Annual Sonia Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Day to be Held April 12

VALDOSTA -- Valdosta State University will hold its 17th Annual Sonia Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Day for Girls (SK Day) Thursday, April 12 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m in the Student Union Ballroom.

The event is held in honor of Sonia Kovalevsky, the first woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics. SK Day includes a day of activities that explore engineering, math, computer science and astrology. Workshops will encourage students and teachers to think of such areas as appropriate career fields for women.

"There has been a decrease in the number of women in the STEM (Science, Technology, and Mathematics) fields while there is expected to be a significant increase in the job demand in that area," said Dr. Denise Reid, professor of math and computer science. "Investing time with these young ladies will hopefully show them what possibilities are out there for them, what they are capable of doing and encourage them to pursue STEM areas. I'm very excited about VSU hosting this event again this year."

Reid has served as director for SK Day since its inception at VSU and will once again co-direct this year with Dr. Sandy Trowell, assistant professor of math and computer science.

Kovalevsky (1850-1891) was the first major Russian female mathematician, responsible for important original contributions to analysis, differential equations and mechanics, and the first woman appointed to a full professorship in Northern Europe. The champion for women’s rights in the 19th century published several groundbreaking theories that were the impetus for future discoveries.

VSU’s SK Day is funded through a grant from the Association for Women in Mathematics through the National Science Foundation. Additional sponsors include the Department of Math and Computer Science, Texas Instruments, Wild Adventures, The Learning Tree, Pearson, Cengage and VSU Bookstore.

For more information about SK Day, contact Reid at (229) 333-5784 or dtreid@valdosta.edu . View the SK Day schedule of events at http://dl.dropbox.com/u/50085136/Screen%20shot%202012-04-09%20at%205.11.47%20PM.png .