Department of Mathematics
§Sonja Kovalevsky Day§
General Information
Since 2002, Sonja Kovalevsky Day at Mercer University has been held each spring. This day celebrates the life and influential work of Sonja Kovalevsky and the role of women in mathematics.
Local high school students and their teachers are invited to Mercer's campus to learn about mathematics, its applications, and the rich history of mathematicians.
"SK Day" at Mercer typically involves two presentations by Mercer mathematics professors along with several hands-on discovery experiences. High school girls participate in separate parallel sesions geared to mazimize their individual participation in activities and discussion. Past speakers have included Drs. Denny, Hartfield, Howard, Nelson, McIlwain, Symington, and Yackel. Topics have included symmetry and quilting, magnitudes of infinity, graph colorings, encryption, fractal geometry, biological modeling, and spherical geometry.
This year we are adding an featured speaker during lunch. This speaker will be a female in a mathematics related field.