KINGSTON, RI – March 19, 2025—The URI Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) hosted its inaugural event on February 3, with guest speaker Dr. Sarah Olson, a URI alum.
The AWM was founded in 1971 by a group of women mathematicians to promote gender equality and equal opportunity in the mathematics field. It now has over 100 chapters worldwide. Once student interest became prominent, the organization came to URI in 2024.
“It is actually something that we have been discussing as a department for a while,” faculty advisor Dr. Irma Stevens said. “I was part of the organization as an undergrad, so I was aware of the benefits of having something like this on campus.”
The URI chapter began as a small group of graduate students and has since established itself as an official chapter at the university. The group’s inaugural event was advertised to all undergraduate and graduate students to promote inclusivity and diversity of interest within the field.