Making an Addition

By Eva Salzman '23, March 9, 2023

Women in Math Day seeks to highlight women’s impact on the field.

This was the 6th time the college hosted Women in Math Day.

The gender difference in the field of mathematics is hardly a secret. Both the field of study and career landscape are still dominated by men — which is why Ithaca College held its sixth annual Women in Math Day in February.

The virtual event invited students in grades seven through 12 and their families to hear from a panel of women with a range of careers in math. The panel included three IC alums — Jennifer Fleck ’92, Joan Mattle ’22 and Kimberly Newman ’19. Attendees were also given the opportunity to talk with current female math majors at Ithaca College to hear about their experiences studying math in college.

One current IC student was Martha Kemp-Neilson ’23, who shared that it’s important for younger girls who are interested in STEM fields to see women who study or work in those professions.

“It’s really important to bring awareness to women in STEM and hard math and sciences because a lot of the time we're deterred from the field because it's male dominated,” she said. “That’s why it's important to show that women are doing well in these fields and it's not as scary as it might seem.”

Kemp-Neilson also said she wishes there were events like the IC Women in Math Day that she could have attended when she was younger.

“When I was in their position, I was definitely scared or apprehensive of being a math major. It would have been nice if at that time, I had something like this where I could hear math majors talk about their experiences. That’s why I love to listen to why these students are interested in math and why they came to this event.”

Martha Kemp-Neilson ’23

“When I was in their position, I was definitely scared or apprehensive of being a math major,” Kemp-Neilson said. “It would have been nice if at that time, I had something like this where I could hear math majors talk about their experiences. That’s why I love to listen to why these students are interested in math and why they came to this event.”

Newman currently works as a senior analyst in risk management for American Express. She wants younger women who are interested in pursuing math to know all the options they have. She said she hopes that the event gave students the confidence to explore a career in math.

“One of the things that scared me about getting a degree in math is that I didn't know what I could do with it,” Newman said. “If I had events like this when I was younger, I would have felt more confident with getting that degree.”

Newman also said she wanted to speak at the panel to share her experience as a woman in math to encourage younger women interested in STEM.

In addition to talking with current students, attendees heard from a panel of successful women in math, including three IC alumnae.

“I love sharing my experiences with others,” Newman said. “I feel like being a woman in math, you don't find that opportunity very often. So, I always want to try to encourage other females that this is possible. I want to hopefully inspire somebody else to go into the field.”

Ted Galanthay, who is an assistant professor and chair of IC’s math department, organized the event. It began in 2018 after he, associate professor Megan Martinez, and two former faculty members received a Tensor grant from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). One of the purposes of the MAA Tensor program is to support and increase the participation of women in math.

Galanthay hopes this event inspired its attendees.

“People need role models,” he said. “This event not only gives students information about career opportunities or classes to take in math, but also provides them the opportunity to interact with women who can inspire them to go for it, to study what they enjoy. By meeting women who have studied math in college and listening to their stories both during and after school, these young women may realize, if they didn't already, that they too can be successful in studying math and in finding a career they will enjoy that uses math.”