Plan on participating in the activities planned for the Albuquerque,
New Mexico, MathFest this summer, starting with the MAA-Pi Mu Epsilon
reception for undergraduates Wednesday evening, August 3, and
continuing through Saturday, August 6, 2004. The activities for
students will include the Student Hospitality Center, the MAA Student
Paper Sessions, the presentations of the MAA Mathematical Contest in
Modeling winners, the MAA Student Lecture, the MAA Student Activities
Session (formerly called the MAA Student Workshop), and the Student
Problem Solving Competition. In addition, students and advisors
will likely be interested in the parallel Pi Mu Epsilon student papers
sessions, the PME banquet, and the PME J. Sutherland Frame
lecture. Information on these activities may be found inside in
the section ’Albuquerque Activities.â?
MAA
Student Activities at the Atlanta Joint Mathematics Meetings
Warm and sunny weather welcomed those who attended the JMM at Atlanta
in January. Once again, a record number of students participated
in the MAA student poster session, about one hundred students and
advisors attended the MAA student lecture by Robin J. Wilson, many
folks attended the special session on ’Mathematical Experiences for
Students outside the Classroom,â? and students and others enjoyed the
diversions offered at the Student Hospitality Center throughout the
meetings. Thanks to the Diversity Initiative, some students from
underrepresented groups received assistance with travel and
registration expenses. For a report on these activities, check
out the ’Atlanta Aftermath.â?
Dr. Robin J. Wilson of
the Open University, U.K. delivered the MAAStudent Lecture at the 2005
Joint Mathematics Meetings. Over 300 students and mathematicians
attended. Professor Wilson, son of former British Prime Minister
Wilson, discussed the famous Kirkwood Schoolgirls Problem, polyhedral,
trees, partitions, and map colorings, all illustrated by colorful
slides. (Professor Wilson is also known for his colorful
attire.) He delighted the audience with interesting stories of
Cayley, Syvester, Clifford, Kempe, De Morgan, and others. After
the talk, Professor Wilson remained to meet individual students and
answer questions.
Dr. Robin J. Wilson delivers the Student
Lecture
Diversity
Initiative 2005
Some of the Diversity Initiative Grant
recipients posed with Robin Wilson and members of the committee
CUSAC administers a small grant
program called the MAA Diversity Initiative, designed to help college
faculty bring students from under-represented groups to the Joint
Meetings. Institutions may apply for travel mini-grants of up to
$500, to cover some of the costs of registration, travel, and
housing. This year the program was featured in a poster session
at the meetings, for Special Programs and Strategies to Reach
Underrepresented Populations.
Fourteen schools were awarded grants this year: Armstrong Atlantic
State University, Atlanta Metropolitan College, Austin Peay State
University, California State University Chico, East Tennessee State
University, Elon University, Georgia College and State University,
Kennesaw State University, Meredith College, North Carolina A&T
University, Pepperdine University, Southern Polytechnic University, and
the University of South Florida. Two of the institutions were
NREUP sites in Summer 2004 (see /nreup/).
Faculty from these institutions brought 53
undergraduate students to the meetings in Atlanta, where they attended
the opening student reception, the student poster session, and the MAA
Student Lecture by Robin Wilson, along with other meeting events.
Eighteen of them presented posters ’ either in the CUSAC session or in
another one -- or gave a paper. CUSAC is happy to welcome these
new members of the mathematics community to the Joint Meetings, and
hopes that they will return many times in the future.
Mathematical
Experiences for Students outside the Classroom
On Saturday
afternoon, the MAA Committee on Undergraduate Student Activities and
Chapters hosted a session entitled Mathematical
Experiences for Students outside the Classroom. The
session, organized by Kay Somers of Moravian College and Jody Sorensen
from Grand Valley State University, included fourteen exciting talks
covering a wide range of topics.
Presenters spoke about successful math club activities, student service
projects, and undergraduate conferences. There were great talks
about student contests, including Mathematical Jeopardy and tic-tac-toe
on affine planes. The talks were well attended, and we thank all
the participants for their contributions. Look for a similar
session at next year’s meeting in San Antonio
Jody Sorensen opening the session on
Mathematical Experiences for Students outside the Classroom
Student
Hospitality Center
Once again Richard and Araceli
Neal organized and set up the Student Hospitality Center, a popular
retreat and gathering place for students attending the Joint
Mathematics Meetings. The SHC provided refreshments, puzzles and
games, MAA literature, and a place to talk math or merely to
socialize. The Neals regret that an emergency situation back home
called them away. Nevertheless, the official grand opening went
ahead as planned, and throngs of students enjoyed the mixer.
