The Principal Investigators are planning to organize the conference at MIT during the weekend of April 12-13, 2008. The talks will range over a wide variety of subjects in Analysis, Algebraic Geometry and Combinatorics, Topology, Applied Mathematics, and theoretical computer science and three of these talks will be accessible to the general public. The seven colloquia will be accompanied by two panels discussing the lives of women in mathematics at different stages of their careers. The PIs hope to attract junior (undergraduate/graduate/postdocs) women and minorities. The PIs hope to reach a worldwide audience and to establish a permanent presence of the conference by setting up a web presentation around videos of the event.
The PIs' vision is to center the meeting around horizontal and vertical interactions, encouraged by talks and ample time for informal gatherings. They believe that this is the best way to attract young women into mathematics and to nurture those already in the field through mentoring and networking. They also believe that role models are of vital importance for successful scientific careers.