In-person activities took a great hit during the pandemic. Despite the bleak situation, the graduate students of the Department of Mathematics made considerable efforts to keep everyone connected and combat loneliness and isolation.
The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM): The regular afternoon tea sessions in the Math Lounge MW724 were among the most cherished department traditions from the pre-COVID era. If anyone was available, they would show up to chat and socialize over tea and sometimes board games. The Ohio State Chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics intended to resume this tradition in October 2021, respecting all the safe and healthy regulations at the time. The response of the student community and the faculty, as seen by the large number of individuals who participated, was so uplifting that AWM decided to hold it monthly. Since food and beverages are restricted in the events this semester, AWM is maintaining the tea tradition by hosting the monthly teas on the virtual platform gather.town.
The Mathematics Graduate Student Association (MGSA): The Mathematics Graduate Student Association put in a lot of attention to assist graduate students in navigating their way through lockdown periods and transitioning smoothly as in-person activities resumed. It was important to adapt to a work-from-home atmosphere and adjust to being away from friends, family and colleagues for extended periods of time. In partnership with the Ohio State Counseling and Consultation Center, MGSA hosted a class on self-care, highlighting approaches for maintaining mental health during the pandemic, as well as stress-relieving strategies and exercises. MGSA, with the support of other grad student volunteers, made every effort to keep grad students socially involved by organizing virtual teas, game nights and trivia nights. MGSA also welcomed prospective students and made their virtual visit day as enjoyable and participatory as it was before the pandemic. They conducted virtual panels to address prospective student queries, office hours to meet graduate students one-on-one, game nights to connect in a more relaxed atmosphere and a virtual welcoming tea for new students. Since last fall, MGSA has been arranging monthly happy hours in a safe outdoor environment to encourage people to socialize in person again.
The Mathematics Department Directed Reading Program (DRP): This program — previously featured on this newsletter's Spotlight — began spring 2019 in an effort to pair undergraduate students with graduate student mentors in a semester-long reading project typically not part of the standard curriculum. At the end of the semester, each undergraduate participant gave a short presentation about what they learned in an environment conducive for peer-to-peer interaction. The DRP is still going strong and remains active during the pandemic, allowing mentees and mentors to choose between virtual meetings and in-person meetings, encouraging them to have at least one meeting to talk about their experience at Ohio State and holding online end-of-term presentations. The program’s goal continues to be succeed, and in the anonymous survey conducted at the end of fall 2021, participants noted the positive impact the program had on their view of mathematics:
- "I think it solidified my admiration for mathematics for sure."
- "Listening to others present opened my eyes to the many different fields of study where mathematics plays an important role from biostatistics to data encryption and everything in between."
- "As a physics major, I really enjoyed the program and how it let me explore mathematics in ways I would probably not have otherwise been exposed to."
- "A very positive one. I was already interested in math, but this pushed me even further."
The DRP is set to run in spring 2022, with financial support from the department (for providing books for the participants, etc.). For more information, see the program's webpage.
Graduate Math Summer Minicourses: Inspired by the summer minicourses held at the University of Michigan since 2016 and at UT Austin since 2017, our own pilot version was organized by graduate student Matthew Carr in 2021, featuring two courses (delivered in a hybrid fashion): “Bundles and Characteristic Classes,” and “Symplectic Geometry.” These minicourses are given from graduate students to graduate students in a fun, friendly environment, allowing them to connect, become aware of their peers' interests, form collaborations and address possible shortcomings of the current curriculum. To establish this as a healthy addition to our department's culture, a second edition is being planned for the upcoming summer, and more details may be found on the program's new webpage.
In these past two years since the beginning of the pandemic, the department has stayed strong — adapting to online and hybrid activities, promoting mental health and appreciating the daily sociability with peers and colleagues. With all of this in place to greatly strengthen our community, we can start looking forward to brighter days.
