Guest Editorial: A Starting Point

Abstract

As a new faculty member in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University since Fall 2008, I was eager to find possible research partners with whom to build a research network for long term collaboration and support. I wondered “Where shall I start?” and “Whom shall I invite?” After several conversations with my colleague, Dr. Bharath Sriraman, and many phone calls to my good friend, Dr. Anne Kern, a new faculty at the University of Idaho, we came up with the idea of forming a support group of female faculty in the fields of mathematics and science education in the northwestern region of the United States, including Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. These four states face similar challenges in education such as a large number of K-12 public schools with small enrollments located in rural areas.