CAREER: Women and Students of Color in Doctoral Mathematics

Suny At Albany, Albany NY

Investigators

Abstract

This project will examine factors affecting the participation of women and students from groups underrepresented in doctoral programs in the mathematical sciences. The investigator will conduct case studies of five doctoral programs, a survey, and indepth interviews with students and faculty. No research has systematically and broadly examined the experiences of underrepresented groups in doctoral mathematical sciences. By looking at this question through both the institutional and individual perspectives, this project expects to increase understanding of what it takes to succeed in doctoral mathematics, the obstacles faced by women and students from underrepresented groups, and the actions some programs have taken to help students succeed. The research and educational activities are guided by theory that learning is comprised of three parts: acquiring knowledge, engaging in practices, and developing a research identity. The investigator has first-hand knowledge of doctoral mathematical sciences, through her experiences as a graduate student in mathematics and statistics and her previous research on doctoral student attrition. The researcher has developed a network of mathematicians who do related work, who have agreed to make resources available for this project (such as access to populations of students in mathematics). Experts in research methodology, diversity issues in mathematics, post-graduate mathematics education, online surveys, and assessment have agreed to be available to this project as advisors or as consultants. The investigator has experience with both qualitative and quantitative research methods, and has managed complex, long-term projects through her prior work in research and industry. Both the research and educational plan are focused on issues of diversity in mathematics education. One explicit goal of the research project will be to develop concrete recommendations that mathematics faculty and policymakers can follow to increase the diversity of doctoral students who enroll in and graduate from doctoral mathematics programs. Results will be disseminated within the mathematics community. The investigator has begun working in this regard, through conference presentations and the development of publications suitable for a mathematical audience. The persistence framework described in the proposal, the quantitative persistence measures developed through the project, and the research findings, may well inform efforts in other STEM disciplines to recruit and retain a more diverse student body. If this research is successful, then it will increase our understanding of the factors important in the success of women and students underrepresented in STEM, the obstacles faced by some groups of students, and what faculty and other interested parties can do to improve the participation and success of these students. The investigator's educational work will include training pre-service secondary teachers to be more aware of and responsive to diversity issues, leading them to teach in ways that engage children of all backgrounds in mathematics and mathematical thinking. In addition, the investigator will be a leader in a project to develop a mentored learning community for undergraduates in mathematics, with a goal of attracting more students, and in particular a more diverse population of students, into mathematics and mathematics-related disciplines. Through each of these efforts, the investigator aims to lead future cohorts of undergraduate students to an improved sense of what mathematics is and how it can be used, and to help them discover the excitement and value of mathematics.