African-American, Hispanic/Latina, and Native American women have been historically
under-represented in mathematics. In 2007, less than 2% of the doctoral degrees in
the mathematical sciences were awarded to American women from under-represented
minority groups. In March of 2012 the fourth InfinitePossibilities Conference (IPC)
was held at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). This conference,
which is the only such national meeting to focus on issues related to educating,
encouraging, and supporting minority women interested in mathematics and statistics,
was jointly sponsored by UMBC and the non-profit organization Building Diversity in
Science. The conference provides students at the high school, undergraduate and
graduate levels an opportunity to interact with peers and more established women
mathematicians in a supportive and collegial atmosphere that is unique for a
professional conference.

The five primary goals of the conference are as follows: 1) IPC provides role models
of success and achievement in mathematics. From the organizing committee to
panelists to conference participants, the conference is an occasion for
under-represented women mathematicians to interact with others at all stages of the
academic pipeline, as well as representatives from industry and government. 2) IPC
links junior mathematicians with mentors who can provide strong encouragement that
the students continue working towards their educational and professional goals. 3)
IPC provides information on necessary skills for success in graduate school, career
options, and valuable resources and organizations. 4) IPC supports mathematical
research and promotes learning opportunities in mathematics. 5) IPC provides a forum
to counteract isolation.

This year the Infinite Possibilities Conference attracted a record number of
attendees. These participants were able to benefit from the conference
by hearing invited talks by prominent minority participants who have succeeded in
mathematics and statistics. Examples included mathematical biologist Dr. Trachette
Jackson of the University of Michigan, logician and computer scientist Dr. Valeria
de Paiva of Rearden Commerce, and Dr. Freeman Hrabowski III, President of UMBC 
(and himself at one time a mathematician). A total of 22 panels and workshops on a
variety of topics provided access to information on negotiation,
balancing family and work, fellowship and grant opportunities, etc. The presenters
(primarily under-represented minority women mathematicians and statisticians) came
from academia, industry and government. On the day prior to the formal conference, a
short course on mathematical biology was held in conjunction with the Institute for
Mathematics and its Applications (University of Minnesota), and on the second day of
the formal conference, a concurrent workshop was held for high school students and
teachers which focused on the importance of mathematics in all aspects of society.
A mentoring workshop was held over lunch on the first formal day of the conference to
allow attendees to get to know each other  with the goal of
further interaction after the conference.

In total the conference attracted 262 participants with 48% of attendees being
professionals, 16% being graduate students ...

                    

                
                

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