Giving Women a Second Chance

Abstract: The stereotype of a successful mathematician is someone who has been focused on mathematics from early in life. Many women (and those from other represented groups) do not fit this image. This talk will describe a program that has successfully let women re-enter the mathematics pipeline and the stories of some its participants, who are now mathematicians. The Post baccalaureate program for women in mathematics at Smith College in Massachusetts, USA, was the first of its kind to help women with Bachelor’s degrees who were not prepared for graduate school in math get the support they needed to pursue their goals. It remains a unique opportunity. About the speaker: Ruth Haas is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She is also Achilles Professor Emerita in Mathematics and Statistics at Smith College where she worked from 1989–2017. At Smith she co-founded and co-directed the Center for Women in Mathematics which received the 2011 AMS Programs That Make a Difference Award for its post-baccalaureate program. Ruth Haas was the 2015 recipient of the AWM Humphreys Award for mentoring undergraduate women to continue to PhDs in the mathematical sciences. She earned her undergraduate degree at Swarthmore College and PhD at Cornell University. She has more than 30 publications in areas of discrete mathematics including both algebraic combinatorics and graph theory. She has served on committees of all the major US mathematical societies. Haas is the President Elect of the Association for Women in Mathematics.Non UBCUnreviewedAuthor affiliation: University of Hawaii at ManoaFacult