The National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) · 2020. 9. 6. · NAM’s History and Goals: The...
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Transcript of The National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) · 2020. 9. 6. · NAM’s History and Goals: The...
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Volume LI Number 3
The National Association of Mathematicians (NAM)publishes the NAM Newsletter four times per year.
Editor
Dr. Omayra Ortega (Sonoma State University)[email protected]
www.omayraortega.com/
Editorial Board
Dr. Mohammad K. Azarian (University of Evansville)[email protected]
http://faculty.evansville.edu/ma3/
Dr. Haydee Lindo (Harvey Mudd College)[email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/haydee-lindo-phd-8122011a/
Dr. Noelle Sawyer (Southwestern University)[email protected]
https://noellesawyer.com
NAM’s History and Goals: The National Association of Math-ematicians, Inc. (known as NAM) was founded in 1969. NAM, a
nonprofit professional organization, has always had as its main objec-tives, the promotion of excellence in the mathematical sciences andthe promotion and mathematical development of under-representedminority mathematicians and mathematics students. It also aims toaddress the issue of the serious shortage of minorities in the workforceof mathematical scientists.
NAM’s National Office: National Association of Mathemati-cians, 2870 Peachtree Rd NW #915-8152, Atlanta, GA 30305; e-mail:[email protected]’s Official Webpage: http://www.nam-math.org
Newsletter Website: The NAM website has a list of employ-ment as well as summer opportunities on the Advertisements page,https://www.nam-math.org/advertisements.html. It also fea-tures past editions of the Newsletter on the Archives page,https://www.nam-math.org/archives.html.
Letters to the editor and articles should be addressed to Dr.Omayra Ortega via e-mail to [email protected].
From the Editor
“Is there roomamong the woke for theawakening?”
- Dr. Rochelle Gutierrez.
Hello friends,African-Americans live
every day in a countrythat has never fully al-
lowed us to join its lofty ideals and principles. Thatstruggle is real and it is unacceptable. Each daythat I watch the news I feel sadness, frustration,grief, anger, and numbness. What is happening nowrequires a response, we must not only speak outagainst racism and injustice, but we must ACT.
As someone who has been working to mitigatestructural racism in higher education for most of mylife, I feel fatigue when I see the slow rate at whichthings change. Slow incremental change serves thestatus quo of patriarchy, white supremacy, and classwar. I ask myself daily, ‘what actions will you taketo improve our world?’ Rather than get caught upin all that I can’t achieve, I focus on completingthe following assignment each day, and keep these
intentions in mind as I go through my daily rou-tine: I acknowledge that Black folks (and others)are hurting, I have discussions on race and currentissues in my own family and circles, I reach out andget to know someone of another race or culture, Itry to meet more of my neighbors, I read and learnabout history from the perspective of other cultures,I understand and accept that we are different andhave similarities as human beings, pause and thinkbefore I speak, I don’t intentionally use my privilegeto hurt someone else, I do unto others as you wouldhave them do unto you, I vote in local, statewideand national elections, and I provide positivity, joyand appropriate humor when I can.
In the middle of a the main square, thesite of daily protests in Columbus, OH, a col-league witnessed a large circle of mostly European-Americans forming a human shield around a largeBlack Joy event taking place. I loved hearing thisstory. While each of us are busy fighting the goodfight we need to remember to also preserve our joyand to preserve the joy of Black and brown peoplewhenever and wherever we can.
Sincerely, Dr. Omayra Ortega
2 National Association of Mathematicians
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Publishing in the NAM Newsletter
Submissions: The NAM Newsletter is a quarterly publication. Articles and letters should be submitted elec-tronically to the editor at [email protected]. You can find more information at the web page
https://www.nam-math.org/submitting-advertisements-and-articles.html
Advertising:
NAM Online Advertisement Policy: As a part of its Newsletter Advertising, a copy of the advertisement will beplaced on the web during the period it appears in the quarterly Newsletter - at the Job Openings website.
NAM Newsletter Print Advertisement Policy for Non-institutional Members: Receipt of your announcement willbe acknowledged. You will be billed after the advertisement appears. A copy of the advertisement will be placedon the NAM Newsletter website during the period it appears in the NAM Newsletter. To estimate the page size,use 12 point font on a standard size page.
1. One issue advertising
A. One-fourth page $200
B. One-third page $300
C. One-half page $400
D. Two-thirds page $500
E. Three-fourths page $600
F. One whole page $800
*advertisements over one page are pro-rated
2. Consecutive, multiple issue advertising
Each consecutive issue thereafter 75% of the first issue charge.
NAM Newsletter Print Advertisement Policy for Institutional Members: Receipt of your announcement will beacknowledged. You will be billed after the advertisement appears. Institutional Members of NAM are entitledto one 1/4 page advertisement at 1/2 the regular price during the fiscal year of their membership. Additionaladvertisements follow the above stated cost structure. A copy of the advertisement will placed on the NAM
Newsletter website during the period it appears in the NAM Newsletter. To estimate the page size, use 12 ptfont in your favorite word processing program on a standard size page.
Deadlines: The deadlines for submissions and advertisements can be found below.
Edition Deadline
Spring February 13
Summer May 13
Edition Deadline
Fall August 13
Winter November 13
Advertisements should be submitted electronically to the editor at [email protected].
We reserve the right to reject any advertising that is not consistent
with the stated goals of NAM, or that is in any way deemed inappropriate.
Revised 11/19
National Association of Mathematicians 3
Volume LI Number 3
Dr. Talitha M. Washington Appointed Inaugural Director ofthe Data Science Initiative
by Cedric Mobley
This article originally appeared on the AUCC
website on July 15, 2020.
