Faculty & Students Present at Nebraska Conference for Women in Math

Sloane Kinley ’26 (Nisbet Honors, CCW)  and Tabitha Merrithew ’25 (Nisbet Honors, CCW)  recently traveled with Dr. Amanda Mangum to the 27th annual Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics (NCUWM) in Lincoln, NE. 

This conference manages to pack in career advice, graduate school advice, networking, plenary speakers, student presentations and posters, and breakout sessions on everything from navigating the job market to being a graduate student and a parent, all while providing a supportive environment for women in mathematics.

Tabitha and Sloane each presented a poster at the conference that detailed the work they completed with Dean of the School of Business and Data Science; Associate Professor of Mathematics, Dr. Jessica Sorrells, via a summer 2024 INBRE grant.

Tabitha’s poster, entitled “Optimal Designs for DNA Self-Assembly of Archimedean Solids in the Flexible Tile Model”, detailed her work on a specific family of graphs. This work was extended through her senior seminar thesis.

Tabitha, a double major in Biochemistry and Mathematics, said the conference offered a unique opportunity to share research with peers, and introduced them to new areas of research within math through the plenary talks and student presentations. Tabitha said, “My favorite part of the weekend was meeting all kinds of women in mathematics, whether peers or new role-models, from all different cultures and locations. I am so thankful to have been given this opportunity; it is an invaluable experience that I will never forget.”

Sloane’s poster, entitled “Dynamic Flexible Tile Modeling of DNA Self-Assembly”, delved into a Markov Chain approach to calculate probabilities of certain graphs forming through the process of DNA self-assembly. Sloane is grateful for the opportunity to present this research in applied mathematics and contribute to the knowledge of DNA nanotechnology in the mathematical community. “This conference provided an empowering environment to highlight the accomplishments of women in mathematics,”

” [This conference] is an invaluable experience that I will never forget.”

Tabitha Merrithew ’25

A double major in Biology and Mathematics, Sloane said. “The poster symposium was extremely informative and beneficial as I continue to strengthen my presentation skills; the networking dinner was a great opportunity to meet math mentors as well.”

While at the conference, Dr. Mangum served as a facilitator for one of the breakout sessions, “Navigating the Job Market”, where she and a co-facilitator led a discussion surrounding best practices for networking, writing cover letters and CVs, communicating the transferability of skills learned in a math and data science setting, and other advice.

This enriching conference experience was made possible through the generous support of the Converse College for Women and through funds provided by Rock the Tower.