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The #MetaMath Project: �Analyzing The Mathematics Community Using Mathematics And Data Science To Promote Social Justice

Ron Buckmire*, Occidental College�

JMM23 Joint Math Meetings Boston, MA

NAM-SIAM Special Session on Quantitative Justice

Thursday, January 5, 2023 8:00am

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Outline

  • #MetaMath: What, When, Where, Who & Why
  • #MetaMath: Examples
    • #mm-data, #mm-elite, #mm-JEDI, #mm-math
  • #MetaMath: Opportunities To Get Involved

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#MetaMath: What, When, Where, Who, Why

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#MetaMath What: Some Definitions

  • #Metamath is not metamathematics (which is a branch of mathematical logic)
  • #MetaMath (informally) refers to “using math to analyze Math”
  • #MetaMath (formally) is a quantitative justice project that uses analytical tools from mathematics, data science, and social science and applies them to the mathematics community itself, in order to promote social justice.

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#MetaMath When & Where: Context

  • ICERM Data Science and Social Justice: Networks, Education, and Policy, Part 1 (Summer 2022 in Providence, RI)
  • A Quantitative Justice project
  • Slack channels!

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#MetaMath Who: Project Team

· Ron Buckmire, ron@oxy.edu�· Carrie Diaz Eaton, cdeaton@bates.edu

· Joseph Edward Hibdon, jhibdon@gmail.com�· Quin Jones, jonesq2@vcu.edu�· Jakini Kauba, jkauba@clemson.edu

· Katherine M. Kinnaird, kkinnaird@smith.edu

· Drew Lewis, drewlewis@southalabama.edu

· Jessica M. Libertini, jessica.libertini@jsou.edu

· Omayra Ortega, ortegao@sonoma.edu

· Rachel Roca, rocarach@msu.edu

· Andres R. Vindas-Melendez, andres.vindas@berkeley.edu

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#MetaMath Why: Inspiration

  • Castillo, W. and Gillborn, D. How to “QuantCrit:” Practices and Questions for Education Data Researchers and Users. EdWorkingPaper: 22-546 (2022). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/v5kh-dd65
  • Clauset, A. , Arbesman, S. and Larremore, D.B. Systematic inequality and hierarchy in faculty hiring networks. Science Advances Vol. 1, No. 1, (2015). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.14000
  • Wapman, K.H., Zhang, S., Clauset, A. and Larremore, D.B. Quantifying hierarchy and dynamics in US faculty hiring and retention. Nature 610, 120–127 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05222-x

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#MetaMath Why: Rationale

  • To promote JAIDE (Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity) in Mathematics by uncovering, documenting, and highlighting inequities
  • To quantify and evaluate the status quo in order to establish benchmarks and metrics needed to evaluate change
  • To demonstrate that mathematics can be used to promote social justice and have real-world impacts

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#MetaMath Examples

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#MetaMath Associated Projects/Initiatives

  • #mm-math: #MetaMath classic
  • #mm-elite: explicit focus on analyzing elitism & disrupting meritocracy myth in Math (Clauset 2015, Wapman 2022)
  • #mm-data: identifying data needs and analyzing data available to promote QJ
  • #mm-JEDI: specific JEDI projects like #disruptJMM (see Roca talk in this session!)

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#MetaMath #mm-math

  • Definitions of “Mathematician” article
    • planned submission to Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
    • Proposed Definitions: Function-based, Qualification-based, Identity-based
    • Polarity Analysis (benefits and deficits of inclusivity and benefits and deficits of exclusivity)
    • Importance/necessity/implications of the conversation around defining “Mathematician”

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#MetaMath #mm-JEDI

  • #disruptJMM (Roca et al.!)
  • #JEDIPhD
    • Obtain data regarding graduate school admissions
    • Identify factors on PhD retention and persistence
    • Analyze impact of GRE changes on grad school demographics

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#MetaMath Projects: #mm-elite

  • Obtain data of Top 10 Liberal Arts College Math Departments and Top 10 R1 Math Depts
    • Replicate Clauset analysis on smaller scale to identify elite cycles/loops/dependencies
    • Analyze/report demographic data, $$$/endowment data
  • Theorize/propose alternate definition of “elite”
  • Identify/highlight “elite” counterexamples (e.g., Ron Mickens)

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#MetaMath Projects: #mm-data

  • Identify data sources needed to quantify JEIDA metrics/benchmarks
  • Highlight existing data sources (CBMS, NCSES@NSF, NCES@ED, LarremoreLab, etc)
  • Advocate for data transparency in math community
  • Replicate Wapman 2022 analysis with deep-dive into Mathematical sciences fields

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#MetaMath #mm-data Example

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Percentage of Women Faculty in “Top” Math PhD-Granting Institutions in the United States*

*Data Source: Wapman et al. (Nature, 2022)

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Graph courtesy Dean Elzinga

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Next Steps: Join Us!

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Next Steps

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Next Steps

  • Interdisciplinary and Critical Data Science Motivated by Social Justice(IMSI, 1/9-2/3/23; Chicago, IL)

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Summary

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#MetaMath Summary

  • It’s a quantitative justice project focused on the math community itself
  • Product of the ICERM Data Science & Social Justice program
  • Multiple threads/projects (mm-data,mm-elite,mm-JEDI, #metamath)
  • You can get involved!

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Questions?!

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Thanks!

Ron Buckmire�ron@oxy.edu�Professor of Mathematics

Occidental College�Los Angeles, CA

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(On Sabbatical for the 2022-2023 Academic Year)

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SLIDES: https://tinyurl.com/ron-talks-2023

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