NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The College of New Rochelle hosted Sonia Kovalevsky Math Day, a day of workshops and group problem solving activities to inspire girls’ interest in mathematics for approximately 50 young women from Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in White Plains, and The Academy of Mount Saint Ursula in the Bronx on Friday, October 10. The College has hosted this event, sponsored by Con Edison, annually since 2008.
The day’s events included morning workshops on cryptography, blood splatter analysis, adventures in chemistry, and graph theory. After lunch, there was a problem solving contest, a game show activity, a panel of CNR students who discussed their transition to college and life as college math/science majors, and lastly prizes for expert problem solvers of the day. Math Day activities, sponsored by the Mathematics Department, were led by math and science majors with supervision from faculty advisors Dr. Michelle Merriweather and Dr. Michael Gilliam.
Michelle Merriweather, Associate Professor of Math, commented, “Math day at CNR is a wonderful chance for young women to witness math in action on a college campus. It exposes them to life as a college mathematics student and practical applications for math skills that are in-demand in the workforce. Interacting with young women who study college mathematics and spending time on the CNR campus, positions careers in mathematics as an approachable and natural option for these visiting students.”
Sonia Kovalevsky was the most well-known Russian mathematician of the late 19 century. The Association for Women in Mathematics promotes workshops across the country encouraging girls to explore careers in the field.