know that people who want to study mathematics are a minority…but the fact that we lose a percentage of women at every point [in education] means that there is something at work that discourages women more than men, and we'd like to counteract that,” said PACM professor Ingrid Daubechies. “Competent women, talented women, underestimate themselves much more [than men]. We'd like to build up their confidence."

In addition to the WAM program, this summer marked the first year for the Summer Workshop in Mathematics (SWIM), a 9-day program geared towards rising high school senior girls.

Students from across the nation attended two college-level mathematical courses in the morning and worked on group research projects in the afternoon. On the final day of the program, the groups presented their findings to one another.

“I participated in the Women and Mathematics program at the Institute for Advanced Study during my junior year in college,” said Rachel Ward, a recent PACM graduate who taught a course in Discrete Dynamical Systems during SWIM. “I think that these programs are really important for young women in math. One often feels isolated in college and graduate school since there are so few female faculty and most of your classmates are male. These programs are great because you see that there are actually many other women in math, and this gives a wonderful sense of community.”

When not attending courses, lectures and group work, the SWIM students participated in social activities, such as a trip to Princeton Battlefield State Park, a cookout hosted at Prof. Daubechies home, and a challenge to assemble a large geometric structure with mathematician and sculptor George Hart. While having fun interacting with their peers, the girls eagerly learned complex mathematical concepts.

“I didn't even know what a discrete dynamic system was before [SWIM],” said Gaby Barbasz, a high school senior from New York City. “We actually did a project on the relationship between a logistical map called the tent map and the Cantor set which is very cool. I think one of the best parts is that they bring in so many smart, awesome professors.”

“I feel like I'm an unusual person to apply to this since I've never been concentrated on math before, but I want to be a scientist and you use a lot of math in science, so I thought this would be a cool thing to do,” said Isabel Vogt, who traveled from Boca Raton, FL to attend the workshop. “We've done number theory, we've done graph theory. You get a good variety, there's something for everybody.”

Despite being unfamiliar with some of the subject matter, the SWIM students were excited to learn more each day.

“I have participated in math camps, and those are usually very successful in showing kids that math is much more interesting than most of what is called math at their schools -- they go beyond the curriculum to stimulate interest and excitement in the subject,” said Elena Fuchs, a mathematics graduate student who taught the girls a course on Apollonian Circle Packings. “I get the feeling this is exactly what this program is doing for these young women. They get immensely excited about the data they see in their projects and participate enthusiastically in class.”

Although female mathematicians are still underrepresented in academia, the WAM and SWIM programs hope to encourage more young women to follow their dreams.

“There was an evening when we went to see Alice Chang and Fan Chung talk about their experiences as women mathematicians, and afterwards the girls were out on the lawn at sunset, turning cartwheels and talking a little about math,” recalled Sarah Constantin, a mathematics major who assisted with the Dynamical Systems course. “For a moment, I felt that if women 50 years ago had hoped for a world that would be better for their granddaughters, this wouldn't be too far from it.”