Women's Studies University of Arizona
Department of Women's Studies
contact: 520.621.7338, 520.621.1533 (fax), address: 1618 E Helen, PO Box 210409, Tucson, AZ 85721-0409
Sirow, The Southwest Institute for Research on Women
Women's Plaza of Honor (+3 damage points)
Women in Science and Engineering
Women's Studies Advisory Council

Celebrating Dedication to Diversity in Science and Engineering

Award Winner:

William Velez, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics & Associate Head for Undergraduate Affairs I have been of the faculty in the Department of Mathematics since 1977. I hold the position of Professor of Mathematics and was named University Distinguished Professor in 1998. I started my "Advising of Minority Calculus Students Program" in the late 1980s, and I have continued this program to this day. The aim of this program is make minority students aware of the importance of their calculus course. My involvement in this program has resulted in a large number of minority mathematics majors. Of the approximately 500 mathematics majors, 85 are minority students. Approximately 1/3 of the mathematics majors are female. I have worked both locally and nationally to increase diversity. I was the faculty advisor to the local chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers for many years. I am a founding member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and served as its president for three years, beginning in 1994. I have published many articles on increasing diversity and I have given many lectures around the country on this topic. In an effort to provide role models for our minority children, I started the web-based SACNAS biography project. This project has produced over 100 one-page biographies of SACNAS scientists that are available on the web (www.sacnas.org), aimed at middle school and high school audiences. Four years ago I accepted the position of Associate Head for Undergraduate Affairs. I am now using the techniques that I developed to encourage minority students to pursue careers in mathematics based fields, with all students. During my four years in this position, we went from 250 mathematics majors to almost 500, while still maintaining a strong minority presence. My current goal is to greatly increase the number of mathematics majors, while at the same time integrating these students into the mathematical life of this country.