ATLANTA, Georgia, July, 15, 2020 – Follow-ing an extensive national search and selection bythe presidents of member institutions Clark AtlantaUniversity, Morehouse College, Morehouse School ofMedicine, and Spelman College, the Atlanta Uni-versity Center Consortium (AUCC) announces theappointment of noted scholar, author, interdisci-plinary researcher, and innovator Talitha M. Wash-ington, Ph.D., as the new director of the AUCCData Science Initiative. A collaboration betweenthe AUCC member institutions, the AUCC DataScience Initiative is working to increase the numberof highly-skilled underrepresented minorities withskills in data science and to advance data scienceresearch, especially as it impacts minority commu-nities. Increasingly relevant to most employmentfields and academic disciplines, data science trans-forms information into highly relevant data usinganalytical methods such as algorithms, statistics,data mining, and predictive analysis.
Dr. Washington begins her tenure as director inmid-August.
Learn more about the Data Science Initiativehere: https://aucenter.edu/academic-career-services/data-science-initiative/.
Dr. Washington’s experience includes inventiveleadership in math education, research methodolo-gies, and partnership development, serving most re-cently as a program director at the National Sci-ence Foundation (NSF) and a tenured associateprofessor at Howard University. Her multifacetedcareer includes management of use-inspired con-vergence research to solve complex societal chal-lenges. Her work at NSF facilitated the integra-tion of interdisciplinary knowledge with data scienceusing methods including predictive artificial intel-ligence and economic and labor market analyses,
leading to innovation and the development of ed-ucational technologies connecting workers with thejobs of the future. Her published authorship in-cludes groundbreaking work on nonstandard finitedifference (NSFD) methodologies developed for var-ious systems of differential equations.
A Spelman College graduate and internationally-featured speaker and presenter, Dr. Washingtonwas recently recognized by NSF as a Women’s His-tory Maker and received the Black Engineer ofthe Year STEM Innovator Award. She receivedthe NSF Director’s Award for Superior Accom-plishment for her work in establishing NSF’s firstHispanic-Serving Institutions Program, a $40 mil-lion initiative.
The search committee included faculty fromeach AUCC member institution and the AUCWoodruff Library along with leaders from indus-try and prominent university-based data scienceinstitutes. The committee was chaired by More-house School of Medicine professor Peter MacLeish,Ph.D., with the assistance of higher education ex-ecutive search firm Harris Search Associates.
“With our broad goal of impacting the trajec-tories of societies throughout the world, Dr. Wash-ington is uniquely suited to lead the developmentof data science expertise across the Atlanta Univer-
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sity Center institutions,” said Todd Greene, execu-tive director of the Atlanta University Center Con-sortium. “Her unique combination of experiencein program development, education, funding, andalliance-building will help forge connections amongand between the Atlanta University Center studentsand faculty with global corporations, governmentagencies, and other colleges and universities.”
Dr. Washington will enjoy the strong support ofAUCC faculty, researchers, librarians, and adminis-trators.
“Clark Atlanta University welcomes Dr. Wash-ington on her appointment to serve as the AtlantaUniversity Center Consortium’s Data Science Direc-tor,” said Dr. George T. French Jr., Clark AtlantaUniversity president and AUCC Council of Presi-dents chair. “Her strong leadership and impressivetrack record in this field of study will advance thenew Data Science Initiative and improve technolog-ical capabilities for all students within the AtlantaUniversity Center.”
“I look forward to working with Dr. Washing-ton as she leads the AUCC Data Science Initiativeto address the disparity of minorities in tech andother fields,” said Dr. David A. Thomas, presi-dent of Morehouse College. “Our campuses willsoon produce hundreds of students annually whowill be well-equipped to compete internationally forlucrative careers in data science. The skill sets of adata scientist are in demand in a dynamic economy.In fact, the career is ranked among the top threeoccupations on Glassdoor’s ‘Best Jobs in Americain 2020’ list. Working in data analytics will allowour students, many of whom come from low incomefamilies, to build wealth after college and use theirtalents to become entrepreneurs.”
“Our modern economy and society are increas-ingly fueled by interdisciplinary solutions that arebased on the ability to extract insights usingdata science and data analytic approaches,” addedValerie Montgomery Rice, Morehouse School ofMedicine president. “I, along with the entire MSMteam, look forward to what Dr. Washington’s ap-pointment will mean for the AUC collectively andfor each institution individually as she coalesces theamazing faculty and student scholars who are en-gaging in this important work.”
“At a time when data— it’s analysis, visualiza-tion, and its use to predict and model— has becomeeven more critical to the global challenges we’refacing, the entire Spelman community is pleasedto welcome Dr. Washington as the AUCC DataScience Director,” said Dr. Mary Schmidt Camp-bell, Spelman College president. “Dr. Wash-ington’s award-winning expertise in mathematics,strong leadership and innovation in higher educa-tion and at the National Science Foundation, andher decades of research and advocacy for inclusiv-ity in STEM fields align with the mission of theAUCC’s Data Science Initiative.”
Dr. Washington is ready to begin her new role.
“The Atlanta University Center has always beena special place to me, encompassing some of themost respected institutions in our nation includingtwo liberal arts colleges, a research university, andan academic medical center,” she said. “I look for-ward to working with the faculty, students, staff andalumni, along with our industry and governmentalpartners, so that collectively, we can provide data-driven solutions to our current and emerging soci-etal problems.”
