Hypatia Day, Math & Science Day, Planned for Middle School Girls
This photo, taken at a past Hypatia Day, is courtesy
of the South Bend Tribune.Media Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
gobrien@saintmarys.edu
(574) 284-4579
February 2, 2015 (Notre Dame, Ind)—Middle school girls will be on the Saint Mary’s College campus on Saturday, February 21, for Hypatia Day. The students will have the opportunity to shadow and learn from Saint Mary’s women majoring in subjects like computer science, math, chemistry, engineering, nursing, and biology.
Hypatia is pronounced “hi-pay-sha.” The day is named after the first known female mathematician and scientist by that name who was born in 370 A.D. Hypatia Day is unique to Saint Mary’s College and was started in 1991 to encourage young girls to discover the fun of subjects such as math and science. The deadline for registration is February 7. Click for more information on registration.
About 80 seventh grade students are expected to attend the event. By learning from current Saint Mary’s students and participating in hands-on activities and sessions, the girls will have the unique opportunity to celebrate math and science with college women who are studying these subjects. The activities will take place in Madeleva Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“I look forward to seeing all the excitement that the girls bring to the event, especially when they come back and share their experiences,” said Kristin Jehring Kuter, assistant professor of mathematics at Saint Mary’s and director of Hypatia Day.
“Participants will be encouraged to view one another as potential physicians, research scientists, actuaries, engineers, technology experts, and the like,” Kuter added.
This year, there will be more hands-on activities for the seventh graders. “We decided to increase the number of sessions because the number of STEM-related clubs at Saint Mary’s involved in the event has increased. Last year we added a computer science session, and this year we are adding a physics session,” Kuter said. (STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.)
Typically students are registered through their middle schools, but if parents hear about the event and are interested, they are welcome to register their daughter on their own.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. By the fall of 2015, pending accreditations anticipated in the spring, Saint Mary’s College will offer two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs that fall under these degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College’s mission is to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2015 published by U.S. News & World Report.
~Press release written by Caroline Stickell '16, media relations intern.