Georgia Tech ADVANCE and Colleges of Sciences and Engineering Welcome
Professor Mel Hochster from the University of Michigan
"Women in STEM Disciplines: Lessons from Mathematics"
Thursday April 23, 2015
Student Success Center Clary Theater
3:00-4:00pm
Reception immediately following in the Student Success Center Hall of Success
Is bias towards women in mathematics a thing of the past?
How much have things improved? If there is still a problem, what can be done about it? The talk will discuss these issues first, historically, in terms of the obstacles faced by two famous mathematicians,
Sonya Kovalevksky, who had to enter a fictitious marriage to study mathematics, and Emmy Noether,who had to teach under someone elseâ??s name. What about now? The results of several studies of
unconscious bias may be a surprise to many: both men and women have these prejudices equally, everyone does, and what seem like useful credentials may help men and hurt women.
Professor Melvin Hochster, a leading researcher in commutative algebra, is a member of National Academy of Sciences, and was the recipient of the prestigious Cole Prize for his outstanding contribution in Algebra. He has had more than thirty doctoral students, and he has played an
outstanding role in mentoring women students pursuing a career in mathematics. He was one of the founding members of the University of Michigan ADVANCE STRIDE committee. Currently he is the
chair of the department of Mathematics and the Jack E. McLaughlin Distinguished University Professor of Mathematics at University of Michigan.
