Girls in Math Day
Posted on May 12, 2022 by Branda Walls
The University of South Alabama Department of Mathematics and Statistics recently hosted its annual Girls in Math Day, an opportunity for fifth through eighth graders to enjoy a day full of fun math activities. This year’s event was held on April 9, 2022. Nearly 50 students from 19 schools in Mobile county and other surrounding areas attended the event.
“The girls were able to participate in math workshops all led by women mathematicians,” said Dr. Elena Pavelescu, an associate professor in the department who specializes in geometric topology and spatial graphs. “Throughout this experience, these girls made new friends and gained a new appreciation for mathematics. They learned about plane tessellations, single straight cut shapes, and robot programming and left with a T-shirt and goodie bag.”
Workshop presenters included Dr. Lauren Grimley, an assistant professor of mathematics at Spring Hill College; Dr. Danielle O'Donnol, an assistant professor at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia; and Kristal Webb, who earned a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of South Alabama and currently serves as a math professor at the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile. Jennifer Knutson, the assistant director of the Archeology Museum at South, spoke about archeology and artifact analysis during her keynote presentation.
The Girls in Math program is sponsored by a Mathematical Association of America Tensor Grant for Women in Mathematics and the USA Mathematics and Statistics Department. The next Girls in Math Day is scheduled for Spring 2023.