The Program for Women and Mathematics is an annual two-week program organized at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), co-sponsored by Princeton University. The program takes place each spring and is organized by senior women in mathematics; it centers around a mathematical theme that changes from year-to-year. The participants span different levels; they include undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and senior women. The goals of the program are to enhance the mathematics education of talented women mathematicians through a rigorous and intense academic program, and to retain these women in the field by providing mentoring and by establishing an extensive network of women mathematicians. Program activities include an undergraduate-to-beginning-graduate course in an area related to the research subject of the year, an advanced graduate course, usually divided into two separate short courses, intended to be an introduction to state-of- the-art research in that year's chosen field of mathematics; research seminars in which reports from postdoctoral level participants; problem and review sessions; and women-in-science seminars that include interviews with senior women in the field, panel discussions on topics of interest and organized discussions on subjects which range from how to set up a Noetherian Ring to interviewing for a job.
The Program for Women and Mathematics has been running for more than 15 years. It consistently receives rave reviews. The program is not only praised for its intense scientific curriculum, it is also unique in representing different mathematical professional paths and different stages in such a path. Participants establish strong professional relationships that far outlast the ten-day academic program. The establishment of a network of women at various levels, who can (and do!) support and mentor one another through difficult transition points, has been a well-cultivated outcome of the program, and is something that expands and becomes stronger as the program continues.
