Around THE POND
Team Female Coup d’État, from left, upper mids Coco Zhang, Anna Serbina, Felicia Wang, and Linh Vu, with coach, mentor, and Mathematics Teacher Joseph Zipoli ’84.
Girls in Math at Yale:
A Rhino Coup d’État FOUR YOUNG WOMEN FROM TAFT
traveled to Yale University in February to compete in the third annual Girls in Math at Yale competition. Team Taft arrived as the reigning champions and left with their title intact: For the second consecutive year, Taft took home top honors at the event. Upper mids Linh Vu, Anna Serbina, Felicia Wang, and Coco Zhang dominated the team portion of the competition. “The group chose the name ‘Female Coup d’État,’” said Mathematics Teacher and Mathematics Team Coach Joseph
Zipoli ’84. “And in the words of the organizers, they ‘toppled the competition.’” Conceptualized by the Math Majors of America Tournament for High Schools, Girls in Math at Yale was introduced in the fall of 2018 with the goal of cultivating “a love for math and the sciences in a younger generation and celebrating the diversity that is already present in these fields at the university level.” The inaugural event drew 50 students. Zipoli notes that the “steadily growing” competition now draws competitors from public and
private high schools across New England. The 2020 program featured both team and individual rounds of competition. It also included time for competitors to explore the university and hear members of the Yale community share their thoughts on opportunities for women in STEM fields. “In addition to the mathematics competition, we had a great day in the school of architecture, hearing from Yale students and professors, and even attending a concert in one of the galleries,” says Zipoli. “In all, it was a great day for our students.” j Taft Bulletin / SPRING 2020
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