Women Academics From The United States

"because we keep hearing about the achievement gap, often between black and white children. But for this book we focused on black children not from a deficit — not from what they don’t know — but from what they do know."

"It’s also about wanting students to develop a positive math identity and not just see it as a procedure, but to realize that a lot of what they’re doing is math."

"I'm just in there working, just doing my thing, trying to do the best that I can do. And knowing that I was among the minority there that I had to do my best if I was going to stay there"

"Every workshop always sold out and was sitting room only"

"I wanted it to be a math activity book, so I wrote bios about the women and made up activities to go with their math — fun activities that don’t need a teacher to teach it to you first. It’s a book that students can just pick up and do without a teacher, maybe while riding in the car to grandma’s house."

"I hope that if my students can believe it, they can achieve it,"

"Accepting the position directing minority engineering programs, I left a regular, tenured job with academic administration Being told I was making a tragic career move solidified my need to support students who looked like me."

"You had a lot of people there – a lot of people from all different cultures – and we all worked together. And if I ever needed anything – I know that doesn't sound believable, but if I ever needed anything -- they were there to help out"

"You know, it wasn't difficult. It seemed like my path was paved for me. It was in the Lord's hands, and he said, 'This is what's going to happen"

"It’s important to have people that you know are interested in you and your career, a parent, mentor or sponsor. Not all of them, but some of them should look like you. You can’t underestimate that."

"Now, I have the knowledge and the understanding of what helped me to be productive in my own individual career that I’m able to kind of share that knowledge with my junior faculty, colleagues,"

"My degree put science, engineering, and chemistry all together. This brought me closer to the environment because we have the obligation to take care of mother earth. I have a responsibility to protect her"

"I take pleasure in getting African-American students interested in this work, not only in aerospace and mechanical engineering but in any goal that might seem out of reach because they are a minority."

"I’m thrilled to be living at a time where multidisciplinary work is rewarded. For instance, grant sponsors now include multiple disciplines and diversity as part of their funding requirements."

"One female scientist who has inspired me is Shirley Ann Jackson, PhD. She’s currently the President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY, USA) and an accomplished theoretical physicist. She has broken many glass ceilings in her career and continues to be a trailblazer for African-American women and women in general."

"But whatever success I had or will have is bound up in the swirl of social and political forces that pushed mid-century America forward and these were largely beyond my control. I was born when the momentum of the New Deal, World War II and then Sputnik created sustained support for fostering STEM excellence in education."

"There's a high attrition rate and the biggest drop off happens to be students of color and students from underserved backgrounds. When I was researching and finding out all these facts, it really made me want to figure out ways to support students and address this retention in STEM problem."

"When I was in high school, I was able to go to a college campus to take undergraduate math classes, which was a great experience. To pass this on to the next generation, each year for the last ~20 years, I've run an intensive 2-week math and biology course for high school students."

"A year ago this answer would be different, but this past year I have been recognized nationally and locally for my teaching, research, and service as a mathematician. I am very proud of all of the things I have been able to start or participate in. I am grateful to all the great people I do impactful things with. I appreciate that I am increasing the rate of change in this field, positive second derivative."

"I think that medical oncology could really use a mathematical modeling toolbox that can leverage clinical measurements to optimize treatments for individual patients. Mathematical modeling can also help us make predictions to improve clinical care."

"I was told that I would never make full professor because I would not be doing funded research or publishing scholarly papers."

"I know at NSF there was always a concerted effort to avoid implicit biases, and so I applaud them for that, and they continue to do that—to have an understanding that diversity breeds innovation, and I think that a lot of federal agencies understand that,” Innis said. “But also having opportunities for HBCUs and MSIs to lead on different programs—I think that is really helpful, and has helped us as well."

"Inspired by my parents’ belief in education as a pathway to liberation, meaning and purpose, I’ve dedicated my life to helping others obtain college degrees and upward mobility."

"My success is not possible without chancellors, presidents and leaders I’ve learned from, and each institution’s commitment to scholarship, innovation, academic excellence, community engagement and providing opportunities for all—which is exactly what inspired me to seek out this opportunity to lead Rutgers-Newark."

"I do believe that I possess the emotional intelligence to lead through those challenges with grace, respect, integrity, and with an inclusive spirit. My leadership will not only be data-driven but also holistically person-centered."

"By seventh grade I knew that I would major in mathematics as a college student. What I did not know was there were so many areas of mathematics to study. I am an applied mathematician who uses mathematics to solve equations that model physical phenomena in the medical field."

"I remember my love of mathematics emerging in first grade when I was excited by math facts and bored with coloring."

"In fact, Raytheon Technologies recently appointed a chief sustainability officer to help ensure that our products, solutions and platforms are built with sustainability in mind, and that we’re positively impacting the Earth’s climate and biodiversity in the process. I love that sustainability is something we’re working toward as a company."

