$Association for Women in Math Home Page$

$Information about AWM$

$AWM Membership Information and Applications$

$AWM Sponsors$

$AWM Addresses and Emails$

$AWM Newsletter$

$Calendar of AWM Deadlines and Activities$

$An Overview of the Many Programs AWM Sponsors$

$AWM Workshops to Promote Women Grad Students and Recent PhDs$

$AWM Travel Grants and Mentoring Travel Grants$

$AWM Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Days$

$AWM-SIAM Kovalevsky Lectures$

$AWM Schafer Prize for Undergraduate Women$

$AWM Hay Award for Excellence in Teaching$

$Ruth I. Michler Prize of the AWM$

$AWM Noether Lectures$

$AWM Falconer Lectures$

$AWM Hay Award for Excellence in Teaching$

$AWM Essay Contest$

$Mentor Network$

$Student Chapters$

$AWM Resources$

$Resources for Students and Eduators$

$Resoures for Your Career$

$Biographies and Profiles of Sucessful Women in Mathematics$

$Discussion Forum$

$Bibliography$

$Advertisements$

$Search the AWM Web Site$

AWM Essay Contest:
Biographies of Contemporary Women in Mathematics

Deadline for the 2009 contest is February 27, 2009

Online submission form coming soon.

Help advertise the 2009 contest, click here to download a flyer to post

[ About the Contest | Past Results | Contest Rules | Seeking Volunteers ]

About the Contest

To increase awareness of women's ongoing contributions to the mathematical sciences, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is sponsoring an essay contest for biographies of contemporary women mathematicians and statisticians in academic, industrial, and government careers.

The essays will be based primarily on an interview with a woman currently working in a mathematical sciences career. This contest is open to students in the following categories: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, and College Undergraduate. At least one winning submission will be chosen from each category. Winners will receive a prize, and their essays will be published online at the AWM web site. Additionally, a grand prize winner will have his or her submission published in the AWM Newsletter.

The Deadline for the 2009 AWM Essay Contest is February 27, 2009.

Past Results

Contest Rules

Who can enter?

This essay contest is open to students in the following categories:

Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Undergraduate

At least one winning submission will be chosen from each category.

What is the subject of the essay?

Your essay should be based primarily on an interview with a woman currently working in a mathematical career. The submission must be in essay form, not just a transcript of your interview.

How long should the essay be?

The essay should be approximately 500 to 1000 words in length.

Who can I write about?

You may interview and write about any woman currently working in a mathematical sciences career.
You are encouraged (but not required) to seek out an interviewee that you do not already personally know.
If you would like to be put in contact with someone who has agreed to be interviewed for this contest, please contact Dr. Victoria Howle (contest organizer) at victoria.howle@ttu.edu. Please note that interviewee contacts will only be given out for requests received by January 30, 2009.

Here are some suggestions for finding possible women to interview:

female math teachers
female professors in mathematics at a local college or university (you can try looking up the school's website and looking for the mathematics department; many departments list their faculty and their email addresses)
also consider other mathematical department such as applied mathematics, computer science, statistics, physics, engineering, finance, etc.
to find mathematicians from underrepresented minorities, you may want to try the website for the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) or the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).

What should I ask in my interview?

Some suggested questions for the interview and essay are:

What motivated you to pursue a career in the mathematical sciences?
What is your educational background?
What is your family and cultural background?
Describe the kind of work you do?
What advice would you offer students who are interested in pursuing careers in the mathematical sciences?
What are some of your other interests or hobbies?

How will essays be judged?

Essays will be judged by a panel of mathematicians on content, grammar, and presentation.

What do I need to submit?

A valid submission will contain the following information:

A biographical essay, based primarily on an interview, of approximately 500-1000 words in length, on a woman currently working in a mathematical career.
A short (approximately 100 words) biographical sketch of the student contestant. This biographical sketch should include the student's name, grade level, school, and mathematical interests.
Information about the student:
- student's name
- address of student (or parent)
- phone number or email address of student (or parent)
Information about the subject of the biography:
- name
- address
- phone number and/or email address

All information must be submitted using the online submission form (coming soon).

When is the deadline?

All submissions must be received by February 27, 2009.

How should I submit my essay?