Spectra Events at the 2024 JMM

Lavender Lecture: Julie Blackwood (Williams College) - The Role of Spatial Interactions in Managing Ecological Systems: Insights From Mathematical Models

Thursday, January 4, 8:30-9:30AM Pacific, Moscone Center Room 205

The Spectra Lavender Lecture is an honorary lecture to be given annually at the Joint Mathematics Meeting to recognize and highlight the contributions of LGBTQ+ mathematicians. This event seeks to honor an LGBTQ+ mathematician who has made significant contributions to the mathematical sciences, mathematical education, or the mathematical community at large.

Spectra Brainstorming Session

Thursday, January 4, 10AM-11AM, Marriott Marquis Pacific Room H (on the 4th Floor)

Our annual brainstorming session to hear what Spectra has been up to and to learn everyone would like Spectra to focus on for 2024.

AMS-Spectra Workshop: Creating an Inclusive Undergraduate Mathematics Curriculum

Thursday, January 4, 1PM - 5PM, Moscone Center Room 202

Organized by Devavrat Dabke (Princeton) & Mike Hill (UCLA)

This workshop, organized by Spectra, the association for LGBTQ+ mathematicians, is designed to address the challenges and opportunities in updating undergraduate math curricula to better support students. As higher education institutions and funding organizations prioritize the recruitment and retention of underrepresented and marginalized students in STEM fields, it is essential for faculty members to be equipped with the knowledge and tools to create inclusive learning environments.

Annual Spectra Reception

Thursday, January 4, 6PM-8PM Eastern, Marriott Marquis Foothill G (on the 2nd Floor)

Our annual Spectra Reception for LGBTQ+ mathematicians and our allies is a great time to socialize, meet each other, and learn more about our organization and its new directions. Spectra is affiliated with Out to Innovate, the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, Inc, and our reception is partly supported by Elsevier

Spectra Special Session on Research by LGBTQ+ Mathematicians I, II

Friday, January 5, 9AM-Noon & 1PM - 5PM, Moscone Center Room 101

Organized by Dev Dabke (Princeton), Joseph Nakao (Swarthmore College), Mike Hill (UCLA).

Join us for our second annual special session highlighting the contributions and work of LGBTQ+ Mathematicians.

Off-site Reception

Friday, January 5, 9PM - ??, Twin Peaks Tavern

Updated Time! As in years past, we have a second reception, this one held at Twin Peaks Tavern at 401 Castro. You can easily get there by taking the F line down Market Street (so heading South East) to the end of the line.

Spectra Conference 2023!

Spectra LGBTQ+ Mathematics Conference 2023

September 21-23, 2023

This is the 2nd Spectra conference for LGBTQ+ mathematicians. It is an opportunity to share mathematics, to celebrate achievements, to discuss challenges in our community. This is a virtual conference, hosted by Princeton, and registration is available at the linked website.

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Spectra Events at 2023 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering

Spectra Reception

Tuesday, February 28, 7PM-8:30PM, Auditorium Lounge

Join fellow LGBTQ+ mathematicians and allies to socialize, meet each other, and learn more about Spectra and its plans moving forward,

Presentations by LGBTQ Mathematicians

Tuesday, February 28, 2:15PM - 3:55PM, Forum Centre

This minisymposium, organized by Ron Buckmire and Alex Hoover, will feature presentations by openly LGBTQ mathematicians. The intention of this minisymposium is to promote the participation of LGBT mathematicians in the SIAM community. Although there is no official data on the percentage of openly LGBT people in mathematics (and very little data on the percentage of openly LGBT people in the general population), it is very likely that openly LGBT people are underrepresented in the industrial and applied mathematics community. This session will feature the following talks

  • Ron Buckmire: A Quantitative Justice Primer: The #MetaMath Project and Other Examples
  • Asim Patra: Exact Divisibility by the Powers of Some Binary Number Sequences
  • Anthony Chen: Fast Summation on a Sphere
  • Alexander Hoover: Interfacing in-Silico and in-Situ Experiments of Organismal Fluid Pumping

Spectra Events at the 2023 JMM

Lavender Lecture: Luis Leyva (Vanderbilt) - Undergraduate Mathematics Education as a White, Cisheteropatriarchal Space and Opportunities for Structural Disruption to Advance Queer of Color Justice

Wednesday, January 4, 10-10:50AM Eastern, Ballroom C

The Spectra Lavender Lecture is an honorary lecture to be given annually at the Joint Mathematics Meeting to recognize and highlight the contributions of LGBTQ+ mathematicians. This event seeks to honor an LGBTQ+ mathematician who has made significant contributions to the mathematical sciences, mathematical education, or the mathematical community at large.