Students enjoyed the treats, the
puzzles, and the company at the Student Hospitality Center
Mario
Martelli's Report on the Undergraduate Student Poster Session
The Undergraduate Student Poster
Session was, for students, judges and visitors, one of the highest
points of the Joint Meeting of the AMS, MAA, and AWM in Atlanta. The
Committee on Undergraduate Student Activities and Chapters (CUSAC)
sponsored the event; Dr. Mario Martelli of Claremont McKenna College
organized it; the money for the prizes was generously provided by the
Moore Education Foundation, the AMS, MAA, SIAM, CUR, and AWM; and Dr.
Suzanne Lenhart from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, brought
the $3700 dollars donated by the six organizations. Over 120 teams of
students from across the USA and Canada displayed the results of their
research, and 150 professional mathematicians evaluated them, following
the precise guidelines established by the organizer.
The complete list of all posters recognized
with a prize can be found in the student section of the MAA website.
The Southern California-Nevada Section of the MAA is well represented
in this group with six posters done by undergraduates of four different
institutions: California State University San Bernardino,
Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College (3 posters), and Pomona
College. Other REU programs received particular recognition. Among them
I would like to mention the programs at Trinity University, at Central
Michigan University, and at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. High
in the judges' evaluation was one poster done at the University of
Tennessee, Knoxville, under the guidance of Dr. Suzanne Lenhart, and
two posters done at Williams College with Dr. F. Morgan and Dr. A.
Pacelli. I was very pleased to notice that two students from Montclair
State University were among the presenters and each one received a
prize. The advisors of the two posters were Drs. D. Thomas and L.
Billings.
The Undergraduate Poster Session attracted
a curious crowd
Ed Keppelmann and Mario Martelli tallied
the scores for 123 posters
However, the best recognition for every undergraduate was to be
selected by a professional advisor, and to be accepted by the
organizer. To receive one of the prizes is a recognition coveted by
many, and some presenters may have been disappointed by the outcome of
the evaluation. These students, and everybody else, should keep in mind
that all posters receiving a prize were concentrated in an interval of
only seven points and in four cases the secondary evaluation had to be
used as a tiebreaker. Let me also share with you this information. The
discrepancies I noticed this year among the judge’s evaluations were
definitely more pronounced than the ones I had observed in the past.
Close to one third of the posters received either a high evaluation
from two judges and a low evaluation from the third, or the other way
around. The most dramatic example was a poster that received 27 points
(out of 30) from one judge and only 14 from another. Therefore, I want
to stress again, and all advisors should do the same, that the most
important prize is to have been part of this incredible event, in which
so may talented undergraduates had the opportunity to display their
work and to talk about their results with professional mathematicians.
I was particularly pleased by the presence of
five or more posters from the following REU locations: Arizona State
University, California State University San Bernardino, Central
Michigan University, Trinity University, and Texas A&M
University. Topics in Applied Mathematics, Graph Theory, Knot
Theory, Group Theory, Linear Algebra, and Combinatorics were among the
subjects more frequently selected by the teams. Some of the results
presented have already been published in professional journals or are
in the process of being submitted for publications.
I want to express my sincere appreciation to
all judges who donated their time to this worthy cause. Some of them
have already done it several times. I refrain to mention names since I
am afraid I will miss more than one. You know how much I value your
help. I am so happy when your name appears on the screen of my computer
with a "yes" answer to my request for help. I want to express my
appreciation to Jim Tattersall, Associate Secretary of the MAA, to
Robin Hagan Aguiar and Donna Salter from the AMS, to Michael Pearson
and Katarina Briedova from the MAA, to all members of CUSAC, to my
Administrative Assistant Patty Castro, to my daughter Lisa, my wife
Ann, and my student Allison Westfahl for their invaluable
help. Dr. Diana Thomas from Montclair State University
coordinated the accommodation of the students. Thank you, Diana. The
great success of the Undergraduate Student Poster Session would not
have been possible without the collaboration of so many people.
Finally, I want to extend a special thank to all advisors who worked
hard with the students. They are making a difference in the life of
these young kids, and their time and energy could not have been put to
a better use. The future of mathematics is in great hands. I hope to
see all of you in San Antonio in January 2006!
