The EDGE (Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education) Program, introduced in 1998 with funding from the National Science Foundation, is a transition program for women designed to improve retention rates in graduate programs in mathematics. The program provides a supportive and positive learning environment for its women participants, one-half of whom are from underrepresented groups, in the summer prior to graduate school. The EDGE Summer Program helps students anticipate and prepare for first-year difficulties. Support continues in the first year of graduate school by insuring that students have local mentors and are integrated into the social and academic community of their departments. The EDGE Program addresses barriers that have been identified by many studies as detrimental to the success of women and minorities in graduate school, and provides new models for overcoming those barriers.
This collaborative project between Bryn Mawr and Spelman Colleges will build on nine years of experience to advance the program's goals of improved retention for women and minority students, and further development and dissemination of effective models to achieve this goal. The four major components of the project are: (1) renewal of the EDGE Summer Program for four years, 2008-2011; (2) concurrent workshops for targeted graduate and undergraduate faculty aimed at promoting collaboration among the EDGE Program and these departments; (3) a conference "Promoting Diversity at the Graduate Level in Mathematics: A National Forum" at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Summer, 2008 (jointly funded by the National Security Agency); and (4) "Second-Generation" EDGE activities, including continuation of Regional Mentoring Clusters that extend the EDGE mentoring model to advanced graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty in close geographical proximity.
This project will ultimately diversify the mathematics community by creating models for mathematics programs and organizations that allow people from all backgrounds and cultures to thrive, advance, and contribute to the profession.
Bryn Mawr and Spelman Colleges received support for a four-year collaborative project whose goal is to improve the recruitment, performance and retention of women and minority students in graduate programs in mathematics. The EDGE Program was launched in 1998 to strengthen the ability of female students to successfully complete graduate programs in the mathematical sciences with a particular emphasis on including women from minority groups. In 14 years, EDGE has evolved into a model for the successful recruitment, retention and support of a diverse group of graduate students in the mathematical sciences. Graduate programs from across the country have recognized EDGE as an effective model and have adopted various aspects of the EDGE Program to be implemented in their departments so that all graduate students benefit. In 2007, The EDGE Program was recognized by the American Mathematical Society (AMS) as a "Program that Makes a Difference." The EDGE Program consists of two major components: the summer session and a follow-up mentoring program in the first year of graduate study. The summer session is a four–week residential program that consists of two main workshops in areas that are central to student success in most doctoral programs–Analysis and Algebra. The workshops are an immersion experience that simulates the fast pace of studying graduate-level mathematics and includes considerable problem solving. Other components of the summer session include minicourses in vital areas of mathematical research, guest lectures by short– term visitors from academia and industry, instruction in LaTeX, mentoring, and group problem-solving sessions. In previous years, the summer sessions have also been hosted by Pomona College, North Carolina A&T University, New College of Florida, North Carolina State University, and Florida A&M University. For the follow-up mentoring program, participants are paired with mentors at their graduate institution to form the core of a supportive network that will remain available throughout the graduate-student years. The EDGE Program has transformed the mathematics community by increasing the number of women, particularly from minority groups, who succeed in graduate programs in the mathematical sciences; who assume leadership roles in academia, industry, and government; and who ultimately diversify the mathematical community and provide a sustainable increase in the pool of available talent. Increased diversity in the mathematics community will ultimately strengthen U.S. competitiveness in mathematics and science and allow people from all backgrounds and cultures to thrive, advance, and contribute to the profession. "EDGErs": Where are they now? After 14 years, 175 women have participated in the EDGE Program, 56 with the support of this grant. 46 have completed their PhDs 49 are still working towards their PhDs, and 74 have received a Master's degree (as their highest degree). EDGErs are tenured and tenure-track faculty at colleges and universities around the country, they are research associates, postdoctoral fellows, Congressional fellows, chairs of departments, teachers, and Fulbright scholars. They have been awarded fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the University of California, Oxford University, and the American Mathematical Society. They are designing and managing their own externally-funded projects and programs, including workshops that provide career mentoring, research experiences for STEM undergraduates, and preparation for future teachers. Their global impact is evidenced by their study and attendance at conferences around the world including Tel Aviv University, Imperial College, London, Universite de Picardie, France, Stockholm University, and the Institut Mittag-Leffler in Sweden. A summary of the data reveals that EDGErs are: at the forefront of educational innovation, creating programs to transform collegiate and K-12 education; in academia, preparing the next generation of STEM scholars and conducting research in areas ranging from the progression of type 2 diabetes to the impact of aerosol particles on the climate; in the halls of Congress, working to advance the interests of underrepresented groups in STEM fields at the national level; in India, conducting a cross-cultural study of education for women; in London, studying protein interactions and their ability to regulate cellular decision making; in France, developing ``biologically validated" models of tumor growth/treatment; in Cameroon, helping developing nations conduct scientific research without the use of expensive equipment; using cutting-edge techniques in mathematics and science to solve problems of global importance; mentoring and coaching young women who are in the academic job market; and discovering new and more effective techniques in cancer immunotherapy.
