Center receives math education grant from NSF

The National Science Foundation has awarded $772,000 to NC State University’s Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE) to support a project geared to boosting interest in math-related careers among middle-school girls.

The three-year grant will be used to engage 200 Wake County girls in computer-based mathematical investigations of community problems, says Dr. Sarah Berenson, director of the NC State center and principal investigator of the “Girls on Track” project.

The project is designed to increase enthusiasm and confidence in learning mathematics among middle school girls, Berenson says. Although more females are taking advanced high school math courses, studies show that young women in college continue to avoid such math-related majors as computer-science, engineering and physics at a disproportionate rate.

The girls in the NC State program will use computer technology to explore patterns and functions, spatial reasoning, and probability and statistics. They will apply these concepts to tackle community problems in Wake County, including the shortage of public schools and low-income housing; increased pollution and deforestation; and insufficient mass transit systems.

Girls on Track also will bring together 50 Wake County algebra teachers, 25 guidance counselors, and 30 math education undergraduates from NC State and Meredith College to develop year-round activities and summer programs.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to study the factors that influence girls as they move through adolescence toward adulthood,” Berenson says. “This grant offers us a chance to design a mathematics enrichment program for middle school teachers and girls — a program that will show young women the relevance of mathematics to their lives, and just how essential a tool it is for solving community problems.”