I want to express my
sincere appreciation to all judges who donated their time to this
worthy cause. Some of them have already done it several times. I
refrain to mention names since I am afraid I will miss more than one.
You know how much I value your help. I am so happy when your name
appears on the screen of my computer with a "yes" answer to my request
for help. I want to express my appreciation to Jim Tattersall,
Associate Secretary of the MAA, to Robin Hagan Aguiar and Donna Salter
from the AMS, to Michael Pearson and Katarina Briedova from the MAA, to
all members of CUSAC, to my Administrative Assistant Patty Castro, to
my daughter Lisa, my wife Ann, and my student Allison Westfahl for
their invaluable help. Dr. Diana Thomas from Montclair
State University coordinated the accommodation of the students. Thank
you, Diana. The great success of the Undergraduate Student Poster
Session would not have been possible without the collaboration of so
many people. Finally, I want to extend a special thank to all advisors
who worked hard with the students. They are making a difference in the
life of these young kids, and their time and energy could not have been
put to a better use. The future of mathematics is in great hands. I
hope to see all of you in San Antonio in January 2006!
Poster
session award winners pose with organizer Mario Martelli
Call
for Student Papers to be presented at MathFest 2005 in Albuquerque
Students who wish to present a
paper at MathFest 2005 in Albuquerque, New Mexico must be nominated by
a faculty advisor familiar with the work to be presented. To propose a
paper for presentation, the student must complete a form and obtain the
signature of a faculty sponsor. The deadline for submitted abstracts is
June 28, 2005.
Nomination forms for the MAA Student Paper Sessions are located on MAA
Online at www.maa.org/students/undergrad/,
or can be obtained from Edward C. Keppelmann at the University of
Nevada Reno (775-784-6773) keppelma@unr.edu.
The MAA Committee for Undergraduate Student Activities has limited
funds to support travel to Math Fest by student presenters. Student
presenters who are also members of MAA student chapters are eligible
for up to $600 and non-chapter members are eligible for up to $300 with
a maximum of at most one student being supported from any given
institution. Travel funds are limited this year so early
application is encouraged. The deadline for receipt of travel grant
applications for confirmed presenters with completed abstracts is June
21,2005 although to assure the availability of funds students should
apply as early as possible.
In addition to the MAA student paper sessions at Math Fest there are
also sessions sponsored by Pi Mu Epsilon. Pi Mu Epsilon student
speakers must be nominated by their chapter advisors. Application forms
for PME student speakers can be found on the PME web site at
www.pme-math.org or can be obtained from PME Secretary, Treasurer, Dr.
Leo Schneider leo@jcu.edu>.
Students making presentations at the Annual Meeting of PME are eligible
for partial transportation reimbursement. The deadline for receipt of
abstracts is Tuesday, June 28, 2005.
Some
of the students who won best-in-session awards in the MAA Student Paper
Sessions at the 2004 MathFest pose with Professor Benoit Mandelbrot
Wednesday, August 3, 5:30-6:30 pm
Invite your undergraduate students to attend this reception sponsored
by the MAA and Pi Mu Epsilon.
Student Hospitality Center
Hosted
by Richard and Araceli Neal, the American Society for
the Communication of Mathematics
Thursday,
August 4, ’
Friday,
August 5,
Saturday, August 6,
The Student Hospitality Center
(SHC) provides a place for students and other MathFest
attendees to meet for informal conversation,
refreshments, and mathematical diversions. The SHC also provides
programs for the MAA and Pi Mu Epsilon
student
paper sessions, packets for the MAA student presenters, and information on MathFest activities
of interest to students. Special information for students can be found on MAA
Online at /
and http://www.pme-math.org/.
MAA Student Paper Sessions
Thursday, August 4, Friday, August 5,
Edward
C. Keppelmann, University of Nevada,
and Mary S. Hawkins, PrairieViewA&MUniversity,
are the organizers
of these sessions.
Pi Mu Epsilon Paper Sessions
Thursday,
August 4,
Friday,
August 5,
J.
Douglas Faires, YoungstownStateUniversity,
is the organizer
of these sessions.
Math Horizons Special Session
Thursday,
August 4,
Meet
the editors
of Math Horizons,
Arthur T. Benjamin of HarveyMuddCollege
and Jennifer J. Quinn of OccidentalCollege.
