Golda Aharon, a junior at SCW planning to major in mathematics, has started a new club on Beren Campus called “No Limits.” She chose this unique moniker for the club based on the mathematical concept of limits in calculus. Yes- you guessed it- it is a math club. However, it also has another purpose– to raise the confidence of women when it comes to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects, particularly in math. The Observer sat down with Golda to talk about her club, why she started it, and what she plans to do with it.
The Observer: What motivated you to start ‘No Limits’?
Golda Aharon: Last year, I received an email from the YU Club about a trip to the Math Museum. I thought it sounded really cool, but I couldn’t go. I emailed the head of the club, who happened to be a YC student, explaining that I couldn’t go on this trip but I was excited to be part of the club’s other activities. I never got a response from him. I later realized that there was no representation for this club on the Beren Campus. It was never featured at any of the clubs fairs, and there were no events here. The women were never even invited uptown for events.
I then read an article about Israeli gender bias in math by elementary school teachers. Based on the evidence, it seemed teachers expected girls to be worse at math than boys were. They subconsciously graded the girls’ tests more harshly, producing the results they expected. I was shocked that gender bias had such a real effect in classrooms. I was trying to figure out what I could do to help this gender bias. I realized society wouldn’t think women were equal in math and STEM ability if women didn’t believe it themselves. I thought of some of my friends who have low confidence in themselves when it comes to math and are intimidated when approaching something that involves math, even if it’s only a little bit. I really wanted to change that.
O: What do you think holds girls back from pursuing STEM?
GA: I don’t know about the biology or psychology behind it, or whether girls have a different skill level than boys. And I don’t really think that it matters, nor that it’s such a big difference that it would account for the bias. I think that teachers don’t encourage girls. girls arent even encouraged with their toys- I read an article about a mother who sent her daughter to LEGO camp, and she was the only girl there. She also wrote that LEGOs are marketed as boys’ toys in almost all stores, and the “girls LEGO” are “LEGO friends-” building cafes and malls. It’s not the huge sets where you can build spaceships, a model of the Empire State Building, or a really incredible bridge.
I’ll also add that it’s a societal thing that it is very accepted for girls to say that they can’t do math. It’s a thing that “girls can’t do math,” so from a young age people get the impression that this is something they can’t do, and there’s nothing indicating to them that that’s not true.
O: So how do you plan to use this club to change this perception?
GA: I think that this club is going to help to casually incorporate math and STEM into our lives. That math and STEM do not necessarily have to seem like this “other-” this other brand of intellect, or this other capability that some people have and some don’t. I want it to be something that can be fun for everyone, and interesting for everyone, because it’s relevant to everyone. Even people who don’t go into math or STEM will encounter it at some point, especially with the technology that’s booming now. I’m hoping to make it seem less intimidating, make it seem approachable, and make it seem interesting. And something that is a “girl thing” too.
O: What kind of events do you have planned for No Limits?
GA: In the future, I’d like to have a career panel about jobs in STEM. I’d hope to include women who don’t necessarily see themselves as “math people,” but who are interested in STEM because they are passionate about it. I also want to include people who are in STEM jobs that are also meaningful in society, like environmental engineering. For this semester, I’m hoping to run an event called “Easy as Pi”. We’d give out the ingredients and recipes for no-bake pies, but the recipes would be written in simple math problems. Participants would be using math in a casual way for a fun purpose, and doing something that’s actually relevant to their lives. I feel like that would be a fun way to incorporate math. I also thought that in the future, we could do things with younger girls also. Middle school is the age where a lot of insecurity about STEM develops, so I’d love to work with younger girls. There will also hopefully be other fun, hands-on activities as well, like in engineering- building circuits and things.
O: What first sparked your interest in math? What made you decide to pursue it, despite the challenges you described?
GA: I always liked math, but I never realized that I loved math until I got to college. Then in retrospect I realized I had always written “math” when asked about my intended major. I realized I’d always loved math. I feel very lucky that I had teachers who I really enjoyed learning from. My family encouraged me to pursue STEM. I have female role models in my family who majored in math, so that was a big form of encouragement for me.
O: Anything else you’d like to add about the club?
GA: Ideally, I’d love for this club to have people from all majors. I especially want people who aren’t interested in STEM and don’t like math, and also people who just have no relationship with math-who don’t love it or hate- it to get involved. I’d love for the club to have people from all perspectives and backgrounds. Since we’re a club that wants to cater to many different types of people, it would be great to have all of those people giving their insight. Also, it’s supposed to be a math club, in addition to the confidence aspect. What’s great about that is that we can have a broad spectrum of activities – those that apply to people who are interested in STEM, and for those who aren’t.
Golda, we applaud you! Thank you for taking the initiative, for giving us a place to express a different side of ourselves and embrace it in a light and fun manner. We can’t wait to see what you have in store!