MAA Math Camp Introduces Young Women to the Queen of Science

July 2, 2008

A week-long summer program at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) strove to show high school girls the beauty of mathematics. It also gave them a sense of what it's like to attend college and pointed to careers in the mathematical sciences. The MAA, UNC, and the Tensor Foundation funded the program.

To participate in the girls-only math camp, the 27 young women had to score well in at least one high school algebra class and submit a letter of interest and a teacher's recommendation. About half the participants were from the Greeley-Evans area, and two-thirds are Latino.

Classes included mathematical modeling and number theory, study sessions, homework, and, of course, social activities. Whether they were studying factorials, binomial coefficients, or quadratic equations, it was all good for 15-year-old Ana Caudillo, a junior at Northridge High School. Caudillo, who would be the first in her family to attend college, hopes to become an engineer or a computer programmer.

Through the program, Caudillo and her classmates got to know professional women who use mathematics on the job. Guest speakers included a civil engineer, a software engineer, and a college professor.

The examples of women succeeding in mathematics spur the high school students to imagine themselves in math-related careers, UNC's Hortensia Soto-Johnson told the Greeley Tribune. "We're hoping to use [the camp] as a recruitment tool," she said. "We're hoping to see a lot of these young women in our classes in the future."

Two other instructors, Ricardo Diaz and Cathleen Craviotto, gave the attendees the chance "to experience different teaching styles," Soto-Johnson said.

"It's a taste of college of life, which helps prepare me better, and I just really like the math," Caudillo noted. She also enjoyed the chance to talk casually with professors, sometimes in unexpected settings. "It's kind of weird having dinner with your teacher," Caudillo said.

Source: Greeley Tribune, June 19, 2008.