Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Encouraging American Girls to Embrace Math

Actress and mathematician Danica McKellar is the author of <em>Math Doesn't Suck.</em> She proved her own theorem in 2006.
Carlo Allegri
/
Getty Images
Actress and mathematician Danica McKellar is the author of Math Doesn't Suck. She proved her own theorem in 2006.

In a new book for middle-school girls, actress and mathematician Danica McKellar argues that being good at math can be cool. McKellar's book is called Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail.

Also, a team of U.S. girls recently held their own in the China Girls Mathematical Olympiad. A coach and a competitor on the U.S. girls team discuss the competition.

Maria Klawe, a mathematician and president of Harvey Mudd College, talks about the best ways to boost the number of girls and women who succeed in mathematics.

Guests:

Danica McKellar, mathematician and actress; author of Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail

Jennifer Iglesias, member of the 2007 U.S. Girls Team International Mathematics Olympiad; senior at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Melanie Matchett Wood, coach of the 2007 U.S. Girls Team, International Mathematics Olympiad; graduate student in mathematics, Princeton University

Maria Klawe, mathematician and president of Harvey Mudd College

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.