Annual Spectra Reception

Thursday, January 5, 6PM-8PM Eastern, Simmons Room, Marriott Level 3

Our annual Spectra Reception for LGBTQ+ mathematicians and our allies is a great time to socialize, meet each other, and learn more about our organization and its new directions. Spectra is affiliated with Out to Innovate, the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, Inc.

AMS-Spectra Special Session on Research by LGBTQ+ Mathematicians

Friday, January 6, 8AM - Noon, 2:30PM - 4:30PM Eastern, Room 105

Organized by Juliette Bruce, University of California, Berkeley; Christopher Goff, University of the Pacific; and Rebecca R.G., George Mason University.

Join us for the first special session at the JMM highlighting the contributions of LGBTQ+ mathematicians to mathematics.

Spectra Brainstorming Session

Friday, January 6, 4:30PM - 5:30PM

Our annual brainstorming session to hear what everyone would like Spectra to focus on for 2023.

Off-site Reception

Friday, January 6, 6PM - 8PM, Club Cafe

As in years past, we have a second reception, this one held at Club Cafe at 209 Columbus Avenue.

Spectra Events at the 2022 JMM

Spectra Workshop: Identifying Best Practices Fostering Inclusion and Retention of LGBTQ Mathematicians

Wednesday, April 6, 4:30–6:00 PM Pacific

Organized by Ron Buckmire, Occidental College, Chris Goff, University of the Pacific, and Alexander Hoover, University of Akron.

The goal of this interactive workshop is to gather and share information about and suggestions for best practices that foster the inclusion and retention of LGBTQ mathematicians. Specifically, this workshop will identify specific things any department of Mathematics can do to be supportive and welcoming for LGBTQ graduate students, postdocs as well as for tenured and non-tenured faculty. Panelists are

  • Ron Buckmire, Occidental College,
  • Amanda Folsom, Amherst College,
  • Joseph Nakao, University of Delaware, and
  • Keri Sather-Wagstaff, Clemson University.

In the second part of the Meeting, the audience will be asked to brainstorm and make suggestions on how Spectra can contribute to make these best practices known to the mathematical community and to help departments implement these best practices. During the workshop, the audience will be split into breakout sessions focused on specific topics, such as:

  • Supporting transgender mathematicians in the work place,
  • LGBTQ mathematicians balancing work choices with family,
  • Best practices for recruitment of LGBTQ faculty,
  • Supporting LGBTQ graduate students.

Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon

Wednesday, April 6, 12:30 - 5:00PM Eastern

Keri Sather Wagstaff, Marie Vitulli, and Ursula Whitcher are hosting a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon to improve profiles of LGBTQ+ mathematicians on Wikipedia.

Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Time: 12:30 - 5:00 pm Eastern(dropping in is fine!)
Place: On the web (details will be posted on our Meetup page)

More information can be found on the Meetup page for the event, which gives and provides links to helpful information.

The organizers have created a Google form to gather information, including the opportunity to nominate yourself or someone else for a profile on Wikipedia and to ask if you want to be identified as an LGBTQ+ mathematician if someone creates a Wikipedia profile of you. This information will be kept private. No one will see it other than the Edit-a-thon organizers. Only a handful of LGBTQ+ mathematicians have been nominated for pages. It would be super helpful if you would nominate someone, including yourself if you meet the Wikipedia “Prof Test”.

Spectra Lavender Lecture

Thursday, April 7th, 11AM Pacific

Organized by Juliette Bruce, University of California, Berkeley and Alexander Hoover, University of Akron.

The Spectra Lavender Lecture honors LGBTQ+ mathematicians who have made significant contributions to the mathematical sciences, mathematical education, or the mathematical community at large. This year, the Spectra Lavender Lecture will be presented by Autumn Kent, University of Wisconsin - Madison, and titled ``Families''.

Spectra Reception

Friday, April 8th, 6-8PM Pacific

Our annual Spectra Reception for LGBTQ+ mathematicians and our allies is a great time to socialize, meet each other, and learn more about our organization and its new directions.

Past Events

Online Joint Mathematics Meeting 2021

The 2021 Joint Mathematics Meeting is online this year, and we again have several events for participants!

