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The eight papers making up this special issue on promoting women in mathematics consider the underrepresentation of women in mathematics and the experiences and observations of authors who are immersed in this work. In this editorial, we identify common themes we see across many of these papers, framing our discussion with the "social identity framework of mathematical development" presented in the first paper. This framework consists of three beliefs conducive to the pursuit of mathematics, and we discuss how the authors address each of these beliefs in their work. We also present data to illustrate that the underrepresentation of women in mathematics continues to be an issue, and we hope the papers in this issue will be informative for others who want to lead gender-based initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the implementation of a STEM scholarship program which utilized a holistic approach to providing a multi-dimensional student support system. The program has been successful in encouraging and supporting women in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science by offering a diverse suite of extracurricular opportunities, actively engaging them in organized events, research projects, and participation in STEM communities, and helping them achieve higher GPAs and shorter times to graduation. The supported women also benefitted from close mentoring relationships with the faculty mentors. The program emphasized the development of empowering settings for women's engagement and achievement, which act to sustain and expand interest in mathematics and computing, and thereby help them to see themselves as future professionals in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the number of bachelor's degrees in the U.S. awarded to women has gone up, engagement of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continues to be low. This paper presents a project-based learning program, informed by education research best practices, designed to provide research experiences to female students early in their academic careers. Mentored by female faculty, students voluntarily collaborate on extracurricular mathematical research projects that they select together based on their interests and passions. They then prepare and share their work at an undergraduate research celebration event at the university and at other conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been and continues to be a substantial amount of work done to encourage, support, and retain women in mathematics. However, very little has been written about the faculty leading these gender-based initiatives, most of whom are women. This dynamic—women advocating on behalf of other women—is connected to identity-based activist movements. In the following, I describe how I have started to see gender-based work in STEM as a form of institutional activism. I then describe how this change of conceptualization led me to rethink the landscape of gender-based work in STEM. I reflect on literature from institutional activism and describe how that literature has changed my own engagement in gender-based service. My goal in this article is to provide math practitioners with some ideas for reflecting on their own actions in contesting historical forms of sexism. As we begin to understand the rules, norms, and cultures that constrain us, we will be better equipped to strategically contest them and create the sorts of institutional change that we want to see. I conclude the article with a series of questions to challenge all of us to think strategically about the future of our work supporting women in STEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]