MSI envisions transformed
educational pathways to careers in the Mathematical Sciences.
Our Mission
MSI partners with STEAM programming and provides customized supports and enrichment by matching resources (curriculum, STEAM Professionals, assessment strategies) to the needs of youth and professional development to increase awareness of the beauty and utility of mathematics and its applications.
MSI was founded by Dr. Idris Stovall…
a proud Pittsburgh native who attended multiple K12 schools across the city while growing up earned his B.A. with highest honors in mathematics from Hampton University, and his Ph.D. in computational methods for solving differential equations from the Department of Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Stovall, the first African American to earn an M.S. and Ph.D. respectively from that department also held postdoctoral research fellowships at Florida State University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Stovall has dedicated his career to building innovative STEAM partnerships and programs, teacher professional development, and training the next generation of mathematical scientists – particularly those that are underrepresented minorities. His work in these areas has included advising curriculum and teacher professional development in the Educational Consortium for the Advancement of STEM in Egypt.
Dr. Stovall, Founder of the Mathematical Sciences Institute (MSI), which houses the Dudley Weldon Woodard Program for Excellence in the Mathematical Sciences (Woodard Program). The Woodard Program’s goal is preparing underrepresented minority students for persistence in higher education and ultimately to careers, innovation, and leadership in STEM and its related fields. Through his youth development and mentorship work with the Woodard Program and the Mayor’s STEM Ambassador’s Program in Philadelphia, Dr. Stovall was invited to the White House to participate in the 1st STEM Mentoring Symposium.
Additionally, Dr. Stovall is a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania and has served as Senior Mathematician and Director of Youth Programs at The Franklin Institute, a premier science center working with motivated youth from across the greater Philadelphia region. Idris is a dedicated husband and father of two wonderful daughters who enjoys sports and music of all sorts.