Smith College's MaRS Program Celebrates a Stellar First Year

We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of the inaugural year of its Math Resilient Students (MaRS) program. Funded by a generous 3-year, $750,000 grant from NASA, the MaRS program aims to encourage more women, particularly those from underrepresented minorities, to pursue and persist in STEM fields. Smith College is proud to be one of seven women’s colleges selected for this prestigious grant.

The MaRS program is led by Principal Investigators Chris Golé from the Mathematical Sciences Department and Shannon Audley from Education and Child Studies with the support of the Jandon Center for Community Engagement. The program is built on the premise that addressing math anxiety and fostering math resilience are critical for women’s retention in STEM.

Cascading Mentorship and Engaging Math Activities

Central to the MaRS program is a cascading mentorship structure that empowers students with math agency. Junior and senior students, known as “Boosters,” mentor first-year and sophomore students, referred to as “Rockets,” through a series of engaging and enjoyable math activities and games collectively called “Bouncing Around in Math” (BAM). The Rockets and Boosters then bring the activities to middle school students, the “Astronauts.” When asked about her experience with the middle schoolers, Bella Bandura (‘27) said “helping them overcome some of their preconceived fears about math is more rewarding than any work I've ever done with children.”

BAMs are designed to be non-competitive and leverage growth mindset pedagogies. For example, in playing the game "Set" collaboratively, students help each other articulate their strategies and celebrate effort and thoughtfulness rather than natural talent or speed. Another activity challenged students to construct a lidless box of greatest volume from a 20x20 piece of paper, promoting creative and collaborative problem-solving accessible at many levels of math mastery. Janice Salazar (‘24) shared that “it was amazing to see how math activities could be turned from something intimidating into something exciting” and reflected that “education is about the confidence we build in each other and the connections we make.”

Program Milestones

The MaRS program officially launched in Fall 2023. Six Boosters were selected, majoring in fields such as Chemistry, Mathematics, and Statistical and Data Sciences. In the fall, Boosters trained in conducting BAM sessions and techniques like mindfulness and reflective journaling to manage anxiety. It became clear that these techniques would have lasting impacts on students; at the end of the semester, one student shared “the breathing techniques and journaling will definitely become  a part of my routine and what I will use to push through challenging moments in my studies.”

In Spring 2024, six Rockets were recruited from first and second-year students interested in STEM who had experienced math anxiety. Their prospective majors included Astronomy, Biology, Mathematics, and Statistical Data Science. Rockets were enrolled in a 2-credit independent study where they read about math anxiety, and reflected on their own STEM trajectory and ongoing experience in the MaRS program. Mixed groups of Boosters and Rockets trained together to conduct BAM sessions with middle schoolers in Holyoke and Springfield, MA, successfully engaging the students despite challenges like mixed-grade groups and unpredictable attendance due to busing constraints.

Boosters also participated in “Being Human in STEM” (HSTEM) activities, researching structural barriers to STEM retention for underrepresented students at Smith. They presented their findings on the efficacy of group work and flipped classrooms at the Celebrating Collaboration event in the spring.

The twelve students graduated from the program in April, in a joyful yet bittersweet ceremony. It is clear that lasting bonds were formed in this MaRS crew! As one student shared, “I really got to build meaningful relationships and find a sense of community within a STEM environment, which as a student of color can be hard to find at a PWI. The program helped build my confidence in pursuing the field of STEM and supporting students.”

Summer Program

Seven students (including 4 Rockets and 1 Booster) earned Summer Undergraduate Research Funding (SURF) to continue their work with the MaRS Program over the summer. The students conducted research in three labs and helped run a four-day summer camp for 14 middle schoolers at Springfield Preparatory Charter School. In addition to leading team-building and collaborative math games, students also developed and taught BAM activities related to their research, enhancing their understanding and teaching skills.

Sophia Dube (‘27) and Nancy Jimenez Sandoval (‘27) explored how the brain absorbs colors in Neuroscience Professor Maya Rosen’s Mind Lab.  Rachel Reinking (‘25) taught students about Boolean logic with the help of ice cream fetching robots in Professor Kevin Huang’s Robotics Lab. And, students in Professor Chris Golé’s Plant Math Lab – Bella Bandura (‘27), Cecilia Friedman (‘26), Hualong Xu (‘24), and Rae Traver-Fallick (‘27) – helped the campers discover spirals in plants and their connection to the Fibonacci sequence. Additionally, Cydney Socias (‘25) helped in the data collection and analysis during that time.

Supporting Team and Future Plans

The MaRS program was supported by the Jandon Center for Community Engagement at Smith, with key contributions from project coordinator Charlotte Ljustina and STEAM coordinator Asli Ali. Consultants Mary Cowhey (‘97) and Liz Teixeira played crucial roles in training and organizing activities. Cowhey, author of “Families with Power,” brought her expertise from Jackson Street School during the school year, while Teixeira, a PhD candidate in math education, focused on the camp's organization, which will be featured in her thesis. Using the trove of students' reflections and interviews, Co-PI Audley is untangling the impact of the program on the Rockets’ math resilience.

The MaRS program will culminate in a guidebook of activities and recommendations for teachers and professors on how to foster math resilience in students, along with workshops to disseminate their findings and best practices.

Celebrating Success

The first year of the MaRS program at Smith College has been a resounding success, fostering math resilience and a love for STEM in women and underrepresented minorities. The program's innovative approach and dedicated team have set a strong foundation for future growth and impact. One student summarized, “the MaRS Program helped me see myself as more than just a student of STEM. As a Hispanic student, MaRS helped me embrace my identity and realize that my cultural experiences are valuable to fostering a more inclusive STEM community.”

As of September 2024,  a new cohort of 8 boosters has started the second year of the program, bringing it higher on its path to MaRS …