SIGMAA Activites at MathFest 2006


EM SIGMAA

GEOLOGY TRIP
Ben Fusaro, Florida State University
Saturday, August 12, 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Environmental Math SIGMAA will sponsor a trip to Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon. Geologist Gareth Davies will tell us about the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, with stops to examine geological features.  In Oak Ridge -- the "secret city" -- we will visit the American Museum of Science and Energy, as well as "K-25", a 40-acre building where fissionable U-235 was separated from U-238 during the Cold War.

Our van will leave from the front of the Hilton at 1:30, and we will be back at 5:30. The cost is $10 for EM SIG members or spouses ($15 for non EM SIG members). This includes admission to the Museum.  Please register with Hal Nesbitt at hnesbitt@maa.org.

For more information, contact Ben Fusaro at fusaro@math.fsu.edu  or (850) 297-2052.


GUEST LECTURE
Ben Fusaro, Florida State University
Thursday, August 10, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Ballroom A, Knoxville Convention Center
Tom O'Neil of California Polytech State University will speak on saving the California Condor.


HOM SIGMAA

GÖDEL’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FOUNDATION OF MATHEMATICS
Ron Barnes, University of Houston-Downtown
Linda Becerra, University of Houston-Downtown
Friday, August 11, 1:00 pm - 2:20 pm
This session is offered in recognition of the 100th anniversary of his birth. Panel participants will discuss: (1) an outline of the situation of the foundations of mathematics before Gödel’s results; (2) Gödel’s results and their interpretations and applications in mathematics; (3) an outline of their implications in computer science and other areas; (4) a summary list of what has evolved since Gödel’s time; and (5) a consideration of what questions in the foundations of mathematics have not yet been resolved. A summary listing of results already proven or decided in the foundations of mathematics along with a companion listing of conjectures not yet resolved will be provided to the session attendees. After short presentations of the above considerations, questions from the floor will be entertained by the panelists. 

The panelists will be John Dawson, Penn State University at York, “An Overview of the Foundations of Mathematics, Before, During and After Gödel” and Martin Davis, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, “Why Mathematicians Should Care about Gödel's Work.” This program is dedicated in remembrance of Professor Torkel Franzen, a leading authority on Gödel and author of 'Gödel's Theorem: An Incomplete guide to its Use and Abuse', who died on April 19, 2006.


POM SIGMAA

INVITED ADDRESS
Martin Flashman, Humboldt State University
Bonnie Gold, Monmouth University
Friday, August 11, 4:45 pm – 6:15 pm
Michael D. Resnik, of the Department of Philosophy the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, will speak on "Some Problems and Solutions in Contemporary Philosophy of Mathematics.” This talk will begin by surveying some of the major problems and positions in contemporary philosophy of mathematics. This will provide the background for sketching my own approach to these problems--mathematical structuralism—and some of the important objections to my view.


QL SIGMAA

SEVERAL PERSPECTIVES ON QUANTITATIVE LITERACY IN THE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
Caren Diefenderfer, Hollins University
Thursday, August 10, 2:30 pm - 3:50 pm
Ballroom A, Knoxville Convention Center
There is a growing interest in Quantitative Literacy (QL) and Quantitative Reasoning (QR) at many levels of undergraduate education. Some institutions have opted to include QL/QR requirements in their general education requirements, others have embedded QL/QR requirements in major requirements and many others are trying to decide how to address the QL/QR needs of undergraduate students. Three different professional groups have been working with these ideas over the past 20 years. This panel will compare how summer PREP programs, the QL SIGMAA, the National Numeracy Network (NNN) and NSF funded Mathematics Across the Curriculum projects have each addressed QL/QR in the undergraduate program.


RUME SIGMAA

RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE: THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS
William Martin, North Dakota State University
Chris Rasmussen, San Diego State University
Michael Oehrtman, Arizona State University
Saturday, 3:15 pm – 5:15 pm
The SIGMAA on RUME sponsors this session that relates to research issues concerning the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics. The session is devoted to expositions of research results and uses of research (RUME) in teaching.


STAT-ED SIGMAA

ENHANCING THE TEACHING OF ADVANCED PLACEMENT STATISTICS

Murray H. Siegel, South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics

Friday, August 11, 2:30 pm – 3:50 pm

The number of students taking Advanced Placement Statistics continues to grow. Many high school mathematics teachers who teach AP Statistics were trained to teach calculus and may not have the background required to be an effective statistics teacher. This panel provides insights into activities, use of software and alternate methods of assessment that will be useful to AP Statistics teachers at all levels of experience. In addition, lessons to be learned from the 2006 AP Statistics exam will be examined.



TAHSM SIGMAA

TOWN HALL MEETING: WHAT SHOULD FUTURE MATH MAJORS LEARN ABOUT PROOF IN HIGH SCHOOL?
Dan Teague, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Saturday, August 12, 1:00 pm – 2:20 pm
This session, sponsored by SIGMAA TAHSM, will be organized as a town hall meeting. The intent is to have an open discussion between university faculty and high school teachers of advanced mathematics on the kinds of experiences and understanding about proof that future math majors should have as a part of their high school program.  Many (perhaps most) future mathematics majors will have completed AP Calculus in high school.  Some will have taken courses beyond that. Where and in what ways should proof be introduced to these students? Panelists will include Tom Banchoff, Brown University and Dan Teague.


SIGMAA TAHSM Reception 
Saturday, August 12, 2:00  pm – 3:00  pm


TEACHING CONTINUITY AND DIFFERENTIABILITY FOR FUNCTIONS OF ONE AND TWO VARIABLES
Dan Teague, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Stephen Davis, Davidson College
Saturday, August 12, 3:00  pm – 5:00  pm
This workshop is designed for AP teachers and others teaching an introductory course in Calculus. The session will consider what teachers should know about continuity and differentiability for functions of two (and more) variables that should inform their instruction in the introductory single variable course. For example, in the first course in calculus, is being differentiable different than simply having a derivative?  Because of the relative simplicity of the single variable setting, are we giving students a false impression that will create problems for them later?