On-site Reception

Thursday, January 7th, from 4:30-7PM Mountain Time. This is open to people registered for the Joint Mathematics Meeting, and can be accessed after logging in at this link.

Spectra Brainstorming Session

Saturday, January 9th, from 2-3PM Mountain Time. This is open to everyone! The link will be mailed to the Spectra list

Denver Joint Mathematical Meetings 2020

At the 2020 Joint Mathematics Meeting, we again have three more social and activism events

On-site Reception

Thursday, January 16th from 6-8PM in Hyatt Mineral Hall B

Off-site Reception

Friday, January 17th, 6-8pm, Triangle Bar

Spectra Brainstorming Session

Friday, January 17th from 3-5PM in Hyatt Mineral Hall B.
There will also be two panels of interest to our community.

  • AWM Panel: Queer Families and Mathematical Careers, Wednesday, January 15, 2:15-3:40PM
  • MAA Panel: Supporting Transgender and Non-binary Students, Saturday, January 18, 9-10:20AM

Spectra Town Hall Meeting: Identifying workplace best practices for LGBTQ mathematicians

Wednesday, January 16, 2019 4:30PM-5:50PM, Room 339

Come to a round-table discussion of issues facing LGBTQ+ mathematicians and discuss the ways Spectra can help. Possible topics include:

  • Hiring & job search best practices
  • Tensure & promotion issues and questions
  • Teaching issues related to LGBTQ+ identities
  • Departmental inclusive best practices for transgender mathematicians
  • Ways Spectra, as an association of volunteers, can contibute

Annual Spectra Receptions & Brainstorming Session

Baltimore Joint Mathematical Meetings 2019

At the 2019 Joint Mathematics Meeting, we again have three more social and activism events

On-site Reception

Thursday, January 17th from 6-8PM in the Harbor Ballroom, 1st Floor, Marriot Inner Harbor

Off-site Reception

Friday, January 18th, 5:30-7:30pm, Grand Central Club, 1001 No. Charles Street, Baltimore 21201 (upstairs)

Spectra Brainstorming Session

Friday, January 18th from 3-5PM, Pickergill Room, Hilton.

Out in Mathematics: Professional Issues Facing LGBTQ Mathematicians

MAA Panel at the JMM in San Diego, 2018

Moderator: Lily Khadjavi (Loyola Marymount University) Panelists:

  • Shelly Bouchat (Indiana Univeristy of Pennsylvania)
  • Juliette Bruce (University of Wisconsin Madison)
  • Ron Buckmire (National Science Foundation)
  • Frank Farris (Santa Clara University)
  • Emily Riehl (Johns Hopkins University)

Annual Spectra Receptions at the 2018 JMM

San Diego, CA

At the 2018 Joint Mathematics Meeting, we again have three more social events

On-site Reception

Thursday, January 11th from 6-8PM in the Catalina Room, 4th Floor, South Tower, Marriott Marquis.

Off-site Reception

Friday, January 12th, 5:30-7:30pm, Flicks, 1017 University Ave

Spectra Business Meeting

Friday, January 12th from 3-5PM, Torrey Pines 2, Marriott Marquis.

JMM Receptions 2017

Atlanta, GA

At the 2017 Joint Mathematics Meeting, we have 3 events. More information (and a history) can be found on this year's flier.

On-site Reception

Thursday, January 5th from 6-8PM in the Pulse Loft.

Off-site Reception

Friday, January 6th from 5:30-7:30 at Blake's On the Park (227 10th Street NE)

Spectra Business Meeting

Friday, January 6th from 3-5PM in the Hyatt Auburn Room.

JMM Receptions 2016

Seattle, WA

At the 2016 Joint Mathematics Meetings, there were two receptions:

On-site reception

Thursday, January 7th from 6-8PM in the Seattle Sheraton.

Off-site reception

Friday, January 8th from 5:30-7:30PM at Purr Cocktail Lounge.

Out in mathematics: LGBTQ mathematicians in the workplace

JMM 2015: January 13

David Crombecque moderated a lively panel discussion featuring

  • Andrew Bernoff
  • Julie Blackwood
  • Kristina Garrett
  • Michael Hill
  • Marie Vitulli
This featured the personal narratives of the panelists and their experience being LGBTQ mathematicians. The floor was then opened to questions from the audience, with people discussing their own experiences inside and outside of the academy.