The World Mathematical Year 2000 brought about a number of events and initiatives in Sweden. The purpose was to stimulate the interest in mathematics among the general public and young persons in particular. One of these events, the Sonja Kovalevsky Days, has become a yearly tradition and will take place for the fifth time this year (2004). These days offer an opportunity for students from upper secondary schools to get acquainted with mathematics of a different kind than commonly met in school.
The following are citations from participants about their perception of mathematics after the Sonja Kovalevsky Days:
“I realize that it /mathematics/ can be found everywhere.”
“I will tell my teacher that mathematics is more than just calculating.”
“My perception /of mathematics/ has partly changed. Much of what is mathematics I thought was something else.”
“Mathematics has become more interesting and I really appreciate that it can be used in many areas.”
There is a strongly felt need to increase the interest among students to enter studies in mathematics at university level and to stimulate young persons to choose a career as professional mathematicians. Although mathematics is a large subject at
tertiary level, it is most often studied as a service subject. The number of students specialising in mathematics ought to increase, considering the great impact of mathematics in society and the growing demand from industry and management of qualified mathematicians. Moreover, mathematics seems to have a much harder time nowadays to compete with other areas for the brightest students than a couple of decades ago.
The low interest in mathematics is most pronounced among women. This is far from new, mathematics as a professional field has always been strongly male dominated in Sweden. The situation is developing towards a more balanced one, but only slowly. The numbers speak for themselves. At upper secondary level the proportion of female students among those choosing the science program is about 45% and among those taking the most advanced course in mathematics 35%. At tertiary level the numbers are even more unbalanced; the proportion of women is about one third among students of mathematics at undergraduate level and one fourth among graduate and PhD students. At the highest level, among professors, lecturers and those holding post-doc positions only 14% are women.
It was against this background that the Swedish National Committee for Mathematics at the Royal Academy of Sciences for the first time arranged a two-day conference for upper secondary students in 2000. The days were named after Sonja Kovalevsky (1850-1891), the great 19th century mathematician who during her last years was professor in mathematics at Stockholm University. At that time it was rare for a university to welcome a woman as a professor and it was only thanks to radical forces tied to the university, among them professor Gösta Mittag-Leffler, that Sonja Kovalevsky got the professorship. The naming of the days after Sonja Kovalevsky marked the gender perspective on the days.
All high schools in Sweden with a science program are invited to send two students, one female and one male, to attend the Sonja Kovalevsky Days. The number of students participating is about 200 and almost all are in one of the last school years of high school (school year 11 or 12). The schools may select the two students any way they (the teachers) wish, i.e. through a lottery among interested or by selecting someone on her/his merits in mathematics. The conference lasts for two full days (Friday – Saturday) in the middle of the fall semester each year. The venue is always a university campus but different mathematics departments have had the responsibility to arrange the days in co-operation with the National Committee. In 2000 and 2001 the department for computer science and numerical analysis at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm was hosting the days. The next two years, 2002 and 2003, the Centre for Mathematical Sciences arranged the Sonja Kovalevsky Days at Lund University in southern Sweden. Linköping University and its Department of Mathematics take over the responsibility this year (2004). By moving the Days around to all big Swedish universities it becomes evident that the event represents a common enterprise for the mathematical community of Sweden.
The program consists of a mix of lectures, workshops, exhibitions, problem solving sessions and other activities. The goal is to let the participants meet and get acquainted with other students of their age with whom they share a common interest in mathematics. The aim is also to let those who wish meet university students in mathematics as well as enthusiastic mathematicians. There is plenty of time for social interaction.
Then invited lecturers are chosen among mathematicians who have the rare ability to talk in a stimulating and exciting way about mathematics to an audience whose knowledge of mathematics is limited. The speakers have succeeded with this
challenging task in an impressive way so far. All invited lecturers and other contributors have accepted and seem happy to take part in the days. Most speakers are from Sweden, but one or two internationally well-known and eminent mathematicians have also been invited and accepted to give lectures each year. Among those are John Conway, Benoit Mandelbrot and Simon Singh. Pure and applied mathematics as well as industrial applications are highlighted in the program. Mathematics as a professional field is illustrated by personal accounts from the lecturers about their careers during a panel session.
The aim is that the program should be gender neutral in the sense that women and men contribute and participate in the same number. This goal has not been possible to reach completely when it comes to contributors, but at least one third among them have been female. Hopefully this will help to counteract conceptions among both female and male students of mathematics as a male domain. The female mathematicians also serve as a model for the female students in the audience.
With exceptions for one or two main lectures, the talks are fairly short, about 30 minutes. The reason is that the students are not used to longer lectures. There is a long session of more than two hours each of the two days for activities. It is important to let the students experience mathematics in several ways, and share these among themselves. There is always some kind of entertainment in the program, a theatre with a mathematical theme or some music with a mathematical touch.
University students act as mentors. Each group of about 15-20 participants have two older students - one female and one male - as their mentors during the days. The high school students spend time together with their mentors discussing mathematics, studies in general or other topics of interest. The mentors also help the students with practical information.
The days have been very well received and are evaluated by letting the students answer a questionnaire before leaving. Most students are very positive and express their appreciation of the programme, the arrangements, the environment and the pleasant atmosphere. The rating of the different parts of the program differ somewhat between female and male students. The male students are in general a little more positive as a group, but the female students value the female speakers more positively than do the male students. The difference is not huge but it is obvious. The interpretation may be that the female students identify more with female speakers and therefore get more interested in the topic.
The National Committee and the departments involved have demonstrated the importance of considering gender aspects while turning to the young generation. They do this by arranging the Sonja Kovalevsky Days with a clear gender perspective. Without the conscious policy adopted the days could easily have worked as a reinforcement of the current situation instead of being – as they hopefully are – a means for approaching a better gender balance and less stereotyped attitudes within the mathematical community.