The Association of Women in Mathematics at UVA is a chapter of the national organization of the same name whose mission is to encourage gender minorities to study mathematics and ultimately build active mathematical careers. At UVA, becoming an AWM member is an opportunity to engage with a mathematical community run by underrepresented gender minorities in math, to be exposed to the world of professional mathematics and network, to receive individualized mentorship, and to gain access to a wide range of resources. AWM seeks to build a tight-knit culture of support for all members. AWM@UVA maintains a separate website here.
In the 2023-2024 school year, AWM meets every other Thursday from 5 pm to 7 pm. Events include professional development events, including grad school panels, REU panels, and flash talks from faculty; social events, including game nights with other student organizations targeted to gender minorities in STEM; opportunities for undergraduates to give talks; and departmental parties for Halloween and Pi Day. AWM also sponsors a speaker lunch series with female UVA professors and visiting faculty.
AWM runs a mentoring program that matches upper-year undergraduates and graduate students as mentors to younger undergraduate students as mentees at the beginning of the school year. Pairs remain in active communication with one another throughout the semester. AWM also sponsors an event for the mentoring program once a semester.
In addition, AWM sponsors a volunteering program that allows members to engage with the broader Charlottesville community. AWM members act as in-class math teaching assistants for weekly 90-minute shifts on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. New volunteers are accepted at the start of each semester.
This year’s AWM leadership is:
President: Catherine Cossaboom
Vice President: Mandy Unterhalter
Treasurer: Vihini Gunasekera
Secretary: Anna Yankoski (fall), Katie Nichols (spring)
Social Chair: Zivile Puospekaite (fall), Claire Barklage (spring)
Volunteer Chair: Mary Edith Plunkett (spring)
Title IX Chair: Louisa Liles
Faculty Mentors: Benjamin Hayes and Jennifer Morse
DEI Resources
Ben Hayes is the director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI). He makes himself available to meet with students who have any concerns about issues surrounding inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.
The AWM Title IX Chair, Louisa Liles, supports our members in understanding the various resources available to gender minorities in our department surrounding Title IX, discrimination and harassment, and more. She is available at lml2tb@virginia.edu to field all policy questions and concerns for members. She maintains an established line of communication with the DDEI. Click here for more info.
There is an acting IDEAs (Inclusion Diversity Equity Inclusion) committee, chaired by Catherine Cossaboom and Louisa Liles, that seeks to address issues of concern for the undergraduate and graduate student body and amplify them to the DDEI. Concerns can be brought directly to the members: Oscar Arevalo Cordon, David Chasteen-Boyd, Catherine Cossaboom, Darien Farnham, Adam Friedman-Brown, Sam Goldberg, Louisa Liles, and Miika Tuominen. The IDEAs committee is also continually taking input through this climate survey.