Math Horizons
is the MAA’s magazine for
students, filled with intriguing articles, profiles, problems, humor,
and contests. We are interested in your suggestions, and we will be
looking for
students to join our Student Advisory
Group
Pi Mu Epsilon Banquet
Friday,
August 5,
All
undergraduate students and their supporters
are welcome to attend this banquet, sponsored
by PME and MAA.See the registration form
for
more
information
on this ticketed event.
Pi
Mu Epsilon-J. Sutherland Frame Lecture:
Proofs
That Really Count: The Art of Combinatorial Proof
Friday,
August 5,
Arthur
T. Benjamin,
HarveyMuddCollege,
is the featured
speaker.Mathematics is the science of
patterns, and
mathematicians attempt to understand these patterns and discover new
ones using
various tools.In this talk, we
demonstrate that many number patterns, even very complex ones, can be
understood by simple counting arguments. You will enjoy the magic of
Fibonacci
numbers, Lucas numbers, continued fractions, and more.
You can count on it! This talk is based on research with Professor
Jennifer Quinn and many, many undergraduates.
Undergraduate Student Activities
Session: Walking on Long Paths
Saturday,
August 6,
John Harris of FurmanUniversity is the leader of
the
activities session.In
this workshop
several basic graph theory
concepts will be presented, a few facts about paths will be described,
and a
few open problems will be shared. Student participants will work
together to find examples that relate to the topics being discussed.
MAA
Student Lecture: Lights, Camera, Freeze!
Annalisa
Crannell, Franklin & MarshallCollege, and Marc Frantz, IndianaUniversity
Saturday, August 14,
Director/Producer
Stephen ’Marcâ? Frantzberg teams up with the
world-famous
actress Annalisa Monalisa Cranberry to bring
you the new blockbuster hit, Projection. Spanning the centuries
between
Renaissance perspective painting and modern cinematic special effects, Projection
reveals the true secrets behind projecting a
3-dimensional world onto a 2-dimensional canvas
(or movie screen). You’ll laugh;
you’ll
yawn; you’ll cry; you’ll reach the vanishing point. The movie includes
a cast of
thousands (or dozens, depending on how many
people are
in the audience).
Student Problem-Solving
Competition
Saturday,
August 6,
Richard Neal,
American Society for
the Communication of Mathematics, hosts the finals of the Problem
Solving
Competition. Universities and colleges that participate monthly on
their own
campuses by holding problem solving contests are invited to send
two
contestants. Each contestant will be required to solve a series of
mathematical problems. Based upon the outcome, a champion and a
runner-up will
be named.
MAA
Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) Winners
Ben
Fusaro, FloridaStateUniversity
Saturday,
August 6,
About 450 teams, each
consisting of three
undergraduates, took part in the 2005 MCM in February. The contest
consists of
two real(istic) scenarios (one discrete, one continuous) that call for analysis and resolution. The
teams have
four days to deal with the challenge during which time they may use or consult anything
inanimate ’ computers,
libraries, the Web, etc. MAA judges choose one continuous and one
discrete
winner from the top contenders. The MAA subsidizes the teams’ travel to
MathFest, where they will present the results of their four-day
challenge.
MAA Student
Lecture’Jean Bee
Chan, photo’Editor; Diversity
Initiative and
photo’Betty Mayfield; Mathematical
Experiences
for Students outside the Classroom, Atlanta’Jody
Sorensen, photo’Editor;
StudentHospitalityCenter and photo’Editor;
Student Poster Session’Mario Martelli, photos’M. Martelli and Editor;
Call for Student Papers’Ed Keppelmann,
photo’Editor; Albuquerque
Activities’April Focus
How to Reach the MAA
For Membership Information,
Subscriptions, and Publication Orders contact:
The MAAServiceCenter
P.O. Box 9112
Washington, DC20090-1622
800-331-1622 or
(301)617-9415
FAX:(301) 206-9789
For
the MAA
Headquarters:
The Mathematical Association of America
1529 Eighteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC20036-1385
800-741-9415 or
(202) 387-5200
FAX: (202) 265-2384
How
to Contact the Chapter Newsletter Editor
Suggestions,
concerns, and/or contributions of articles for the CUSAC newsletter may
be sent to:
John
Holte Department of Mathematics and Computer
Science Gustavus Adolphus College 800 W. College Avenue St. Peter, MN 56082 (507) 933 - 7465 holte@gustavus.edu