Find answers to common questions about eligibility criteria, the application process and participating in the EDGE Summer Program as a participant or faculty member:
Participant Questions
The EDGE program is for any woman whose goal is to attain a Ph.D. in the mathematical sciences. Several past participants received their undergraduate degrees some years before they decided to pursue graduate degrees. If you meet all of the eligibility criteria, we encourage you to apply.
The EDGE Summer Program is open to students who will enter either their first or second year in a PhD program the fall directly following the Summer Program. Therefore, if you are in your first year of your PhD program, you are eligible to apply for the summer before your second year in your program.
As the acronym indicates, attracting a diverse group of participants is a fundamental goal of the program. In addition to racial diversity, the program strives to include women from all areas of the country, and from a variety of undergraduate institutions.
The selection of participants is usually made by April 15.
Since we offer a competitive stipend, we like our participants to consider EDGE their only job for the four weeks of the program. Participants should and will be so busy with EDGE commitments that there will not be time to fulfill any other work commitments during the program.
The EDGE program is intensive. Weekdays consist of classes, problem-solving workshops, guest lectures and special sessions. The evenings and weekends are usually left to the students’ discretion, although there is an annual symposium that participants must attend on the second Friday and Saturday. In the past, students have found it necessary to use much of that time for study. Thursday nights are “nights out,” when the participants go to dinner at a local restaurant of their choice.
There is a modest research fund to which participants may apply for travel to professional meetings, books, or other research supplies. Participants are also supported to attend a reunion at the following summer’s program. These funds are available to participants only during the year that follows the EDGE summer program.
Women and gender nonconforming individuals pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, Biostatistics, Operations Research, or Statistics are welcome to apply.
No, you do not need to be a US citizen to be eligible for the EDGE Summer Program.
Faculty Questions
There are a total of four EDGE instructors each summer – two team teach Analysis and two team teach Algebra. Each course is broken up into two week sessions. For each course, the instructors work together to determine what material is covered. Instructors are given a general syllabus from past summers to help with this process, as well as course notes. An instructor must be available to teach for a two week-period in June. Classes are held three times each week, for 1.5 hours per class. Some office hours are recommended, and instructors generally spend time getting to know the students by attending social engagements and occasionally visiting the study sessions in the evening. We also expect that instructors will take personal time for their own work and personal enjoyment. An office and a computer are provided. For more information, contact EDGE.
The basic responsibility is to establish a rapport and a mode of consistent communication with one EDGE student during the school year following the EDGE program. If you have an EDGE student at your institution and you wish to be a mentor, contact EDGE.
The EDGE program is seeking departments and faculty with a history of encouraging women to pursue graduate work in mathematics: contact EDGE.
We believe it strengthens our program to have diversity amongst the women accepted into our program. Therefore, we seek women from small and large institutions. We seek women with extremely strong backgrounds in both Algebra and Analysis as well as women who have substantial holes in those areas. We seek traditional students who are going directly from undergraduate programs to Ph.D. programs as well as those who may have been out of school for a substantial period of time. The basic eligibility criteria are that students must be seeking a Ph.D. and must NOT have had more than one year of graduate studies in the mathematical sciences. Check eligibility for further details.
Yes. There is no advantage or disadvantage to recommending more than one student at the same time. If we have already had a student from your institution attend the EDGE program we still encourage you to send us your students.
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Contact us at edgestaff@edgeforwomen.org.