Advice to AWM Workshop Applicants

The following is a set of suggestions and recommendations for your AWM Workshop application from some of the Workshop organizers.

Research Statement

The purpose of the research statement is to communicate to the selection committee what your field is, how it relates to major divisions of mathematics (e.g., algebra, analysis), what you have done, and the importance of your results. Since there are only three committee members, it is unlikely that one of them will be in your area, so we suggest writing the research statement for a general mathematical audience by including useful definitions, precise statements (especially results!), a well-chosen example, and perhaps an illustrative picture. An expert, should there be one on the committee, would appreciate such a statement also and would use the precise statements to quickly understand how your results fit into the existing literature and why they are important.

We remind you that the three (3) page limit is strict, but does not include the references - just the body of the text. Also, please note that fonts smaller than 12 point type are not acceptable.

Curriculum Vitae

The purpose of the curriculum vitae is to showcase your professional accomplishments with emphasis on your research, but other factors are also important. You may use the same curriculum vitae for the workshop as well as a summer internship or postdoctoral position. The following is a list of information that should be included as applicable.

Contact information, including your name, address, phone number, email address, and webpage URL. (You may use your professional and/or home address.)
Degrees including your Ph.D. degree, where it is (or will be) from, the title of your dissertation, the date (month/year) the degree was awarded (or is expected), and the name of your thesis advisor.
Any publications, submissions, or preprints. If a preprint or paper is available on a server or via your webpage, include its URL. Papers that cannot be sent out are considered "in preparation" and should not be listed.
Job experience in the profession, beginning with your current or most recent position.
Conference talks, colloquia, and seminars that you have given, including the date and place.
Teaching information, including courses taught. Highlight any special work, such as courses designed, materials developed, innovations added to existing courses, unusual teaching methods.
Computer technical expertise, including languages (e.g., C++ or JAVA) and programs (e.g., Mathematica) that you are familiar with.
Service to the profession such as organizing seminars, involvement with a math club, or volunteer or paid work in tutoring programs.
Mathematics organizations of which you are a member.

We suggest you omit personal information such as marital status, age, children, hobbies, physical characteristics, or disabilities. In fact, it is illegal for employers, granting agencies, etc., to ask for this information.

Cover Letter

Unlike the curriculum vitae which you may use for a number of purposes, the cover letter should be specific to what you are applying for. Therefore, it is an appropriate place to disclose personal information that you think germane, as well as to answer any questions that you think might come to the mind of someone reading your curriculum vitae and other application material. In particular, you might choose to tell how participation in the AWM workshop would benefit your career.

As part of your cover letter, please be sure to include the following information, which will be used repeatedly by a number of people:

whether you are applying as a graduate student or as a recent Ph.D. (required),
the title of your presentation or poster (required),
your field (including AMS/MOS number),
your current position,
your email address and phone number.

Letters of Recommendation

If you are applying as a graduate student, you must have a letter from your thesis advisor. If you are applying as a recent Ph.D., you should ordinarily ask your advisor for a letter as well. At least one letter writer (and you may have more than one) should know your research and be able to assess your contribution to mathematics. If you have changed (sub)fields, this may not necessarily be your thesis advisor. It may be helpful if you provide your letter writer(s) with the following information:

Your curriculum vitae
Your research statement
A copy of the AWM workshop announcement and instructions for the workshop applicants

The most useful letters are substantial and make specific comments, especially about your recent work, including what your results are, how they fit into the existing literature, and why they are important.

Since the selection committee cannot consider an application that does not have a letter of recommendation, we recommend checking with your letter writer(s) about a week before the deadline to be sure that they have all the information they need and to remind them of the deadline.

If you have questions, send them to awm@math.umd.edu, with AWM workshop in the subject line.

Authors: Sue Geller, Suzanne Lenhart, Jody Novak, Gail Ratcliff
Last Updated: July 3, 2000