17) "Increasing Latinx Representation in Math Education" (Dr. Pamela E. Harris)

Radical Math Talk

In this episode, I welcomed Dr. Pamela E. Harris to the podcast to share her personal Math journey, life as a Latina in academia, the founding of Lathisms, the importance of increasing Latinx representation in Math education, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Harris' work, you can visit her personal website at pamelaeharris.com or her company website at lathisms.org. You can also follow her on Twitter (@DPeharris).

BIO: Dr. Pamela E. Harris is a Mexican-American mathematician and serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and Faculty Fellow of the Davis Center and the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Williams College. She received her B.S. from Marquette University, and M.S. and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Pamela E. Harris's research is in algebraic combinatorics and she is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed research articles in internationally recognized journals. An award winning mathematical educator, Dr. Harris was the 2020 recipient of the MAA Northeast Section Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching, the 2019 MAA Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member, and the 2019 Council on Undergraduate Research Mathematics and Computer Sciences Division Early Career Faculty Mentor Award.

She was also selected as a 2020 Inaugural Class of Karen Uhlenbeck EDGE Fellows and was one of 50 women featured in the book “Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics.” Her professional mission is to develop learning communities that reinforce students’ self-identity as scientists, in particular for women and underrepresented minorities. In support of this mission, Dr. Harris co-organizes research symposia and professional development sessions for the national conference of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and is an editor of the e-Mentoring Network blog of the American Mathematical Society. Moreover, in order to provide visibility to and increase the positive impact of the role models within our community, Dr. Harris co-founded Lathisms.org, a platform that features the contributions of Latinx and Hispanic scholars in the Mathematical Sciences. She cohosts the podcast Mathematically Uncensored and has recently coauthored the books Asked And Answered: Dialogues On Advocating For Students of Color in Mathematics and Practices and Policies: Advocating for Students of Color in Mathematics.