Attracting Bright Minds to Mathematics

Among the many attendees of the 2012 Ramanujan Prize ceremony held at ICTP on 6 September were three young women eager to learn more about what it takes to become a mathematician.

Hala Sahnoun, Kamilia Benzag, and Lamine Hind, three baccalaureate students from Rabat, Morocco, had participated in a 2011 ICTP workshop titled "Women in Mathematics" held at Lycée Moulay Rabat, Morocco. The three scored top marks in the subsequently administered test at the workshop, and along with a scholarship of 1200 Euros each, they won a chance to visit Italy and attend the Ramanujan Prize ceremony at ICTP.

The trip was their first to ICTP and Italy, and all of them said they were impressed by their experience and excited about their trip. "This is the first time I have seen a theoretical research institute and met so many researchers involved in mathematics," said Sahnoun. "The environment here is really stimulating."

"In our country, students who are good in mathematics are more attracted to engineering because then we can get a good job," said Hind. "But coming here, we can see that we can also do research." Benzag agreed and said that they need more practical advice on how to pursue research in mathematics.

"We see that people here are engrossed in work all the time," said Sahnoun. "I feel very inspired by the focus," she added. The students said that the visit to ICTP has opened their eyes to the world of research and that activities such as the 2011 workshop are important to attract more students to understand what the world of theoretical research is like. "If I had not visited ICTP it would have been difficult for me to imagine a career in mathematics," said Sahnoun.