THE COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE HOSTS
SONIA KOVALEVSKY MATHEMATICS DAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS

NEW ROCHELLE, NY, April 7, 2008 – The College of New Rochelle (CNR) School of Arts & Sciences Mathematics Department will host its first Sonia Kovalevsky Mathematics Day on Saturday, April 12, 2008 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on its Main Campus in New Rochelle.

Sonia Kovalevsky was the most widely known Russian mathematician of the late 19th century. A distinguished writer and advocate for women’s rights, her prominence as a professional mathematician reached its apex in 1888 when she received the prestigious Prix Bordin from the French Academie des Sciences for one of her research papers. The selection committee – unaware that the writer was a woman -- voted unanimously in favor of the winning paper. Mathematics Days for High School Girls are intended to encourage young women to continue their study of mathematics as they move from high school to college.

At CNR’s Sonia Kovalevsky event, students will attend sessions such as “How to Pass Notes & Not Get Caught (An intro to Cryptography),” and participate in a Problem Solving Contest and Game Show and a Career Panel. Dr. Maryam Hastings, a mathematics professor at Fordham University and founder of the Marymount Science/Mathematics Workshop for High School Girls, will deliver a keynote address. Dr. Hastings was featured in the book She Does Math!, published by the Mathematics Association of America.

A session for teachers on “Using Data to Study Functions” will be offered. Teachers attending with their students are eligible to receive Professional Development Units.  

For information, contact Dr. Michelle Merriweather at 914-654-5462 or mmerriweather@cnr.edu