Strathcona Centre for Learning Futures Mathematics at school

Asha Rao will share with us her journey to becoming a mathematician. She has not always wanted to be a mathematician. Like many career journeys, hers has not been linear. Now she is a strong advocate for girls and women studying Mathematics and will talk of the benefits of doing so. She identifies one of the differences in workforce opportunities between men and women to be their achievements in mathematics at school and will share with us her efforts to break through this source of inequity. This presentation will be valuable to those who enjoy mathematical studies and those who question whether it is worth them taking mathematics subjects any longer than they are required to.

Indian-Australian Professor and Associate Dean, and former Interim Director of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI), Prof. Asha Rao was inducted into the 2021 Victorian Honour Roll of Women in the Trailblazer category. She is passionate about mathematics and gender issues that stymie the progress of women and girls in STEM careers. As the founding chair of Women in Maths, Prof. Rao has put in place several initiatives to improve gender equity within the mathematical sciences in Australia.