About Dr. Talitha Washington
Dr. Washington’s leadership includes serviceas a Convergence Accelerator (C-Accel) programdirector in the Office of Integrative Activities atthe National Science Foundation. In that role, shemanaged use-inspired convergence research to solvecomplex societal challenges by integrating knowl-edge from different disciplines. Through partner-ships between academia, industry, foundations, gov-ernment, and nonprofits, she worked to connectworkers with the jobs of the future using predictiveartificial intelligence tools, economic and labor mar-ket analyses, and the development of educationaltechnologies. At NSF, she also served as the prin-cipal program director overseeing review and fund-ing of data science proposals within the Division ofUndergraduate Education, focusing on proposals re-lated to improving education for the future STEMworkforce. In addition, she led the establishment ofa $40 million congressionally-mandated program tobuild undergraduate STEM capacity at the nation’s539 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), assumingresponsibility for budgeting, proposal review, and
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awards.An applied mathematician, she earned tenure
as an associate professor and faculty member atHoward University. Her published authorship in-cludes groundbreaking work on nonstandard finitedifference (NSFD) methodologies developed for var-ious systems of differential equations. She hasalso held academic positions in mathematics andresearch at Duke University, the College of NewRochelle, and the University of Evansville.
A graduate of Spelman College with a Bache-lor of Science degree in mathematics and minor inSpanish, Dr. Washington received both a Master ofScience degree in mathematics and a Ph.D. in math-ematics from the University of Connecticut. She
also earned certificates in executive leadership andfundraising from the Wharton School of the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, theAssociation of Fundraising Professionals, and theSociety for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanicsand Native Americans in Science.
While a student in the Atlanta University Cen-ter, she tutored in Spelman’s math lab, played inthe Morehouse College Marching Band, and con-ducted research at Clark Atlanta University.
Cedric Mobley is the media contact at theAUCC Media Center. He can be reached [email protected]. �
Sisters, How Y’all Feel? Brothers, Y’all Alright?by Anisah Nu’Man
This article originally appeared in the MAA Math Values
Blog on May 27, 2020.
One day, before the start of my Linear Alge-bra class, a student asked everyone their thoughtson the following quote: “You have not lived a full
life, if you have not been depressed.” Though I wascaught off guard by the student’s question, sincethen, the quote and subsequent class discussion hasprompted me to think more about mental healthwithin the Black mathematics community.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. TheNational Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) de-fines a mental illness as a, “condition that affectsa person’s thinking, feeling, or mood. Such condi-tions may affect someone’s ability to relate to othersand function each day.” According to NAMI, eachyear, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness.Within the Black and African American communi-ties, according to Mental Health America, over 6.8million people who identified as Black or AfricanAmerican had a diagnosable mental illness in thepast year.
An increasing number of studies, op-ed pieces,and blog posts have looked at mental health withinacademia. Each stage of an academic careerpresents itself with its own struggles and obstacles.In the Trends in college students’ mental health di-agnoses and utilization of services, 2009-2015, a sur-vey of 454,029 undergraduates in the United States,found an increase from 14% in 2009 to 19% in 2015in the number of students reporting getting pro-fessional mental health at their institutions. Thistrend continues into graduate school. An exhaustivestudy on the mental health of PhD candidates in
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2019, Nature PhD Survey 2019, found that, “36%of respondents have sought help for anxiety or de-pression caused by PhD studies. One-third of themsought help from places other than their institution,and 18% sought help at their institution but didn’tfeel supported.”
As we continue to navigate living in the midstof a global pandemic, now seemed like an appro-priate time for this blog to focus on mental healthwithin the Black mathematics community. Notably,the conversation with my students about mentalhealth started in one of my upper-level mathemat-ics courses at Spelman College, a historically Blackcollege for women. As math majors, these studentsare, in some sense, entering our profession. It feelsimportant to appreciate how their experiences, asyoung female Black mathematicians, will inform theways they experience this profession. During theconversation, I recognized that this unique class-room setting allows for discussions on the inter-section of mathematics, gender, and race withinacademia - from the undergraduate experience tothat of a tenured professor - and the impact thisintersectionality can have on one’s professional andpersonal life.
If one is considering the mental health ofBlack women in mathematics, one must beaware that identity markers, such as “Black” and“women,” add to the conversation of mental health.Intersectionality theory, originally coined by lawprofessor Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989, “takes intoaccount people’s overlapping identities and experi-ences in order to understand the complexity of prej-udices they face.” Intersectionality theory providesa useful theoretical framework for reflecting on theexperiences of women of color in mathematics. Iknow from personal experience that having theselayered identities, of being a Black woman mathe-matician, can add stress in what can already be astressful profession.
In writing the series of posts for this blog, theNAM Editorial Board to the MAA Math ValuesBlog has tried to bring awareness to some of thechallenges that one might face: maybe you dealwith isolation at your institution and have struggledto find community and mentorship; it is possiblethat your institution lacks a complete commitment
to diversity and inclusion; maybe you’re strugglingto balance research, teaching, and service duringthis global pandemic; or perhaps your teachers orcolleagues don’t seem to acknowledge your achieve-ments and so you feel the constant need to proveyourself. As Dr. Ebony McGee said in an inter-view on Black college students and mental health,“we have witnessed black students work themselvesto the point of extreme illness in attempting to es-cape the constant threat of perceived intellectualinferiority.” All of these experiences, and many oth-ers, can have a negative impact on one’s mentalhealth.
Mental illness can happen to anyone but peo-ple of color are less likely to receive competent carewhen they seek it. Specifically, the AmericanPsychiatric Association writes, “rates of mentalillnesses in African Americans are similar withthose of the general population. However, dis-parities exist in regard to mental health care ser-vices. African Americans often receive poorer qual-ity of care and lack access to culturally compe-tent care.” But when it comes to those who seekhelp, people of color are less likely to seek pro-fessional help. Even more alarming, as Dr. Er-ica Martin Richards, chair and medical directorof the Department of Psychiatry and BehavioralHealth at Sibley Memorial Hospital, puts it inMental Health Among African-American Womenthat, “women are at least twice as likely to ex-perience an episode of major depression as men[...] and compared to their Caucasian counterparts,African-American women are only half as likely toseek help.”
