Sonia Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Day

$2024 SK Day group photo$

The day-long program includes workshops, interactive talks, math related games and panels of professionals with math-related jobs. Sonia Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Day is an opportunity for young women to engage in a day of networking, mentoring, and fun!

There is no cost to attend the event, and participants have opportunities to meet and talk with university professors and students.

Where: MacLean Hall at University of Iowa
When: Saturday, April 12, 2025
Who: High-school-aged women, their teachers, and parents or guardians
Cost: Free
Registration deadline: March 23, 2025, at midnight

Note: Every student must be accompanied by a parent/guardian/teacher. A parent/guardian/teacher may bring more than one student.

Objective

Promote career opportunities in math and science to young women

Who was Sonia Kovalevsky?

Portrait of Sonia Kovalevsky — Sonia Kovalevsky

Sonia Kovalevsky was a Russian mathematician, writer, and advocate for women’s rights in the 19^th century.

She is known for her contributions to the areas of mathematical study: analysis, partial differential equations, and mechanics, for which she won the Prix Bordin award.

She was the first major Russian female mathematician, the first female member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the first modern European woman to attain full professorship. Despite social conventions of the time restricting the involvement of women in such fields, Sonia Kovalevsky made major contributions to academia.

In honor of her, the Department of Mathematics at the University of Iowa organizes Sonia Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Day yearly with the goal to inspire young women interested in math and show them that math is like solving a puzzle.

Get ready for SK Day

Tentative Schedule

All activities will be held on the University of Iowa Campus at MacLean Hall (MLH) between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Time	Events	Room
9 to 9:30 a.m.	Sign in and breakfast	Muhly Lounge (MLH 3)
9:30 to 10:10 a.m.	Welcome and meet Sonia presentation	MLH 118
10:10 to 10:15 a.m.	Introduction of Keynote Speaker	MLH 118
10:15 to 10:45 a.m.	Keynote Speaker (TBA)	MLH 118
10:45 to 11 a.m.	Group photo and break
11 to 11:45 a.m.	Office of Admissions Presentation	MLH 118
11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.	Lunch	Muhly Lounge (MLH 3)
12:45 to 1:45 p.m.	Math Games Session	MLH 125
	Parent/Teacher Session	MLH 118
1:45 to 2:50 p.m.	Student and Professional Discussion Panel	MLH 118
2:50 to 3 p.m.	Break
3 to 4 p.m.	Interactive Problem Solving Session	MLH 125
4 to 4:30 p.m.	Closing Remarks and Awards	MLH 118