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May 2008
Mad About Math: GW’s Summer Program for Women in Mathematics Secures NSA Funding, Accolades
By Jamie L. Freedman GW’s acclaimed Summer Program for Women in Mathematics received a substantial boost this spring when the National Security Agency, the largest employer of mathematicians in the world, announced a two-year grant to the program totaling more than $450,000. Directed by GW Professor of Mathematics Murli Gupta, the five-week offering was established in 1995 to encourage outstanding undergraduate women to pursue graduate studies and careers in mathematics. Sixteen math enthusiasts from universities across the United States are competitively selected each year to participate in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences-sponsored program. “We routinely receive 100 to 150 applications annually for our 16 slots,” says Gupta, who has overseen the summer program since its inception. Participants receive travel allowances, room, board, and a stipend. Now entering its 14th year, the program boasts some 200 alumni, the majority of whom have gone on to earn master’s degrees and Ph.D.s in mathematical sciences and statistics. The intensive program, aimed at rising seniors, challenges students with rigorous graduate-level courses on a variety of math topics taught by preeminent women mathematicians from across the nation. Courses are complemented by a stimulating series of guest lectures and panel discussions on issues at the forefront of mathematics. Rounding out the program are weekly field trips to see women mathematicians at work in the many centers of mathematical activity in the Washington area, exposing participants to a wide variety of career possibilities in government, industry, and academia. Last summer, the group visited the U.S. Census Bureau, Fannie Mae, the National Security Agency and National Cryptologic Museum, Northrop Grumman, and the Aerospace Corp. “We tell them that for the five weeks they’re here, all of their time is ours,” says Gupta. The only thing GW asks in return is that participants “take their excitement and love of mathematics and spread it around to others,” he adds. Success stories abound. “Fifteen women who participated in our program are now working as mathematics faculty at various universities around the country and 30 are working for high-tech companies and government agencies, many because of contacts they made while here,” says Gupta, who keeps in touch with alumni through an extensive Web site and reunions. “A lot of them credit our program with giving them the confidence to go to graduate school and pursue careers in mathematics. Some have even gone as far as saying that the program changed their lives!” Gupta, who modeled the program after the pioneering, now-defunct women’s math program at Mills College in Berkeley, Calif., proudly states that GW offers the longest-running summer program of its kind in the country for women. “People all over the world know about our program,” he says. “Many come here thinking that graduate study in mathematics is out of their reach and discover that they can not only handle it, but flourish.”
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