Event will encourage girls to pursue math careers

St. Scholastica will host a day filled with activities aimed at encouraging high school girls to pursue careers in math.

The second annual Northland Sonia Kovalevsky Day (SK Day) will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 at The College of St. Scholastica. Sonia Kovalevsky was a pioneering Russian mathematician who became the first woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics.

SK Day will feature fun mathematical activities and career information for 9th – 12th grade girls in the greater Duluth/Superior area. The purpose of SK Day is to expose young women to mathematics and encourage them to continue their study of mathematics in their future endeavors.

“We are excited to be partnering with the University of Minnesota-Duluth and University of Wisconsin-Superior to support local high school girls’ continued exploration of math in preparation for careers in STEM fields,” said organizer Donna Kirk, an instructor of mathematics at St. Scholastica.

Karen Jensen, an environmental analyst/engineer with Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities, will serve as the keynote speaker. The program will also include workshops with Professor Kirk, Heather Kahler from UWS, and Shah Zamir from UMD, a panel discussion with undergraduate and graduate college students, lunch, and prizes. The keynote speech will take place during lunch between noon and 1:30 p.m. Breakout sessions will be held at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. At 2:30 p.m. there will be raffle prizes and a game, with closing remarks at 3 p.m.

Registration is now open at sites.google.com/site/duluthsuperiorskday/. Contact Donna Kirk at dkirk@css.edu with questions. Registration will close at the end of the day on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Students must be accompanied by a teacher, parent, or guardian.

The event is sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica, the American Association of University Women, UMD and UWS.