"Although I was never in the American South and was a little too young to participate in civil rights demonstrations very much, I benefited quite directly from the Birmingham children’s march. The appalling assassination of Martin Luther King also had a profound impact on me. The shock wave of this movement percolated to the smallest scales of society so that it affected even the person to person interactions in mathematical culture that are so critical to career success or failure. I have also benefited from the support and friendship of the many African-American women mathematicians who preceded me and who have come onto the scene since. Collectively, our actions make it easier for all of us."

"What I’ve seen is an increased focus and acknowledgment of supporting our various institutions,"

"We invited faculty from the region, from HBCUs in the region, to come and participate in our technical assistance workshop,” Inniss said. “We actually invited program officers to come to campus to present on the different programs in DRL, and then we had a coaching component."

"I’m helping people to understand your notice of award and all [the] award conditions, and what does this mean? [I’m] also helping people to understand how to effectively manage their awards, and what certain things mean. What does participant support cost? When do you have your budget, and how do you expand your budget, and just providing all that different context and information to help people to be effective with their grants."

"Space truly is useful for sustainable development for the benefit of all peoples."

"If we just take the default view today, people will be going to these places with an extractive mindset that says- I have the technology, money and power, and I’ll use these resources until I’m satisfied, and I will not be concerned with other countries and future generations."

"If we don't take a radical shift toward really prioritizing labor rights, it's quite concerning imagining having a company or a government controlling the full life support system on a space station or a physical base on a planet."

"My current research focuses on oscillation criteria for certain linear and nonlinear second order dynamic equations. While I am also interested in applications of time scales to biology, economics, and statistics, I have a keen interest in increasing the number women, especially those underrepresented, in STEM and improving the undergraduate preparation of mathematics majors."

"After completing the my undergraduate studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, I went to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to earn my doctorate. In 2008, I was one of the first two African-American women to earn a doctoral degree in Mathematics from UNL."

"While I was in middle school, I went to Algebra with an adequate math foundation and without Pre-Algebra although I barely passed the entrance exam. Within a few weeks, I began to struggle. While I was trying to understand just how letters belonged in mathematics, my Algebra teacher Mrs. Gwendolyn Scott found a way to “motivate” me."

"When I entered graduate school, I was a sponge for external pressures. Please tell me the rules I must abide by in order to make no waves! Which jokes should I not find offensive? Oh, am I here because of Affirmative Action?"

"In my second year, my body temporarily lost the ability to properly deal with sugar. I don’t know if this is a thing. My doctor never really figured it out even after she got “really scientific about it.” Whatever it was, I realized stress had sent me to the hospital and I was thoroughly against that on principle, so I gave up stress."

"She moved my seat, gave me extra work, and required a parental signature on all graded assessments. Since Cs were not acceptable grades and guaranteed at least 6 weeks of punishment, I was going to spend my entire eighth grade year punished because I was making Ds and Fs. Mrs. Scott’s “motivation” helped me discover my interest in math."

"My thesis is that thing I got sick of just when I should have been fine-tuning its organization. It’s where I find typos that have already gone to print. I am a writer; don’t ask me about my writing."

"For 7 years I called myself an escaped graduate student. I laughed and made light, but each passing month increased my shame burden. Having kids made it easier to throw my hands up like I was okay with things and not at all failing, but I was never okay. I’m still not okay. After my defense"

"I had to fill out an exit survey. They asked how many years spent on coursework (3), how many years spent on dissertation (10). TEN YEARS?! WHAT KIND OF PERSON SPENDS TEN YEARS ON ONE DOCUMENT AND STILL HAS TO BUILD UP COURAGE TO DISCUSS IT OPENLY?"

"I am most proud of being a mentor. Throughout my career, I have spent a great deal of time working with students who need additional supports outside of the classroom. I work with them to master good study habits; set goals and create action plans; manage time, stress, and life circumstances; and prepare for their future careers. It gives me great joy to know that I have mentees who have become successful teachers, doctors, and researchers; but more importantly have gone on to mentor others in need of support."

"Personally, I am most proud of taking a leap of faith, leaving a tenured faculty position, to relocate to the DC-area to be near and help care for my aging parents. It has been the best decision of my life."

"My thesis is this thing that was initially going to be a grenade launched at my ex-prison, for better or for worse, and instead turned into some kind of positive seed bomb where flowers have sprouted beside the foundations I thought I wanted to crumble."

"ou don’t need to have a special brain or be a certain kind of person to take on math"

"I was dismissed after the first year because I didn’t get high enough grades in geometry and statistics, and this was a program where you couldn’t get C’s and I got C’s in those courses."

"I find it very rewarding,” said Eubanks-Turner. “Most teachers join the program because they love learning mathematics. Even teachers who have been in the classroom 20 or 30 years learn something they never knew or see an aspect of math in a new way."