Lenore Blum has played an integral role in increasing the participation of girls and women in mathematics. She was one of the founders of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), acting as its president from 1975 to 1978. The AWM has membership totaling over 1,500 women and men. In addition to local, national and international meetings, the AWM sponsors the Emmy Noether Lecture series and has organized symposiums. It provides a list women who are available to speak at high schools and colleges and also contributes to the Dictionary of Women in the Mathematical Sciences.

Educational Pursuits

Blum was born in 1943 and as a child, she enjoyed math, art and music. Finishing high school at 16, Blum applied to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), but was turned down, several times, in fact. After being turned down by MIT, Blum attended Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She began studying architecture, then changed...