So how do we address issues of mental healthwithin the mathematics community, and in partic-ular, within communities of color? First, we mustdo a mental health check-in with ourselves. We allrecognize that life has its ups and downs, and mo-ments of happiness and sadness. But there is a dis-tinction between sadness and depression. Sadnessis a normal human emotion that every single per-son will experience at stressful or somber times andusually passes with time. If it does not pass, orif you become unable to resume normal function,this could be a sign of depression. Depression is amental disorder that has an overpowering effect on
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many parts of a person’s life. To respond to mystudent’s original quote, in my opinion depressionis not a marker of a full life. I believe depression isan indication that you should seek help, and thereis no replacement for the help you can get from amental health professional.
Your mental health should always be a prior-ity. This involves (1) moving past negative stig-mas associated with seeking help and (2) reducingthe false narrative that you just have to “stick itout,” “push through it,” or “develop tough skin.”Too often, as a society we value over-working atthe expense of our own physical and mental health.In addition to seeking professional help, there are
a number of ways you can protect your emotionalhealth through various self-care practices such as:(1) getting good rest, (2) exercising regularly, (3)eating well, (4) staying connecting with your com-munity (5) meditating or praying, and (6) knowingyour limits. In addition to the tips listed above, theNAMI provides a number of suggestions for person-alized self-care strategies. For us to do the workthat we do and serve our communities we must firsttake the time needed to care for ourselves.
Anisah Nu’Man is an Assistant Professor ofMathematics at Spelman College. She can bereached at [email protected]. �
Lift Ev’ry Voice: Supporting DVC Umoja Students in Mathby Jamylle Carter
This article originally appeared in the MAA
Math Values Blog on July 27, 2020.
“Lift ev’ry voice and sing‘Til earth and heaven ringRing with the harmonies of Liberty”
– “Lift Every Voice and Sing”(Black National Anthem)James Weldon Johnson and John RosamondJohnson
On my sabbatical leave from Diablo ValleyCollege (DVC) in Spring 2018, I conducted fo-
cus groups of thirteen students who identifiedpartly, if not solely, as African-American. Iasked them about their experiences in theirmathematics classes, ranging from pre-algebrato precalculus. All the students were in theDVC Umoja Learning Community, an affiliate ofthe multi-state Umoja Community that promotedthe success of African-American and other stu-dents at the college level. Two students creditedthe Umoja program for their remarkable academicturnarounds. Although they had struggled in mySpring 2017 intermediate algebra class, they hadraised their grade point averages to 3.6 and 4.0,and they were acing the accelerated algebra class
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that they were taking together at the time of theinterview. Here I will share four instructor qualitiesthat I believe made their academic transformationspossible. (Names have been changed to maintainprivacy.)
Compassion
Umoja students needed their professors to respectthe learning process and address any gaps in theirprior knowledge without judgment.
Ajua: I think we’re not perfect when wego in, so they shouldn’t expect that from us.They shouldn’t expect us to know everythingand just be like, “Okay, you guys rememberfrom ...” stats or whatever from two yearsago or something like that. I know teachersthat do that. It would be nice if they dida little recap instead of assuming everybodyknows.
Kealan: I feel like certain professors, theydon’t really let you ... they don’t believe infailure. Like, sometimes you have to failin order to succeed, and I feel like certainprofessors don’t believe in that, they justfeel like, “You have to succeed all the time.If you don’t, then you’re just going to fail,you’re never going to do it again....And it’sjust like ... it makes me feel like I’m nevergoing to amount to anything if you’re justsaying that. . . .Yeah, and don’t look at it asfailure, look at it as a bounce-back. If youbounce back from it, there’s no such thingas a loss. That’s how I would view it as. Ifthere were more professors like that ... ohmy God. I would love math. I swear.
Connection
Umoja students wanted to be connected to theirinstructors and to each other. They wanted theirinstructors to share more of themselves and inquireabout the students’ well-being before diving into
the material:
Ajua: Just have the teachers kind of showa bit more of themselves, I think.
Kealan: Because I just feel like, when you’rein a math class you have to take it very seri-ously, there’s no laughing, there’s no, “Howare you, how’s your day going?” They’renot trying to get to know you, they’re justlooking at you as a student and just get onwith class. . . .when I’m in Umoja I feel thateach professor, they really want to knowhow you are as a whole person, not just asa student, not just as someone who comesto your class. They really want to see howyou are, they want to get to know you. Sothat would be one suggestion that I wouldprobably say to the leaders, is just be moreinteractive and have some ... be human, ba-sically. They’re acting like androids nowa-days. It’s 2018, just come on, be friendly.
They felt accountable for each other’s successes,so they wanted to support one another, build a com-munity, and feel like a family. Kendra: I think forme [my most pleasant experience came from] un-derstanding the curriculum and helping other peo-ple understand it too. Helping tutor. Helping outa friend that needs help in the same math class.So, you’re not just bettering yourself in the mathcourse, you’re also bringing up somebody else.
Comfort
Once the Umoja students sensed compassion andconnection, they felt comfortable enough to askquestions in class or in the math tutoring center.
Kealan: I use the math lab. The tutorwas...so helpful. . . .[She] made me comfort-able while I was able to open up with herwith the difficulties I was having in thisclass. I feel like that’s really important ifyou’re going to be working with a tutor. Youshould feel comfortable first and you shouldbe able to open up to them about what dif-
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ficulty that you’re having. They shouldn’tjudge you on that or anything. They’re will-ing to help you. That’s how I felt with thetutor...in the math lab. When she was ableto help me, she told me, “Don’t ever feelthat way because there are a lot of studentson this campus that that’s the same way, butthey’re just afraid to speak up about the dif-ficulties and the problems that they’re hav-ing. You’re not alone.” That made me feelso much better.
