ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 1, 1996 TAG: 9611010017
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
As a slew of young girls rush to sit at computer stations, Pam Newberry explained how they all can be successful at math:
"Ninety-five percent of it is believing in themselves."
Newberry, a former teacher from Wythe County and winner of a presidential award for teaching, passed along that message during Virginia Tech's second annual career day - just for girls, and focused solely on math and science.
About 120 girls from middle schools in Montgomery and Giles counties and Radford converged in the math department's computer rooms Wednesday. They all volunteered to come; a few schools even had to hold a lottery to fill the limited spots.
Last year, the math department held an entire week celebrating women in mathematics. Though it didn't hold another weeklong celebration, coordinator Susan Anderson said the department received so much positive feedback about the career day that it decided to hold the event again. Studies have shown that girls traditionally are not encouraged to pursue the study of mathematics, she said.
Anderson said the department wanted to focus on middle school girls to catch their interest before they lose their confidence, and interest, in math and science.
"This is a great age for us to say, 'Don't forget, you can do this,'" Newberry said. "They haven't made up their minds yet that they can't."
Newberry led groups of girls through the Internet, to a Women in Mathematics history scavenger hunt. They discovered many of the early women mathematicians had to use a pseudonym to have their work recognized.
Denise Lew said that's changed now, and she's glad. As she scanned a graphing program at another computer station, the Dalton Intermediate eighth-grader said she's already taking Algebra I.
She likes math so much, she said, she practices it after school with a team called Mathcounts. They work on math puzzles to prepare for competition against other area schools. This year, she said, she is sure they're going to beat their main rival, Blacksburg Middle.
Those kinds of programs, Newberry said, are helping to attract more girls - and boys - who aren't typical "left-brained" thinkers. Pupils are now explaining math theories with words, "which helps the ones who are writers and gives them ownership in their learning."
She said teachers are beginning to show the application of math and science in everyday life, and in their future.
During a panel discussion, Tech graduate student and Air Force Capt. Dawn Stewart told the girls that employers in all kinds of fields look for people with good math skills.
"Math majors can adapt to other fields. They have logic skills and can formulate solutions clearly," she said.
That inspired Meridith Anderson, a 10th-grader at Auburn High School who managed to slip in with the middle school girls.
"I never realized there was so much out there," she said.
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. "The teacher has a lot to do with" whether girlsby CNBenjoy math. "If a teacher makes it interesting, then it can be fun."
Meridith Anderson, 10th grade, Auburn High School
2. "I like the math challenges that we do. We have to sign this
math contract and we have to finish this whole list of math puzzles
and stuff."
Tabitha Brizendine, sixth grade, Christiansburg Middle School
3. "I thought you could only be a teacher if you went into math, but
there's so much you can do." Boys in her class "don't like math as
much as I do. I think it's fun, and, you know, challenging."
Alex Kopakowski, sixth grade, Blacksburg Middle School