Thirty-one middle school girls attended the Mathematics Department's Sonia Kovalevsky Day (SK Day) 2026 on May 9 at Temple University.

Led by current area high school students, both Temple undergraduates and graduate students, as well as Temple professors, students learned about knot theory, quantum computing, permutations and abstract notions of distance.

The event also marked the debut of the exhibit "Are we there yet? An exploration of distance" which will be on display at the Math Festival at ICM later this summer. 

SK Day brings middle school girls (5th-8th grades) to campus to learn about the field of mathematics and possible career paths. The program focuses on providing participants with competent and engaging mathematical instruction intertwined with strong mentorship by Temple undergraduate and graduate women students in STEM disciplines who are in a position of scientific leadership at the college level.

Sonia Kovalevsky (1850–1891) was a trailblazing Russian mathematician and the first woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics. Despite severe 19th-century academic restrictions, she became the first woman in modern Europe to hold a full professorship (at the University of Stockholm) and the first female member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.