AWM at MathFest 2012

August 2 – 4, 2012, Madison, Wisconsin

Thursday, August 2, 1:00 – 2:20 p.m., Lecture Hall

AWM Panel – Parenthood on the Tenure Track

  • Organizers:
    • Magnhild Lien, California State University Northridge
    • Maura Mast, University of Massachusetts Boston
    • Jacqueline Jensen, Slippery Rock University
  • Moderator:
    • Jacqueline Jensen
  • Panelists:
    • Stan Yoshinobu, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
    • Carol Schumacher, Kenyon College
    • Helen Wong, Carleton College
    • Courtney Gibbons, Hamilton College

In a 2010 Chronicle of Higher Education article, Dr. Mary Ann Mason from the University of California Berkeley wrote, “it is well established in the research on higher education that women are less likely to achieve tenure than men.” She cites longitudinal data from the National Science Foundation showing that female scientists with children are 27% less likely to win tenure than male scientists with children. This jarring statistic reveals a need for the mathematics and science community to find ways to support women in tenure-track positions. The recently-announced NSF career-life balance initiative and other programs such as the ADVANCE grants suggest that some changes are taking place, but support for women with families still varies widely. In this session, several women professors will discuss their experiences, insights, ideas, tips and secrets to achieving success in their demanding mathematics careers while raising a family.

Friday, August 3, 2012, 8:00 a.m. – 8:25 a.m., outside Ballroom AB

AWM – MAA Morning Coffee

The Association for Women in Mathematics and the Mathematical Association of America invite you to enjoy coffee and light refreshments before the Eta Z. Falconer Lecture.

Friday, August 3, 2012, 8:30 a.m. – 9:20 a.m., Ballroom AB

AWM – MAA Etta Z. Falconer Lecture: Because I Love Mathematics: The Role of Disciplinary Grounding in Mathematics Education

Karen King, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Much like my mentor, Etta Falconer, I enjoy mathematics but have devoted a career to ensuring that students of all walks of life have opportunities to learn important mathematics. The role of the discipline of mathematics, mathematicians’ ways of reasoning, and participation in the mathematical community have been a clear part of this work. In this talk, I discuss the recent focus in K-12 mathematics education on the Standards for Mathematical Practice in the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and the need for teachers and students to be grounded in the reasoning habits of mathematics to ensure opportunities for future students to learn mathematics at the highest levels. Drawing on research and stories of future high school teachers and current middle and high school students, I discuss the ways in which mathematics as a discipline shapes teachers’ views of teaching and students’ opportunities to learn. I conclude with points mathematicians and mathematics educators should consider in discussing the important role of mathematics in mathematics education.

Please visit the AWM Booth (#43) in the Exhibit Hall on Level One of Lakeside Commons during the exhibit hours. Starting August 2, the exhibit area is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm, Thursday and Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.