Math Talent School Retrospective: Becoming a Mathematician – Yes or No?

In three teams, female students from all over Germany as well as some participants from other countries come together. What unites them is their passion for mathematics, physics, and computer science. In the following portraits, we introduce young talents from each team. All participants emphasized that, in particular, the camp’s focus on female researchers had a significant influence on their decision to apply. The fact that research institutions visibly place value on specifically supporting women in their career paths is perceived very positively by them – especially against the background that women are still underrepresented in science and STEM fields.

Our student colleague Julia Masanko interviewed them:

Malena and Asmi: Mathematics Between Everyday Life, Application, and New Perspectives

Malena and Asmi both come from Hesse and share a strong enthusiasm for mathematics. Malena attends the Goethe School in Wetzlar, while Asmi attends the Riedberg Gymnasium in Frankfurt. Both became aware of the Math Talent School through their schools MINT coordinators, who regularly inform students about competitions, camps, and funding opportunities.

What fascinates both of them about mathematics in particular is the way of thinking the subject requires. »You don’t have to memorize everything, but rather understand concepts and systems«, Asmi explains. Malena especially appreciates the versatility of mathematics: »And I find it really great that there is such a wide range of application areas.« Both agree that mathematics is far more than just a school subject and plays an important role in many areas of everyday life and science.

They particularly enjoyed their group project »Randomness, Risk and Insurance«. There, they explored probabilities, risk assessments, and the calculation of insurance premiums. One highlight was an interactive simulation game in which the participants took on the role of insurance companies and developed their own offers based on real data. »I thought that was really cool«, Asmi reports. The combination of mathematical theory and practical application showed her how versatile mathematics can be in real-world contexts.

For the future, both have already developed clear interests: while Asmi can imagine studying mathematics and later working in research and teaching, Malena is particularly interested in fields such as computer science, IT security, and architecture. The Math Talent School has given both of them valuable insights into possible career paths and further strengthened their enthusiasm for mathematical questions.

Ricarda and Lucille: Experiencing and Understanding Mathematics Beyond the Classroom

Ricarda and Lucille attend the upper level of their schools and became aware of the Math Talent School through different channels. The camp was recommended to them both by school MINT coordinators and by participants from previous years. Participation became especially interesting for both of them because they wanted to learn more about how mathematics is applied outside of school. Lucille explains: »At some point, I wasn’t quite sure anymore what mathematics actually means in professional life. At school, you mainly know math as a subject or maybe as a math teacher – but not how people actually work with it and earn money.« This insight into possible practical fields was an important motivation for her.

For both of them, logical thinking is at the center. Ricarda describes mathematics as a subject where there is usually a clear solution and different ways to reach it. Lucille especially emphasizes the appeal of persevering with difficult tasks: »You work on it for a long time, but in the end there is a concrete solution.« Puzzling and problem-solving also play an important role in their interest in mathematics.

A particular highlight of the program for both was their project »Who survived the sinking of the Titanic?«. There, they analyzed historical data and used mathematical methods to investigate factors influencing survival chances. They both found the independent way of working and developing their own approaches especially exciting. »That we could decide ourselves how to proceed was really great«, Ricarda says.

Participation in the Math Talent School has opened up new perspectives for both of them. While Lucille can imagine combining mathematics with a natural science in a teacher training program, Ricarda uses the experience primarily for orientation in her future studies and career choices. Both particularly appreciate having been able to experience mathematics outside of the traditional classroom setting.

Anna: Linear Optimization and the Creative Side of Mathematics

Anna comes from Gießen and attends the 11th grade at the Landgraf-Ludwigs-Gymnasium. She learned about the Math Talent School through her school after receiving information about the MINT-EC network and various mathematics-related programs. She was particularly drawn to our applied mathematics camp, which specifically targets young female researchers.

What fascinates Anna most about mathematics is the combination of structure and abstraction. She explains that complex relationships in mathematics can often be presented in a simple and understandable way. »Mathematics appears very structured at school, but when you go deeper, you realize how abstract and creative the subject actually is«, she says. She finds this combination especially exciting, as she previously assumed that structure and creativity would rather be in conflict.

At the camp, Anna chose the project in the field of linear optimization. This involves both computer science and algebraic methods – in particular, matrix algebra is of great interest to her. She especially enjoyed the collaborative development of theoretical foundations in plenary sessions, where content was discussed together and tasks were solved in groups. She found the combination of this theoretical phase and practical application to be very well balanced overall.

Anna mainly used the Math Talent School to gain a better understanding of possible real-world applications. She was particularly surprised by the diversity of applied mathematics, as she had not been aware of many of these areas before. For her future, Anna can imagine both an academic career and a role in management consulting.

Overall, the camp has further strengthened her perception of mathematics. She describes the subject as versatile, abstract, and at the same time creative – and finds this combination especially appealing.