Wellesley Emerging Scholars Initiative (WESI)
The goal of the Wellesley Emerging Scholars Initiative (WESI) is to increase the number of underrepresented students majoring in math (and math-heavy fields, like the sciences). The program is designed as a learning community centered on Calculus I/II/III (Math 115/116/205). Students attend two weekly workshops in which they work through challenging problems to solidify and deepen their understanding of calculus. The central features of WESI are:
•a problem-based approach to learning focused on high-level work rather than remediation
•a welcoming community with shared academic interests
•collaborative learning and small-group interactions
•an opportunity to develop mentoring relationships with faculty in the math department at Wellesley
The WESI approach to learning requires a weekly commitment of 2 hours outside of class to attend the program’s workshops. Each workshop (typically held during lunch) is led by Professor Oscar E. Fernandez and Professor Stanley Chang, and food is provided. Participants work on workbooks consisting of challenging problems based on material covered in Math 115/116/205 classes. These problems present students with an opportunity to sharpen their understanding of the material.
Click on the images below to download the workbooks (and also our brochure).
WESI is funded by a grant from the Mathematical Association of America and the Tensor Foundation. We were also selected as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House’s Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics; see here:
The WESI initiative is an adaptation of the Emerging Scholars Program (ESP). The ESP model has been adopted by over one hundred campuses across the nation, and research has shown that ESP participants tend to earn higher grades than non-ESP participants. In addition, the ESP model has been shown to positively impact retention in a STEM-based major.
Calculus 1 (Math 115)
Calculus 2 (Math 116)
Calculus 3 (Math 205)
WESI Brochure