Career workshop for women in math returns to Wheaton

Rachelle DeCoste, assistant professor of mathematics, will bring her Career Mentoring Workshop for women (CaMeW) to Wheaton for the second consecutive summer, thanks to a grant of $6,000 from the Mathematical Association of America/Tensor Foundation.

The workshop will be held at Wheaton from July 26-28, and the application deadline is May 15.

CaMeW is a three-day program for women entering their final year of graduate school in mathematics. Its aim is to highlight skills of the job-search process while helping the women form a network of support for questions, concerns and advice. Participants are chosen for the program based on their ability to articulate the benefits they think they will gain, as well as on a "genuine interest in meeting other women" in the field, says DeCoste.

She notes that some participants come from departments with very few women graduate students, and they are looking for other women with whom they can share their experiences. 

DeCoste's inspiration for the workshop came from her own experiences and observations throughout her job search.

"Frequently, as a graduate student finishes her dissertation, her advisor--who may have finished his or her own Ph.D. more than twenty years before--is the only source of advice on her career," says DeCoste. "Open and honest conversations with those who have recently been successful in beginning their careers at a variety of institutions will offer an additional perspective for the finishing graduates."

DeCoste wants to see more women starting their careers in mathematics with knowledge of their options, confidence in themselves and support from others.

The goal of the CaMeW program is for each of the 15 participants to learn an array of job-process skills such as interviewing and presentation of their dissertations, and to learn about postdoctoral and grant opportunities. Workshop presentations will include a keynote speaker as well as discussion led by junior and senior faculty members in mathematics.

DeCoste, who joined the Wheaton faculty after her initial founding of CaMeW in 2007 at West Point (USMA), held a second workshop at Wheaton in July 2008. DeCoste is excited about bringing CaMeW to Wheaton for a second time.

"Wheaton's history as a women's college is extremely important to its present and future," she says. "We need to support programs that help increase the number of women and minorities in traditionally male fields such as math and science.

"Wheaton has been a welcoming place for me personally," she continued, "and it provides a supportive environment for the participants so they feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues: How do you balance a family and a career? How do you find the job you want when maybe your Ph.D. adviser thinks you should be doing something else?"

Previous CaMeW participants have indicated in surveys that "they felt very well-informed and prepared for the stresses of the job search after their participation in the workshop," cites DeCoste.

"We present a diverse array of experiences," she adds, "and I think we open the participants' eyes to the fact that there are many different paths to 'success' and we should each define success for ourselves and not let outside influences determine what makes us happy professionally."

DeCoste notes that the college has encouraged her efforts to bring the workshop to Wheaton. "Both the Math/Computer Science Department and the Provost's Office have been very supportive of this program from the moment I mentioned it, when I was interviewing here. I appreciate their support and participation in this program and hope that will continue."

Wheaton received additional support for the program from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the United States Military Academy (USMA), Wheaton's Office of the Provost, SMP, Carleton College's Summer Math Program for Women and Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE).