Information for Prospective Students
Mathematics and Statistics, American University
DIVERSITY ISSUES
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The Department of Mathematics and Statistics strongly believes in welcoming students from all backgrounds. The students in our graduate programs, in particular, look like America, representing diverse ethnic and cultural heritages.
While we are proud of our record in attracting and working with students from diverse groups, we remain sensitive to barriers which discourage members of these groups from pursuing studies in mathematics, statistics, and related fields.
Click on the following for more information about diversity issues in mathematics and statistics:
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Math is Power poster shown at left is from a public education campaign mounted by NACME (the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering). NACME says the purpose of the campaign is "... to provide information to parents and students about the importance of advanced mathematics courses in high school. The knowledge base of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, precalculus or the equivalent in integrated curricula are crucial gatekeepers for access to a broad range of careers, including engineering, the natural sciences, accounting, investment banking and many others. Students who opt out of academic mathematics as early as eighth grade, essentially forego any future opportunity to pursue a career in such fields." The same ideas apply at the college level, too. Mathematics or statistics courses in college can be critical for future opportunities in a broad range of fields.
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Mathematicians of the African Diaspora is a website developed by Scott W. Williams, Professor of Mathematics at the State University of New York at Buffalo, pictured at left. It contains a wealth of information about the accomplishments of contemporary African American men and women in mathematics, the history of African American mathematicians, and related topics. This is a great site for general research as well as for links to additional information.
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SUMMA stands for Strengthening Underrepresented Minority Mathematics Achievement. Established in 1990 to increase the representation of minorities in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering and to improve the education of minorities, SUMMA is a program of the Mathematical Association of America. The Director of SUMMA is William Hawkins (pictured at left) of the University of the District of Columbia. One of SUMMA's projects is an online archival record of pictures and biographies of Ph.D.s in mathematics and mathematics education. Our graduate students Katie Ambruso and Vickie Hill worked on the archival record, and you can see their work when you read some of the biographies.
A recent MAA initiative in this area, Project WELCOME (Web Educators' Library Collection of Mathematical Explorations), focused on the development of instructional computer activities at institutions serving minority populations. WELCOME was the brainchild of the late James White (pictured at left), the inventor of Mathwright software, and a leader in the field of software for mathematics teaching and learning. For Project WELCOME, White was assisted by (among others) Hawkins and our Professor Dan Kalman.
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We are especially proud of the career-long activism of Professor Mary Gray, who has a distinguished record of leadership in promoting equity and fighting discrimination and injustice. Her activities have included numerous positions of responsibility with Amnesty International, the Association for Women in Mathematics, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and other organizations.
In 1994, Professor Gray received a Lifetime Mentoring Award from the AAAS. The AAAS says the award recognizes "an individual who has mentored and guided significant numbers of students from underrepresented groups to the completion of doctoral studies or who has impacted the climate of a department, college, or institution to significantly increase the diversity of students pursuing and completing doctoral studies."
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Black Issues in Higher Education featured American University's PhD program in Mathematics Education in the cover story of the May 19, 1994 issue. Noting our program's successful record of attracting minorities, and the success of those students in completing their degrees, the article features interviews with four African American women then enrolled in the program. They comment on the academic attributes of the program, the rigors and challenges of graduate study, and the social atmosphere of the department.
Web page maintained by Dan Kalman
kalman@american.edu