FDA mathematician to speak at math conference for girls

FDA mathematician to speak at math conference for girls

HARRISONBURG — Kyle J. Myers knows how far females can go with degrees in mathematics and science.

The director of the Division of Imaging and Applied Mathematics in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Myers will be the keynote speaker at the third annual Expanding Your Horizons math conference for girls at James Madison University.

The conference will be from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday in Miller Hall on the JMU campus west of Interstate 81. Myers' talk, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 2:20 p.m.

Myers, who received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Occidental College and a doctorate in optical sciences from the University of Arizona, will discuss how she became interested in mathematics and how she uses math in her job.

Female mathematics faculty from JMU will lead the conference, which is designed to stimulate girls’ interest in math through hands-on activities, provide them with female scientist role models and foster awareness of opportunities in math and science-related careers.

Participants will choose three of 10 workshops to attend during the day with topics such as “Vortices in Nature,” “Why is a Doughnut like a Coffee Cup” and “The Chemistry of Stickiness.”

Myers' address will close the conference.