Firstly, I would like to thank IMA for the opportunity to participate in the European Women in Mathematics General Meeting 2022 and share the experience with IMA members by awarding me a Grant Without Portfolio.
The European Women in Mathematics (EWM) is an international association whose members are people of the mathematical community who are particularly interested in investigating the reasons why women are underrepresented in mathematics. The core values of the association are to encourage more women to study mathematics by supporting their career and by providing many networking opportunities through the promotion of highly scientific talks and events. EWM also offers a mentoring programme with the aim to bring together a younger member with a more experienced one in order to provide different perspectives, motivate and inspire.
For all these reasons, undergraduate students are welcome to join the society, and so I have become a member of the organisation, participating in the different events that they organise, in particular the General Meeting.
Studying mathematics at a university level has made me realise more than ever how mathematics is truly an open subject and in order to achieve great results it is essential to cooperate with other mathematicians and work with like-minded people who share the same interests and goals. Moreover, I believe that, even though the number of female students that decide to read mathematics at higher level is increasing, being part of a community that supports women in mathematics and works hard to achieve gender equality is essential. These are some of the reasons why I have become a member of the EWM.
In particular, I decided to participate in the EWM General Meeting because of the great opportunity it would provide in understanding what an international conference is like, which is essential for the path I would like to undertake. Indeed, it offered me the chance to meet and be inspired by incredibly talented mathematicians from different countries with different experiences and cultural backgrounds. Lastly, since I organised the exhibition “Women in Mathematics throughout Europe: a gallery of portraits” at my secondary school, I felt that this was the best opportunity to meet some of promoters of this project and to take part in a session focussing on gender issues within mathematics, which is a topic very close to my heart. Indeed, it has helped me to have a better insight on this issue and to think of new and creative ways to promote mathematics to younger generations.
This year, the five days EWM General Meeting was held from the 22nd to the 26th of August at Aalto University in Finland, with lectures and Mini Symposia presented by incredibly talented mathematicians. I am extremely happy to say that attending the General Meeting lived up to my expectations. In fact, I had the chance to attend different talks from many branches of mathematics, varying from algebraic geometry to applications of mathematics in industry, which helped me realise what my mathematical interests are and what type of research is available in particular areas of mathematics. Moreover, one of the main fears that undergraduate students have is that mathematics has already all been discovered and nothing more can be accomplished. Participating in the conference contrasted this idea by letting me understand how research in mathematics is still ongoing and incredibly open and how each of us can make a significant contribution in new and developing areas of mathematical research. Knowing this is very empowering, stimulating my desire to continue studying mathematics, and to encourage younger generations to choose mathematics or other STEM subjects at a university level.
Therefore, if the number of undergraduate students at these kinds of events is not really high it is maybe not because of the lack of interest in the subject, but actually the interest is so strong that one is afraid of not being able to understand enough during the conference! Perhaps most of the topics covered were really demanding and difficult to grasp in some parts, but the presence of such kind and inspiring mathematicians assure you that with time and perseverance everyone can give their own contribution to the subject.
Another key point of the General Meeting was the exhibition “European Women in Mathematics Throughout Europe: A Gallery of Portraits” exhibited throughout the conference. Compared to the old version held at my secondary school, the new one has even more powerful voices as it has been extended to 20 female mathematicians. Some of them also participated in the General Meeting and I had the chance to see them when talking about their research in such a lively way, which was extremely motivating. The nice idea behind the project is the fact that it is a traveling exhibit, so anyone who wishes to organise it can, and it will then be added on the Exhibition web page. Interestingly, there are also extended versions of the exhibition such as the Australian Version featuring sixteen Australian female mathematicians. This is certainly another nice way to inspire young generations to pursue a career in mathematics.
Therefore, I would like to conclude by thanking IMA once again for the grant. IMA has always supported undergraduate students and promoted scientific communication. By organising different events and by giving undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in them and to become members as well, IMA helps students to develop their own mathematical potential. It has been an honour for me to participate in the EWM General Meeting and I hope that this short report may be of interest to other members of the IMA.
Veronica Bitonti, Department: Mathematics, UCL
