Northwoods Reporter

The University of Wisconsin-Superior recently hosted the fourth annual Northland Sonia Kovalevsky Day.

“We are extremely pleased with how well the event went,” said Kristin Riesgraf, UW-Superior assistant teaching professor and organizer of the event. “We had an amazing turnout, and the students in attendance did a great job engaging in the workshops and the career exploration.”

The event provided mathematical activities and career information for 9th to 12th grade girls with the goal of increasing their exposure to mathematics and its importance in education and future careers.

“The students seemed to enjoy multiple components of SK Day,” said Riesgraf. “The workshops provided them with an opportunity to engage in math topics that they don't typically see in their high school math classes.”

This year’s Northland Sonia Kovalevsky Day included more than 160 students from 16 high schools throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota.

“My favorite part was seeing how well the students engaged in each activity,” said Riesgraf, “They asked awesome questions. I appreciated their enthusiasm to work through the challenging math problems they were given and their willingness to interact with the workshop leads and the professionals for each area.”

Participants rotated through workshops run by mathematics professors from UW-Superior and The College of St. Scholastica.

“What a joy it was to expose young ladies to the Math Department at UW-Superior and have them interact with math in a different way,” said Jessica Eisenman, a teacher from St. Croix Falls High School.

The event also featured a career exploration where students were able to connect with local professionals who use math.

“During the career exploration, the students got to see firsthand how different professionals are using math in their jobs,” said Riesgraf. “We also received positive feedback on the mindfulness workshop put on by Lori Tuominen from the Pruitt Center for Mindfulness & Well-Being.”

Although the Northland Sonia Kovalevsky Day was interrupted previously due to the pandemic, it continues to grow – a testament to the tremendous support from both the UW-Superior campus and the community.

“I’m extremely thankful for all those that contributed to this event,” said Riesgraf.  “We had great support from members of our campus community such as The Link Center, Admissions, Dean of Academic Affairs Office, UWS Bookstore, Pruitt Center, Gender Equity Resource Center and University Relations. We had professionals from UW-Superior, The College of St. Scholastica, St. Luke’s, US EPA, maurices, Cirrus Aircraft, Allete and Shoreview Natives that made our career exploration possible. The Northwoods Women of Science helped us make connections with professionals in our community. AAUW was also a wonderful supporter and provided volunteers to help us welcome everyone to campus. Overall, this was an amazing collaboration that we look forward to continuing for years to come.”

Original source can be found here.