Sounds of female voices filled the normally silent Carnegie Library Reading Room Oct. 22, when the Syracuse University mathematics department and the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science hosted the seventh annual Sonia Kovalevsky festival.

The festival brought female high school students to the university from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, where they were able to interact with female professors in mathematics and the sciences. The festival was organized by Marjory Baruch, an adjunct professor in computer science at SU.

The original idea of the festival came from the Association for Women in Mathematics, a national organization. The festival honors Kovalevsky, the first female to receive a doctorate in mathematics, Baruch said.

This year’s festival was funded by SU and the Technology Alliance for Central New York, Baruch said.

The festival was open to female high school students in grades 10 to 12 from all high schools, public and private, in Onondaga County. The event was attended by 35 girls and the 10 math and science teachers who invited them.

Stephanie Ladd, a math teacher at Nottingham High School, has brought girls to the event every year since it was started.

‘This is an important program for any girl who might be interested in the fields of math or science,’ Ladd said.

The program emphasizes the idea that math and science are areas that people in general can excel in, not just the male gender, Baruch said.

‘I think that the world could use the talents of women as well as men. Women can express themselves and contribute to math and science fields,’ Baruch said.

At the festival, the girls each chose to attend two of five workshops led by female SU professors in math, science, computer science and engineering, Baruch said.

The workshops offered were ‘Making Everyday Access Control Decisions with Logic’

with Dr. Susan Older, ‘The Magic of Electrostatic’ with Dr. Alessandra Di Credico, ‘Biometrics: Recognition of Humans Through Faces’ with Dr. Lisa Osadciw and Yanjun Yan, ‘Primes’ with Dr. Maritza Branker and ‘What Color is My Hat?’ with Dr. Susan Cooper.

The workshops were hands-on activities involving problem solving and critical thinking. The girls were given a problem to solve together with help from the professors, Baruch said.

‘The girls leave the workshops with answers, but also with more questions to think about,’ she said.

After the two morning workshops, the girls had a lunch break where they socialized with each other and the teachers and professors. They shared stories of the day, as well as their own personal experiences. The professors also gave advice about college and careers in the fields of math and science.

During lunch, the girls also had a chance to do an assortment of math puzzles, which were spread out on one table. On another table, there was an assortment of books for the girls to look at, with such titles as ‘Portraits of Women Scientists’ and ‘She Does Math: Real Life Problems from Women on the Job.’

Posters adorned the walls of the Carnegie Library Reading Room. One poster, titled ‘Women in Science of Past and Present,’ showed various women who have made history in various science fields. Another poster, titled ‘Math isn’t just another four-letter word,’ showed math’s real-life applications.

After lunch, there was a panel discussion with the professors, where the girls could ask any questions they had about the fields of math, science and engineering and the career options they present, Baruch said.

‘I was very impressed with the questions the girls had,’ said Lisa Osadciw, a professor of electrical engineering and a workshop leader.

Many attendees agreed the event was a success.

‘I learned a lot. The professors were very insightful,’ said Kendra Strong, a junior at Bishop Ludden High School who hopes to major in aerospace engineering in college and dreams of someday becoming an astronaut.

‘I was expecting lectures, but the workshops were very interactive and thought-provoking,’ said Erica Sponster, a junior at Nottingham High School who hopes to go into computer designing and programming.

Many girls who attend the Sonia Kovalevsky Festival often go on to major in math or science in college, said Baruch.

‘The festival is a great way to let the girls and their families know that (these careers) are an option,’ Baruch said.

Published on October 22, 2005 at 12:00 pm