Women in Mathematics: Career Day at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech faculty, students, and alumnae will join approximately 250 young women Thursday, Nov. 18, for an intergenerational, multimedia, mathematical celebration.
Sixth graders will attend from 17 schools: Belle Heth Elementary School, Blacksburg Christian School, Blacksburg Middle School, Blacksburg New School, Christiansburg Middle School, Community Christian Academy, Craig County Middle School, Dublin Middle School, Eastern Elementary/Middle School, Graham Middle School, Macy McClaugherty Elementary/Middle School, Martinsville Middle School, Narrows Elementary/Middle School, Pulaski Middle School, Richlands Middle School, Ruffner Middle School, and Tall Oaks Montessori School.
The 10th annual Women in Mathematics: Career Day at Virginia Tech will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a welcome session at the Math Emporium on University City Boulevard in Blacksburg featuring Glenda Scales, associate dean for distance learning and computing in the College of Engineering, and John Rossi, head of the Department of Mathematics in the College of Science. From 9:50 a.m. to 11:05 a.m., students will participate in two 35-minute sessions. From 11:40 p.m. to 12:15 p.m., students will participate in the final session.
The three sessions are as follows:
==> "Math and Computer Graphics," led by Terri Bourdon, will provide hands-on activities to investigate computer graphics in such varied fields as science, art, and electronics.
==> "Explorations of Math and Art through Tessellations," facilitated by Gwen Lloyd, Bettina Dahl Soendergaard, and Virginia Tech mathematics-education majors, will enable students to create their own tessellation designs using computer software.
==> A panel discussion on educational and career opportunities in mathematics will feature three Virginia Tech alumnae: Amy Gardner Lyle (Class of 2002), who works for Tecolote Research, Inc., as a government contractor at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) which designs, builds, and operates reconnaissance satellites; Ray Miller (Class of 1999), who works at Microsoft with the office product-development team; and Karen Zangara, who taught at Virginia Tech for four years and then joined Towers Perrin, a consulting firm, where she uses actuarial mathematics to monitor pension plans of companies.
Career Day activities are sponsored by the Department of Mathematics and the National Security Agency. Cosponsors include the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice President for Multicultural Affairs, the College of Science, the Women's Center at Virginia Tech, the Blacksburg Area Branch of the American Association of University Women, Montgomery County National Organization of Women (NOW), the Math Club, and Womanspace.
For more information, contact Susan Anderson at (540) 231-8041 or anderson@math.vt.edu, or send her mail at Mathematics Department (0123), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061. Anyone with a disability who desires any assistance, services, or other accommodations to participate in this activity can contact Anderson at least one week before the event.
