Summer Program for Women in Mathematics

Author: Kathy Phillips

The Summer Program for Women in Mathematics (SPWM) is a program for undergraduate women in math who are interested in pursuing graduate degrees. This five week program, held at George Washington University every summer, gives participants the opportunity to take four short courses from research mathematicians as well as attend a variety of seminars. The program is a wonderful opportunity for undergraduate women to learn more about graduate studies in the mathematical sciences.  For ACMS graduate student Amy Buchmann, this program helped influence her area of study. During the summer of her senior year at Chapman University, Ms. Buchmann enrolled in the SPWM program and took various courses such as “Modeling Cancer with Immunotherapy”, “Algebraic Number Theory”, “Mathematical Modeling in Biology and Physiology” and “An Introduction to Dynamical Systems”.  After doing so and meeting various women with graduate degrees, she decided to pursue a PhD in the mathematical sciences. In January, she attended the SPWM Reunion held at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Diego where she gave a talk about the Myxococcus xanthus clustering studies that she has been working on.