Students who felt disconnected from their class-mates were less likely to ask questions in class:
Kendra: Not in front of the class. Becausethe environment that you’re inside of theclass, it feels like everybody already knowsthings. Like nobody’s asking questions. Ev-erybody just, it seems like you’re cominginto something that everybody’s already per-fected it and you’re the only one that’s leftbehind. I just wait till after class.
Challenge
Umoja students were not asking for special favors.They wanted to be challenged and master the mate-rial. They were willing to be uncomfortable in orderto engage with the mathematics content. They justwanted to be respected in the process.
Andretta: What I liked about your classtoo is you made us get up and do it. At firstI was like, “I don’t want to get up,” but itactually helped. It actually helped to haveyou there and be like, “Oh no, not that. Doit like this.” You would show us how to do itand give us tips. I liked that. Even thoughit made me uncomfortable at first, I was alllike, “Okay.”
They wanted to and knew that they could rise tohigh expectations, and they wanted instructors tocounter the narrative that math is difficult. Thesestudents had the growth mindset that they could
be successful:
Robert: I just feel like in the black commu-nity we’re ... Math isn’t hard, math is really... I feel like if you just put in the work, it’sdoable, because I never thought I’d ever getan A in stats, especially over the summer,and I did. So I feel like you really just putin the work, but I don’t know. Like in theblack community, in my opinion, growingup I always thought math was gonna be ...People were saying math is hella hard, so Iset it in my mind, like damn, math is reallyhard. But it’s really not.
Conclusion
Umoja students sought compassionate mathemat-ics instructors who created a sense of community inthe classroom. Once they felt connected to theirinstructor and classmates, they became comfort-able asking questions and engaging with challeng-ing mathematics. Extending compassion, creatingconnection, making students comfortable, and chal-lenging students with mathematics were only fourthings that these Umoja students needed from theirmathematics instructors to be successful.
As mathematics faculty, we really need to listento our students and highlight their voices, their ex-periences, and their challenges if we want to addresstheir needs. I have experienced both the presenceand the absence of these qualities of compassion,connection, comfort, and challenge in my owneducational experience as a Black woman mathe-matician. But before we can help, we must listen.Umoja means “unity” in Kiswahili, and some of thequalities that create a unified community are theones listed here. May we all take heed.
Jamylle Carter is a Professor of Mathematicsat Diablo Valley College and serves on the NAMEditorial Board for the MAA Math Values Blog.She can be reached at [email protected] . �
10 National Association of Mathematicians
Fall 2020
The African Diaspora Joint Mathematics Workshop at MSRIseeks applicants
by Caleb Ashley
The African Diaspora Joint Mathematics Work-shop [ADJOINT] is a newly established pro-gram at the Mathematical Sciences Research In-stitute [MSRI] Berkeley, CA which seeks to sup-port African American participation in mathemat-ical research. As a discipline mathematics resistsdivisions, though the profession of mathematicsabounds with them. Considering the many endsto which mathematics is employed, some of thesedivisions are more natural than others. Research isa gainful vanguard of the profession, often dividedfrom teaching, a noble rearguard. Depending on theinstitution where one is based, or the stage in one’scareer, theory and practice maybe permuted as toreverse the order of marching, vanguard becomingrearguard and vice versa. The quantitative evidence(however you would like to measure) of the want ofparticipation of African Americans in mathematicalresearch is an example of a less natural division.
MSRI is one of eight national research institutes,each having its own unique charge. MSRI’s mis-sion is to advance mathematics research and alsoadvance the public understanding of mathematics.MRSI has a distinguished record among institutesregarding diversity, equity and inclusion. RegardingAfrican American mathematicians, MSRI was hostto the first Conference for African-American Re-searchers in the Mathematical Sciences, CAARMS,in 1995. MSRI-UP is a tremendously success-ful program for underrepresented undergraduateswhich has a tenure of the best part of fifteen years.William Thurston, who was a Director of MSRIfrom 1992 until 1997, was serious about MSRI’semissary role. By way of emphasizing the aboverecord, I offer a quote of W. Thurston which impliesa profoundly formative need of supportive commu-nity for mathematics to thrive. “Many people thinkof mathematics as austere and self-contained. Tothe contrary, mathematics is a very rich and veryhuman subject, an art that enables us to see andunderstand deep interconnections in the world.” —
I don’t think anyone can say it finer than that.
ADJOINT is a new program, that is desperatelyneeded. ADJOINT operates on the principle thatdiversity is not separate from excellence. A main fo-cus of ADJOINT is forming community. ADJOINTwas piloted in 2019. The inaugural cohort, summer2020, was fully remote. Via four to five small re-search groups for each summer cohort, collaborationand research programs are developed, leading topresentations at conferences and publications in ref-ereed journals, ultimately the thriving and advance-ment of diverse faculty in mathematical sciences. Inaddition to mathematics research projects, profes-sional development such as grant writing, academicleadership, tenure promotion, also are part of theADJOINT program. In so doing the spirit behindall of the programing of ADJOINT is the edifica-tion of the entire mathematical profession and allmathematical communities.
If you have said to yourself, “I am busy,” or “Iam too overwhelmed,” I hope this advertisementwill encourage you to reconsider and apply! Thereis tremendous benefit to getting established in sup-portive community while pursuing research. Theapplication deadline for the summer 2021cohort is December 15, 2020. There will befour research groups in the summer of 2021 ledby: Emma K. T. Benn (“Racial/Ethnic Dispari-ties in Health: Applying a More Nuanced Infer-ential Framework”), Nathan Broaddus (“SteinbergModules of Braid Groups”), Julie Ivy (“Using De-cision Modeling to Personalize Policy in ComplexHuman-Centered Problems”), and Danny Krashen(“Adventures in Constructive Galois Theory.”)
