The main goal of this project, publishing engaging stories about girls who are interested in mathematics and science, is to counteract the common opinion of middle school girls that “cool” girls are neither interested in nor successful in mathematics. Inspiration for the title of the collection came from a participant in a mathematics and science enrichment program for girls at Seattle University who described her classmates as “smart, funny and nice” by way of explaining why she had enjoyed the experience so much. The girls who are featured will be well rounded, and have shown creativity, generosity and leadership. A secondary goal is to inspire faculty at other colleges and universities to design and conduct projects that encourage girls to study mathematics and science.
Please consider submitting a vignette of a girl you have worked with as a smart, funny and nice teenager. A committee of three will review the stories. Contact Kathleen Sullivan at Seattle University and make your interest known as soon as possible.
A preliminary email, letter, or phone call would be appreciated in order that we have an idea of the incoming material and we will send you a form regarding parental permission to publish. Accepted entries will be posted on our website. The ultimate goal is to have the vignettes published in book form. Submissions should be sent by email (with .doc or .html attachments). Please use standard fonts (Times or Arial) with size 10-12, JPEG format for photos or illustrations, and limit your submission to no more than 8 pages. Word (.doc) files are preferred. See the Mallory Baker sample below. The goal is to have materials collected and ready for editing by September 1, 2006.
Dr. Kathleen Sullivan email: ksulliva@seattleu.edu phone: 206-296-5931
Department of Mathematics
Seattle University
901 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
Click here to download text (.doc) of a sample article on Mallory Baker
Click here to see Smart, Funny and Nice poster session for 2006 MAA meeting (.pdf)