The Association for Women in Mathematics Western Chapter: On a Mission to Make Mathematics Accessible to Everyone

As I sit down in front of my laptop to write an introduction to the Association for Women in Mathematics Western Chapter, I feel compelled to find statistics asserting that there are, indeed, fewer women than men in the mathematical sciences. I want to show everyone, with numbers, the gradual decrease in female enrollment from first-year to upper-year math courses. I want to be able to explain to you why, despite being incredibly smart and mathematically inclined, so few women end up studying mathematics at the graduate level.

I could certainly list off various numbers and statistics which support my claims, but part of me feels as though it would make little sense for me to do this. For starters, I’m a low-dimensional topologist, meaning I scarcely ever see numbers anymore (unless, of course, I’m counting the points of intersection of two curves in a surface) and have no desire to change this. Second of all, such an article already exists on this blog; for more information and statistics about gender inequities in mathematics, check out this article written beautifully by Alex Busch, Jacqueline Doan, and Sophie Wu. Lastly, I don’t exactly feel the need to convince anyone of these facts because, every day, I see it. More importantly, I know I’m not the only one who does.

Founded over fifty years ago by women mathematicians who see the same trends I do, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is a non-profit organization which, through events, opportunities, and important discourse on social inequities, aims to create a welcoming environment for women in the mathematical sciences. The AWM Western Chapter was founded by Jacqueline Doan in October 2021. Since its creation, our chapter of AWM has allowed people to make friends, give back, participate in fun events, make an impact on younger generations, and build a community of people who support marginalized groups in math.

“To me, the club is a great way to encourage women, and by proxy everyone in math, to have a community and be allowed to share their interests in such a complex subject.” 

— Kiara Burcher, 2024 Secretary of the AWM Western Chapter

The values of the AWM Western Chapter can be felt at each and every event. Prior to knowing about the association, Erina Mitha was struggling to meet like-minded people in her program. She learned about AWM when the president came to visit her first-year calculus class to advertise the association. From there, she became involved with AWM as their First-Year Representative, which meant she attended events and even planned one of her own; doing so allowed Erina to find more people in her program. “The atmosphere of the AWM events is so friendly. Everybody is so incredibly warm and welcoming,” she says. Erina later went on to become President of the AWM Western Chapter for two consecutive years.

Others learn about AWM later on in their undergraduate career; current Secretary Kiara Burcher found out about the association when her friends invited her to attend the Grad Club social hosted in January 2024. Realizing that she hadn’t yet immersed herself in the math community as much as she would have liked, Kiara attended the event and was met with a diverse group of students. Despite everyone being at different points in their respective mathematical careers, everyone seemed to understand each other, given that several of them were taking the same courses or had shared experiences.

“I think AWM represents the dedication of students helping each other to find a community at Western,” Kiara says. She stresses that this is particularly important since it can be very intimidating to exist as a woman in male-dominated fields. “To me, the club is a great way to encourage women, and by proxy everyone in math, to have a community and be allowed to share their interests in such a complex subject,” she says.

Current Vice President Dana Vanbesien also recognizes the value of the community fostered by the association. “AWM [was] an opportunity for me to join the math community in an environment that recognizes that I am often a minority in my program. It means a lot to me to meet other women in mathematics, along with other students who are supportive of this club,” she says. Throughout her vice presidency, Dana plans to continue taking the initiative to help more students find a sense of community within the Department of Mathematics.

To join a lively community of friendly mathematicians, all while supporting women in math, sign up to become a general member of the AWM Western Chapter; it’s completely free of charge and keeps you updated on all things AWM. For additional updates on events, opportunities, and new blog posts on The Limit Exists Sometimes, follow the AWM Western Chapter on Instagram.