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Although race is a part of the mythology of themodern world, mathematics is a truly a human en-deavor; global in scope. The establishing of theADJOINT program at MSRI must be celebratedas a mechanism for fashioning more diversity, eq-uity, and inclusion in mathematical research andthe profession as a whole. There are multiple iner-tial forces, racism and elitism among them, whichcan be named in opposition of such work. So oursuccess will be determined by our courage and by
the energy we put forward to sustain all the workneeded to be done, until all of it is indeed done.Please see the following link for application details:apply.
Caleb Ashley is on the MSRI-ADJOINTBoard of Directors and a Visiting Professor of Math-ematics at Boston College. He can be reached at([email protected]. �
The 2021 Karen EDGE Fellowship Programby Rhonda Hughes
For the second year, the EDGE Foundation isoffering a fellowship established by 2019 Abel Prizewinner, Karen Uhlenbeck, recognized for “her pi-oneering achievements in geometric partial differ-ential equations, gauge theory, and integrable sys-tems, and for the fundamental impact of her workon analysis, geometry and mathematical physics.”Her generous gift has been used to establish TheKaren EDGE Fellowship Program. Fellowships areavailable to mid-career mathematicians employed infull-time positions in the U.S. Applicants must beU.S. citizens or permanent residents with a Ph.D.or equivalent who are members of an underrepre-sented minority group. Mathematicians of any gen-der identity are eligible. Eligible NAM members areencouraged to apply and to spread the word about
this unique and exciting opportunity. This year,three Fellowships were awarded to: Pamela Harris,Mohammed Omar, and Bobby Wilson. In 2021, oneFellowship will be awarded.
The EDGE Program, founded in 1998, is admin-istered by the Sylvia Bozeman and Rhonda HughesEDGE Foundation, with the goal of strengtheningthe ability of women students to successfully com-plete Ph.D. programs in the mathematical sciencesand place more women in visible leadership rolesin the mathematics community. As of 2020, therehave been over 250 participants in the EDGE Pro-gram and 104 Ph.D.s earned. The Karen EDGEFellowship is the newest program administered bythe EDGE Foundation.
The award consists of $8,000 per year for threeyears including funds to support one trip per yearto the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton(travel only; the Institute will provide local ex-penses) to meet Karen and members of the com-munity. Valid expenses include travel by the Fel-low, the Fellow’s graduate students, or the Fellow’scollaborators for the purpose of advancing the pro-posed research project, scientific computing, sup-plies, books, and professional memberships. Teach-ing buyouts or salary supplements are not permit-ted. An annual progress report and financial state-ment are expected annually within two months of
12 National Association of Mathematicians
Fall 2020
the end of each academic year.The application consists of the a personal state-
ment (1 page); a research description (2 pages, notincluding references); curriculum vitae (2 pages);a three-year plan for use of the Fellowship (1page); a budget outline (1 page, including travelto Princeton, NJ); and current and pending fund-ing support. Applications will be submitted to
https://www.mathprograms.org/db/EDGE/980/and are due by February 1, 2021. One awardeewill be announced by May 1, 2021.
Rhonda Hughes is one of the co-foundersof the Enriching Diversity in Graduate Educa-tion (EDGE) Program. She can be reached [email protected]. �
A Departure From Mathematicsby Sami Atif
This speech was originally delivered to Dr. Atif ’s col-
leagues prior to his departure from Phillips Exeter Academy
An axiom: life is a well-defined inequality.
And at this nation’s inflection point, our experi-ences remain differentiable.
Black life is not isomorphic with any other becausethe structures are non-invertible. There exist nomappings to walk in my shoes, and I uphold thesame for you.
Here, whiteness circumscribes us all; it is formed bythe triangular forces of race, class, and the church.
And the purity of that math applies a ComparisonTest at every point.
Freedom is asymptotic, never quite attainable, butthe suggested end behavior.
And while racist ideas belong to subsets of all ourthinking, black inferiority prevails, it has been le-galized and governs motion. Today, the powerfullysubtle algorithmic patterns allow racist ideas to op-erate, even when no one claims to be a racist.
These are the initial conditions; America is genera-
tionally recursive.
The conditional - if we say black life matters, thento argue all life is unsound. At least present thecontrapositive.
Silence and any counter-revolutionary narrative isnot an argument of the mind. The mind will appre-ciate that modern science has disproved the biologyof race, also in people’s minds, too many suggestracism is nonexistent.
Consider the heart, a complex plane of imaginationand realism. The eyes see the ears hears, and thefeet travel, will you lift a hand?
Here’s a kernel, have you considered the cross-sections of your classes? Are they homogenous?
If you haven’t taken the time to stratify the popu-lation you serve, then your analysis has no signifi-cance, be it statistical, anecdotal or otherwise.
Not to be hyperbolic, but in your next encounterwith a Black student, consider them to be a tele-scoping sum of experiences. You are the initial, andyou may be the final, so you set the trajectory.
Without loss of generality, my one-sided limit holds.If it is true for Black students, then it is true for all
National Association of Mathematicians 13
Volume LI Number 3
students. QED.
Teaching math and justice are not mutually exclu-sive. In the event of their union, the expected valueyields a strictly increasing return.
Indeed placed tail-to-tail the complement is clear.
If a just society isn’t the root of this teaching equa-tion, our problems will remain periodic - cusp andtroughs.
Some of us have had no local maximum, so MAGAis for a prime few. You must appreciate this uniqueregression line and how mathematicians have com-pounded the census (senses).
