Thanks to Girls are for STEM, a new program created through the partnership of the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences Department of Mathematics, the Institute of the Mathematical Sciences of the Americas and WIMSA – Advancing Women in Mathematics Across the Americas initiative, Miami-area high school girls with exceptional mathematic abilities are being identified and nurtured earlier than ever.
College of Arts and Sciences first-year student Valentina Nicolini can attest to this.
Nicolini’s strong grades at Miami Palmetto Senior High School flagged her for the selective math enrichment program for girls in local public and private high schools. “High school juniors and seniors are selected for the program based on recommendation from their math teachers,” Nicolini explained.
Once enrolled in the program, tight-knit cohorts of 20 students take a college-level class on the Coral Gables Campus: either Introduction to Probability or Abstract Algebra. These classes, taught by young female mathematicians, are only open to the all-girl cohorts.
Under the direction of Dr. Mina Teicher, Girls are for STEM adopts a multi-pronged approach to introduce girls to the possibilities that a mathematics education can offer them in the future. In addition to earning University credit, the program facilitates contact for the students with mathematics faculty members, so that they can receive individualized attention and mentorship.
This pipeline-building approach is already making a difference in the students’ lives.
“After becoming better acquainted with the Department of Mathematics, it was easier to decide where to go to college,” said Nicolini. “I chose to come to UM based on their 5-year math program.”
Now, as a first-year student, Nicolini is double majoring in applied mathematics and computer science, with a minor in finance. Her five-year course of study will culminate in her receiving a master’s degree in applied finance.
For those students who pursue further study in mathematics at the University, Girls are for STEM hosts regular group meetings for learning, bonding, and networking. “Our first meeting took place on Oct. 15,” said Nicolini. “We held a brunch to create community, specifically for girls majoring in mathematics.”
The program also hosts a speaker series called “I Majored in Math: What Do I Do Today?,” where speakers share career opportunities with the group. “A woman from a hedge fund is coming to speak with us. I’m interested to hear what she has to say,” said Nicolini.
Nicolini attributes this group’s success to Teicher’s hard work and vision.
“Dr. Teicher is making an effort to create a group of the girls majoring and minoring in math to develop a sense of community for us here on campus,” said Nicolini. “It is great to be a part of this cohort of girls in STEM who have become math majors.”
Nicolini is seeing the fruits of Teicher’s labors all around her.
“This year, there was a noticeable rise in the number of girls who either came to UM or who transferred here, and who have become math majors, because they heard about the program,” said Nicolini. “A lot of girls decided to major in math because of the program.”
