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Dr. Jennifer Quinn is the President of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and a professor of mathematics at the University of Washington Tacoma. She earned her BA, MS, and PhD from Williams College, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin, respectively.
Dr. Quinn has held many positions of national leadership in mathematics including Executive Director of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), and previously for the MAA: co-editor of Math Horizons, Second Vice President, Chair of the Council on Publications, and Officer-at-Large on the Board of Directors.
Committed to making mathematics accessible, appreciated, and humane, Dr. Quinn also serves on the STEAM Learning Collaborative Action Network, part of the Foundation for Tacoma Students, whose goal is to expand interest, experience, and success in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics for all Tacoma students—particularly girls, students of color, and those impacted by poverty.
Dr. Quinn received a 2007 Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching, and a 2006 Beckenbach Book award for Proofs That Really Count: The Art of Combinatorial Proof, co-authored with Arthur Benjamin. For more than a year, Dr. Quinn has been writing a blog, Math in the Time of Corona, with frequent posts on emergency remote teaching, maintaining humanity, and building community in isolation.
Please note that this interview is from 2021.“Mathematical thinking underlies rational thought; mathematics is the universal language of problem-solving,” says Jennifer Quinn, PhD, President of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). “In a world chock-full of data, mathematics and statistics are powerful tools to promote transparent data-driven decision-making.”
It’s hard to overstate the impact of mathematics in today’s society. It powers the computers, smartphones, and applications that turn the gears of the world. In many respects, math is simply a form of truth. But the elegance of mathematical solutions and the subtleties of mathematical logic mean that math’s impact is sometimes missed by the people who are affected by it most.
“The beauty and power of mathematics are unnoticed by much of society,” Dr. Quinn says. “Math and Statistics Awareness Month empowers organizations like MAA to showcase the impact of mathematics on our world. Mathematics is everywhere, and must be accessible to everyone at any age.”
In modern history, mathematicians have been predominantly white and male, part of a dominant trend that continues to today. But this doesn’t make mathematical or statistical sense: white males are not naturally better at mathematics than other demographics, so why the imbalance? Several biases—some intentional, and some unintentional—have combined to create a skewed outcome, and today’s mathematicians are seeking to correct it.
“The mathematics community must create an environment where diverse mathematicians can thrive,” Dr. Quinn says. “There is a history of false ideas of who can succeed in mathematics. MAA is committed to addressing the entrenched inequalities that remain so that we can grow together to more effectively pursue our vision of a society that values the power and beauty of mathematics and fully realizes its potential to promote human flourishing.”
While greater inclusion and more accurate representation is a desirable outcome in and of itself, there are additional tangible benefits to achieving it. A diverse world requires diverse solutions, and as society’s most pressing issues become more complex and wide-reaching, a broad range of perspectives are needed to develop solutions that address them most effectively.
“The equation is simple,” Dr. Quinn says. “More voices = more ideas = greater progress.”
Presently, acccoding the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 26.2 percent of those working in computer and mathematical occupations are women. Nearly 60 percent of those working in this field are white, while 23.3 percent are Asian, 8.5 are Black or African American, and 8.3 are Hispanic or Latinx.
The future of mathematics depends upon adaptation, and the field’s adaptive abilities were put to the test over the past two years, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Perhaps the area of mathematics hardest hit was the classroom, which, during an abrupt shift to remote learning, had to adjust to an entirely new paradigm.
“The mathematicians most deserving of our praise and recognition are math teachers at all levels,” Dr. Quinn says. “During the pandemic, there was no plan, no training, no intentional curriculum development—only a global health crisis. Teachers responded by sharing their mathematical knowledge and passions in new ways. They worked to maintain a sense of normalcy in unprecedented times and absolutely deserve our recognition, appreciation, and gratitude.”
As mathematics begins to look past the pandemic, the focus remains on applying a core universal truth: that math belongs to everyone. Today’s mathematicians will help create the world that tomorrow’s live in, and it will hopefully look more diverse, more equitable, and more inclusive.
“The Mathematical Association of America is committed to building an inclusive community, one where everyone belongs and contributes to advance the understanding of mathematics and its impact on the world,” Dr. Quinn says.
To accomplish this goal their Task Force on Understanding and Documenting the Historical Role of the AMS in Racial Discrimination published a report in March of 2021 titled Towards a Fully Inclusive Mathematics Profession. This report details the historial role the AMS has played in discrimination and the steps needed to make progress. Recommendations for change include establishing a Vice President for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, publicizuing the expertise of mathematicians of color, and creating and supporting programs to further the career development of mathematicians of color.
The field of mathematics is a collective sum of many diverse parts. To connect with the broader mathematics community, and learn about the ways in which mathematics is evolving towards a more equitable future, check out some of the resources below.
Matt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California. Since 2018, he’s written extensively about a wide range of engineering disciplines, with a particular focus on the potential impacts of major technological breakthroughs. His work largely centers around conversations with engineering faculty at top universities, highlighting their research in areas such as nuclear power, artificial intelligence, soft robotics, and semiconductor design. He’s also worked with leaders and subject matter experts at the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
By reading a select number of engineering blogs, university students can gain access to the thoughts of some of the best engineers in the world, and get on the path to becoming one themselves.
The concepts of civil engineering are particularly well-suited for the game environment, emphasizing the proper distribution of resources, the management of supply chains, and how the built environment interacts with the lived environment.
This year’s National Engineers Week takes place from February 19-25, 2023. First founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Engineers Week brings together a formal coalition of over 70 engineering, education, and cultural societies and more than 50 corporations and government agencies.
Diversity and inclusivity aren’t purely idealistic goals. A growing body of research shows that greater diversity, particularly within executive teams, is closely correlated with greater profitability. Today’s businesses are highly incentivized to identify a diverse pool of top talent, but they’ve still struggled to achieve it. Recent advances in AI could help.
The ability of a computer to learn and problem solve (i.e., machine learning) is what makes AI different from any other major technological advances we’ve seen in the last century. More than simply assisting people with tasks, AI allows the technology to take the reins and improve processes without any help from humans.
