An organization that I celebrate -- though not often enough -- is the Association for Women in Mathematics which celebrates its 53rd birthday today. Join me in a visit to the AWM website to explore their programs and a visit to this blog post from 3 years ago that celebrates AWM with a poem.
Friday, May 3, 2024
Monday, February 19, 2024
Mathematician, Poet -- Blind to the worth of Women
As we study mathematics and learn of outstanding mathematicians, many of us do not also learn which of those mathematicians also were poets. A posting that I found recently in Marian Christie's blog, Poetry and Mathematics, features poetry by Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell (1831-39).
Maxwell's verse also is featured in the math-poetry anthology, Strange Attractors: Poems of Love and Mathematics (A.K Peters, Ltd., 2008); preview available here at amazon.com.
Below I offer a stanza from a Maxwell poem (posted in this blog back in December, 2015) -- a stanza that shows the long-mistaken attitude that has existed about inferior abilities of math-women:
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
International Women's Day
Today, March 8, is International Women's Day -- a day to pause, recognize, and celebrate the achievements and abilities of women (and their equality with men).
In my poetry-stanza below I celebrate Laura Church -- my high school math teacher (in Indiana, PA) a bold spokesperson for math-for-all back in the 1950s AND the woman who led me into mathematics.
Chalk in hand,
she tosses her book,
strides across the room,
excited by trigonometry,
excited that we,
restless in our rows,
caught some of it.
Flamboyant, silver,
fearless woman.
The stanza above is part of "The Ones I Best Remember" -- the full poem is available here.
Recognition and celebration of women in mathematics has increased dramatically since my high school days. On of the important advocates is the Association for Women in Mathematics, founded in 1971, and often mentioned in this blog. Here is a link to a poem that celebrates AWM.
Monday, May 3, 2021
Celebrate Math-Women -- Celebrate AWM
1 This
2 year's the
3 fiftieth
4 birthday of the
5 Association
6 for Women in Mathe-
7 matics. Join celebrations --
8 hear lectures, game with playing cards,
9 interview, write essays that feature
10 math women you admire. Speak up -- cheer girls
11 who do well in math class; look back, remember,
12 laud stars of the past -- support A W M.
The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is a national organization devoted to encouraging 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 the mathematical sciences. Founding in 1971 and celebrating math-women with outreach, networks and partnerships, playing cards, essay contest (for students in middle school through college) . . . and so much more.
Explore AWM's Website and their lively WOMEN DO MATH site.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Celebrating Ada Lovelace
Today, 13 October 2020, is Ada Lovelace Day -- celebrated each year on the second Tuesday of October and an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Born to a famous father, poet Lord Byron -- and first known as Augusta Ada Byron (1815-1852), Countess of Lovelace — this talented woman became far better known as "Ada Lovelace" (1815-1852). Lovelace worked on an early mechanical computer, "the Analytical Engine" -- and, because of her recognition of the varied applications of this machine, she is often regarded to be one of the first computer programmers.
Here is a link to a poem, "Bird, Moon, Engine" by Jo Pitkin that celebrates Ada Lovelace (with opening stanzas offered below) and this link leads to some of Lovelace's own poetic words. At this link are the results of a blog search using "Ada Lovelace" that leads to the aforementioned works and lots of other poems about math women.Monday, April 28, 2014
Words that warn
As I muse today about language I am wondering how unsaid words affect the population of women in mathematics, affect the numbers (too small) of women publishing mathematics. Thinking about this in the light of a wonderful time on Saturday greeting visitors to an AWM (Association for Woman in Mathematics) booth at the biennial USA Science and Engineering Festival. Temple University professor and AWM member Irina Mitrea did an amazing job planning and coordinating the AWM booth where hundreds of young people got some hands-on experience with secret codes and ciphers.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Women Scientists in America
us. a Fibonacci poem by JoAnne Growney
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thank you, Mary Gray
Friday, June 15, 2012
Can mathematics maximize happiness?
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Where are the Women?
Little Women
In school, many
gifted math girls.
Later, so few
famed math women!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
An Elegy from Argentina
Here, in recognition of the contributions of Cora Sadosky, is "An Elegy" by Argentinian poet Mirta Rosenberg. Using Rosenberg's words for her mother, we celebrate a foremother in mathematics:
Monday, December 6, 2010
Are all mathematicians equal?
Today, history books proclaim that Noether
is the greatest mathematician
her sex has produced. They say she was good
for a woman.