Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Wondering, Joanne Growney
Wondering, Joanne Growney
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This 15-line poem speaks of the ways that motherhood (in contrast with fatherhood) might limit creativity and publication. The lines of the poem have syllable counts that follow the Fibonacci Numbers: 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-13-8-5-3-2-1-1.
Optimizing Maternal And Tenure Clocks: A Mathematical Proof, Tara T. Craig
Optimizing Maternal And Tenure Clocks: A Mathematical Proof, Tara T. Craig
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This essay shares my journey to solving the problem of timing, specifically as it applies to having a child on my journey towards a career as a mathematician in academia. I share some of the challenges I faced during pregnancy and the first few years of motherhood, which coincided with my first few years as an assistant professor of mathematics.
Rational Points On Surfaces And In Life, Amanda Knecht
Rational Points On Surfaces And In Life, Amanda Knecht
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This essay collects together examples of instances where I should have advocated for myself more as a mother and examples of how I have advocated for my children. Theses stories come from a mathematician who gave birth to two children while on the tenure track in an older department with only one tenured woman.
Don't Ask The Baby To Do Calculus: Thoughts From An Early-Career Math Mama, Caitlin Krul
Don't Ask The Baby To Do Calculus: Thoughts From An Early-Career Math Mama, Caitlin Krul
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
I very recently became a math mama. In my desperate search for patterns and structure in those first few weeks, my husband told me, "She's only three weeks old; we can't expect her to be doing calculus homework." I suppose he was right. I am working towards tenure and finding a new balance between teaching and family, all while trying to not lose sight of who I am. My personal challenges range from the logistics of being a nursing mother in a shared office to feelings of being seen as less adequate in my job if I present myself as …
So, Your Mom Wants To Be A Mathematician, Edie Stevens
So, Your Mom Wants To Be A Mathematician, Edie Stevens
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Despite all the stereotypes about them, mothers possess a skill set that makes them outstanding potential mathematicians. Most are organized, detail oriented, driven, determined, effective communicators; they are able to break down any concept or task into its principal components, and they can be logical and persuasive even when addressing the most formidable and unwilling audience. In short, no matter how messy, difficult, or tedious the task at hand, moms excel at getting the job done. This is my affirming story of how I left my engineering career to raise a family and returned to academia to pursue a doctoral …
On Contradiction, Piper Harron
On Contradiction, Piper Harron
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Parenting, across species, is a clumsy, all-consuming, and often exasperating endeavor. Yet in many parts of the human world, we somehow expect to contain and control this part of ourselves. We idealize the separation of work and family. This seems to be especially true in mathematics where many of us hold space in our minds for the Devoted Genius Mathematician who has no other responsibilities but to their own passions, and no obstacles beyond the difficulties of their own pursuits. The unavoidable fact is that life with children is full of absurdities and contradictions. Unless we're willing to embrace that, …
Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller
Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This essay is a personal reflection on how I leverage my positioning as a caregiver in my roles of a mathematician, teacher, and mother, to advance a vision for a more just and equitable society. I argue that care at home and in the classroom takes similar forms, and can be liberating instead of oppressive.
From Ecstasy To Agony And Back: Mathematics, Motherhood, And Postpartum Depression, Azadeh Rafizadeh
From Ecstasy To Agony And Back: Mathematics, Motherhood, And Postpartum Depression, Azadeh Rafizadeh
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
In this essay I address some challenges I had to overcome as a non-tenured mathematician mother married to another mathematician. While some of these challenges, such as lack of sleep, were predictable, many were not. For example, I was not aware that just getting pregnant would be a difficulty. Also, I did not know how paralyzing postpartum depression could be. Looking back on these experiences after a few years, I have a new perspective. I share my experiences, feelings about them, and some of the ways I figured out to overcome the hardships I experienced.
Finding Hope Amidst The Pain Of Pregnancy Loss, Jessica Oshaughnessy
Finding Hope Amidst The Pain Of Pregnancy Loss, Jessica Oshaughnessy
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Pregnancy does not come easily to all women. This story shares my personal struggles with early miscarriage and second trimester losses and the struggle to balance grief in a professional setting.
Pb & J, Elizabeth Gross
Pb & J, Elizabeth Gross
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
In this essay on academic life as a mother and a mathematician, I explore pregnancy in graduate school, parenting on the tenure-track, division of household labor, and sandwiches.
Does Math Help With Addition?, Ellen Veomett
Does Math Help With Addition?, Ellen Veomett
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Math always has the answer, right? In this humor-speckled piece, we probe the answer to that question in a challenging context: the mathematician as mother. Unfortunately, we’ll find that skill and knowledge in mathematics does not necessarily translate to skill and knowledge in making, birthing, and raising people. But can motherhood in some way improve us as mathematicians?
The Elephant (-Sized Belly) In The Room, Teena Carroll
The Elephant (-Sized Belly) In The Room, Teena Carroll
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Had I known about the grim employment statistics facing mothers in academia I might have chosen a different path. I share my story of navigating the academic job market while visibly pregnant and connect my experiences to the wider issue of biases against motherhood in academia. Ultimately I was lucky to get a tenure-track job right out of graduate school, but the environment I found myself in was hostile to me as a new mother. There has been much interest in increasing gender diversity of the professorate, especially in mathematics; it is valuable to look specifically at how motherhood and …
The Multiple Identities Of A Mathematics Professor Mom, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder
The Multiple Identities Of A Mathematics Professor Mom, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
In this essay, i dive into the multiple identities of a Mathematics Professor Mom and how we interchange those identities as we work to achieve harmony (not balance!) in our lives.
The Situatedness Of Mathematics In Motherhood And Academia, Jennifer Schenk Sacco, Jill Shahverdian
The Situatedness Of Mathematics In Motherhood And Academia, Jennifer Schenk Sacco, Jill Shahverdian
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
The authors, a mathematician and a political scientist, examine mathematics, motherhood, and academia, and argue that feminist epistemology is necessary to explain the intersection. Relying on the principles of feminist epistemology laid out by philosophers Naomi Scheman and Marianne Janack, the authors consider how work, the concept of time, teaching, arts and crafts, and decision-making all reveal the situatedness of knowing and using mathematics.
Special Issue Call For Papers: Mathematics And Motherhood, Pamela E. Harris, Becky Hall, Carrie Diaz Eaton, Emille Davie Lawrence
Special Issue Call For Papers: Mathematics And Motherhood, Pamela E. Harris, Becky Hall, Carrie Diaz Eaton, Emille Davie Lawrence
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
The Journal of Humanistic Mathematics is pleased to announce a call for papers for a special issue on Mathematics and Motherhood. Please send your abstract submissions via email to the guest editors by October 1, 2017. Initial submission of complete manuscripts is due January 1, 2018. The issue is currently scheduled to appear in July 2018.