Mismeasurement of intelligence is a common de-nominator of oppression and forms the axis of sub-human conditions.
Math in all its value parameterizes inferiority andsupremacy, and for Black individuals, the projec-
tion has been anything but orthogonal – right orjust.
This department is a compact set; we converge onour discipline. But certainly not convex. For ifyou tried to connect with me, we’ve discussed howincongruent our experiences are with the masses.
And that’s not a diss, nor do I suggest we all shouldfit. I don’t agree with uniformity.
I’m an outlier, and nothing I’ve said was unwar-ranted, instead entirely founded. So as removablediscontinuities go, I’m sure you’ll function well.
Goodbye,Sami
Sami Atif is the former Dean of MulticulturalAffairs at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NewHampshire as well as a former member of the Math-ematics Faculty at Exeter. He can be reached [email protected]. �
14 National Association of Mathematicians
Volume LI Number 3
Job Openings
University of Richmond-Mathematics: Assistant Professor Data Science &Statistics
The University of Richmond Department of Mathematics and Computer Science in-
vites applications for a full-time tenure-track position in data science and statistics atthe rank of assistant professor, to begin in the 2021-22 academic year. Candidates from
all subfields of data science and statistics will be considered. We are particularly inter-ested in applicants who are able to make connections across a liberal arts curriculum. APh.D. in statistics, data science, computer science, information science, mathematics, or
a related field is required and must be completed by the start date. The University ofRichmond is committed to developing a diverse workforce and student body, and to
modeling an inclusive campus community which values the expression of difference inways that promote excellence in teaching, learning, personal development, and institu-
tional success. Applicants should click “Apply Now” at this link:https://richmond.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?site=1&id=2059
and submit a curriculum vitae, a cover letter, a statement describing their teaching ex-
perience and interests, and a statement describing their research agenda.
Applied BioMath Multiple Positions Available – Applied Mathematics, Bi-ology, & Engineering Concord, MA or Pleasanton, CA
At Applied BioMath, our passion for science and impacting patients’ lives drives ourdesire to revolutionize drug invention. We are innovators, we love to learn, and we
take pride in working together to bring systems modeling to drug development. Wecurrently have multiple positions available to grow our team. Our company is serious
about hiring women and underrepresented racial and ethnic minority researchers. Tolearn more and apply, visit https://bit.ly/34fD6xx.
Berea College - Department of Mathematics
The Department of Mathematics at Berea College announces a tenure-track positionin Mathematics at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin August 2021. The position
requires a Ph.D. in Mathematics or Applied Mathematics. Qualified candidates mustdemonstrate a commitment to excellence in undergraduate education in a diverse and
inclusive environment as well as peer-reviewed scholarship. The position is open to allareas of scholarly interest, but special consideration will be given to candidates whoseareas of interest include informatics or computational mathematics and may engage
16 National Association of Mathematicians
Fall 2020
undergraduates in genuine research activities. Successful candidates will, through their
teaching, scholarship or service, demonstrate a commitment to building a diverse com-munity. For more information and to apply go to: https://tinyurl.com/y6qum79c.
Dartmouth College - Department of Mathematics - Junior TT
The Department of Mathematics at Dartmouth College welcomes applications for
a junior tenure-track opening with initial appointment as early as the 2021-2022 aca-demic year. Exceptional cases can merit appointment at higher rank. The successful
applicant will have a research profile with a concentration in applied or computationalmathematics. Current research areas in applied mathematics include complex systems,computational social sciences, network analysis, statistical learning, mathematical biol-
ogy, stochastic processes, uncertainty quantification, partial differential equations, andsignal and image processing.
Applicants should apply online at www.mathjobs.org Position ID: APAM #16169.Applicants received by December 15, 2020 will receive first consideration. For more
information about this position, please visit our website:https://www.math.dartmouth.edu/activities/recruiting/.
Dartmouth is highly committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive population ofstudents, faculty, and staff. We are especially interested in applicants who are able to
work effectively with students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds, including but notlimited to racial and ethnic minorities, women, individuals who identify with LGBTQ+
communities, individuals with disabilities, individuals from lower income backgrounds,and/or first generation college graduates, and who have a demonstrated ability to con-tribute to Dartmouth’s undergraduate diversity initiatives in STEM research, such as
the Women in Science Program, E. E. Just STEM Scholars Program, and AcademicSummer Undergraduate Research Experience (ASURE). Applicants should state in their
cover letter how their teaching, research, service, and/or life experiences prepare themto advance Dartmouth’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Dartmouth College - Department of Mathematics - PostDoc
The Dartmouth College Instructorship in Applied and Computational Mathematics
is a postdoctoral two- to three-year appointment intended for promising Ph.D. graduateswith strong interests in both research related to applied and computational mathematics
and teaching. An Instructor should have a research interest in these areas in commonwith some other member of the Department. Current related research areas are in nu-merical methods, applied mathematics, complex systems, stochastic processes, network
National Association of Mathematicians 17
Volume LI Number 3
theory, statistical learning, and mathematical biology. Other areas of research in the
Department include combinatorics, geometry, logic, noncommutative geometry, numbertheory, operator algebras, probability, set theory and topology.
Applicants should apply online at www.mathjobs.org Position ID: IACM #16173.Applicants received by February 1, 2021 will receive first consideration. For more infor-
mation about this position, please visit our website:https://www.math.dartmouth.edu/activities/recruiting/.
Dartmouth is highly committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive population ofstudents, faculty, and staff. We are especially interested in applicants who are able to
work effectively with students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds, including but notlimited to racial and ethnic minorities, women, individuals who identify with LGBTQ+
communities, individuals with disabilities, individuals from lower income backgrounds,and/or first generation college graduates, and who have a demonstrated ability to con-
tribute to Dartmouth’s undergraduate diversity initiatives in STEM research, such asthe Women in Science Program, E. E. Just STEM Scholars Program, and AcademicSummer Undergraduate Research Experience (ASURE). Applicants should state in their
cover letter how their teaching, research, service, and/or life experiences prepare themto advance Dartmouth’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Dartmouth College - Department of Mathematics - John Wesley Young In-
structorship
The Dartmouth College John Wesley Young Instructorship in Mathematics is a post-
doctoral two to three-year appointment intended for promising Ph.D. graduates withstrong interests in both research related to applied and computational mathematics
and teaching. An Instructor should have a research interest in these areas in commonwith some other member of the Department. Current related research areas are innumerical methods, applied mathematics, complex systems, stochastic processes, net-
work theory, statistical learning, and mathematical biology. Other areas of researchin the Department include combinatorics, geometry, logic, non-commutative geometry,
number theory, operator algebras, probability, set theory and topology.
Applicants should apply online at www.mathjobs.org Position ID: JWY #16174.Applicants received by February 1, 2021 will receive first consideration. For more infor-mation about this position, please visit our website:
https://www.math.dartmouth.edu/activities/recruiting/.
Dartmouth is highly committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive population ofstudents, faculty, and staff. We are especially interested in applicants who are able towork effectively with students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds, including but not
18 National Association of Mathematicians
Fall 2020
limited to racial and ethnic minorities, women, individuals who identify with LGBTQ+
communities, individuals with disabilities, individuals from lower income backgrounds,and/or first generation college graduates, and who have a demonstrated ability to con-
tribute to Dartmouth’s undergraduate diversity initiatives in STEM research, such asthe Women in Science Program, E. E. Just STEM Scholars Program, and AcademicSummer Undergraduate Research Experience (ASURE). Applicants should state in their
cover letter how their teaching, research, service, and/or life experiences prepare themto advance Dartmouth’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Events of Interest to NAM MembersA complete list of events containing these and more can be found online:
https://www.nam-math.org/upcoming-activities.html
The Graduate Online Combina-torics Colloquium (GOCC) is a student-
run weekly online combinatorics seminarintended for graduate students of all lev-
els and areas of combinatorics. Our goalis to support early-career mathematicians
and provide a low-pressure seminar con-sisting of both research and expositorytalks. For information, see the follow-
ing link. If you’d like to join the listhostand/or volunteer to give a talk, please
email [email protected].
Celebrate #BlackinMath Week on
twitter! started as a grassroots campaignon Twitter and co-organized with NAM,
this celebration is inspired by the multipleBlack in STEM weeks taking over Twit-ter this summer. This is an online event
hosted on Twitter, happening November10-17th. To join the organizing team or
sponsor events, please fill out the form athttps://forms.gle/nWZ5mRQ4bUvDh4rw6.
Also, follow the twitter account @Blackin-Math for updates and announcements.
NAM Undergraduate MATHFest2020 will be occurring VIRTUALLY thisyear. The event will take place from Fri-
day October 9th through Saturday October10th, 2020. Under this new format, we will
continue to offer opportunities for studentposter and oral presentations, networking,
and Problem Time with Dr. Cooper. Moreprogram updates and registration informa-
tion for NAM Undergraduate MATHFest2020 will be made available at the followinglink: www.nam-math.org/mathfest.html
National Association of Mathematicians 19
Volume LI Number 3
20 National Association of Mathematicians
Fall 2020
National Association of Mathematicians 21
Volume LI Number 3
NAM Board of Directors
Interim PresidentDr. Leona HarrisUniversity of the District of [email protected]
Vice PresidentDr. Naiomi CameronSpelman [email protected]
SecretaryDr. Shea BurnsNorth Carolina A&T State [email protected]
TreasurerDr. Cory ColbertWashington & Lee [email protected]
Executive DirectorDr. Leona HarrisUniversity of the District of [email protected]
Region A MemberDr. Chinenye O. OfodileAlbany State [email protected]
Region B MemberDr. Karen D. MorganJohn C. Smith [email protected]
Region C MemberDr. Brittany MosbyTennessee Higher Education [email protected]
Majority Institution MemberDr. Michael YoungIowa State [email protected]
Outside of Academia MemberDr. Carla Cotwright-WilliamsDepartment of [email protected]
Community College MemberDr. Karen TaylorBronx Community [email protected]
EditorDr. Omayra OrtegaSonoma State [email protected]
Ex-Officio President EmeritusDr. Nathaniel DeanTexas State University San [email protected]
Executive Secretary EmeritusDr. Johnny L. HoustonElizabeth City State [email protected]
Region ASoutheast/WestAlabamaGeorgiaSouth CarolinaFloridaVirgin IslandsPuerto RicoCaliforniaMontanaAny state not in B or C
Region BMid-AtlanticDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaKentuckyMarylandNew JerseyNew YorkNorth CarolinaPennsylvaniaVirginiaWest Virginia
Region CMidwest/SouthwestArkansasLouisianaMissouriOklahomaIllinoisOhioMississippiTennesseeTexas
22 National Association of Mathematicians
Fall 2020
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MATHEMATICIANS
MEMBERSHIP AND DONATION FORM
MEMBERSHIP CALENDAR YEAR: JANUARY 1, 2020 to DECEMBER 31, 2020
This form can also be completed online at https://www.nam-math.org/authenticate/register/
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PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM AND MEMBERSHIP DUES TO:
Dr. Cory Colbert, Treasurer
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E-Mail: [email protected]: http://www.nam-math.org
INDIVIDUALS AND STUDENTS
Please complete below if you did not send NAM this information within the past three years. List alldegrees you currently hold. Circle the correct degree.
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