Graduate Student Activities and Presentations
- Graduate Student Workshop
What’s the story? A Graduate Student Workshop on Creating a Research Presentation for Undergraduates
Thursday, August 2, 1:00 – 2:20 pm, Meeting Room R
Organizer:
Rachel Schwell, Central Connecticut State University
Sponsors:
MAA Committee on Graduate Students
Presenting our research to undergraduate students can be both fun and rewarding. It can also be difficult, however, since the gory details of our results often require a great deal of specific jargon and background. Nonetheless, the big ideas can almost always be presented at a variety of levels, and this workshop is designed to help participants develop the skills needed to formulate a presentation on their research that is appropriate for an audience of undergraduate students. Since many colleges and universities require giving such a talk as part of a job interview, almost any graduate student will have the opportunity to do so, and the ability to communicate complex mathematical ideas to students is a valued trait in a candidate. This workshop will consist of hands-on activities and audience interaction aimed toward developing and improving the necessary skills for creating an engaging and accessible presentation for undergraduates.
- Graduate Student Reception
Thursday, August 2, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Organizers:
Estela A. Gavosto, University of Kansas
James Freeman, Cornell College
Graduate students are invited for some refreshments and to meet several of the invited speakers.
- Student Poster Session
PosterFest 2012: A Poster Session of Scholarship by Early Career Mathematicians and Graduate Students
Friday, August 3, 3:30 – 4:30 pm, Exhibit Hall
Organizer:
Jennifer Roche Bowen, The College of Wooster
Sponsors:
Early Career Mathematicians Committee, Graduate Student Committee, and the Young Mathematicians Network
This poster session will allow early career mathematicians, including untenured faculty and graduate students, to present and discuss their scholarly activities with other attendees in an informal atmosphere. Examples of scholarly activities suitable for this poster session include expository work, preliminary reports, scholarship of teaching and learning, and research reports. Presenters should have their materials prepared in advance and will be provided with a self-standing, trifold tabletop poster approximately 48 in wide by 36 in high. Proposals should be submitted at http://www/maa.org/mathfest/abstracts. Questions regarding this session should be sent to the organizers.
- Special Session For Graduate Students
Great Talks for a General Audience: Coached Presentations by Graduate Students
Saturday, August 4, 1:00 – 5:30 pm, Meeting Rooms K&L
Organizers:
Jim Freeman, Cornell College, and Rachel Schwell, Central Connecticut State University
Sponsors:
Committee on Graduate Students and the Young Mathematicians Network
Presenters in this session must be graduate students. While many graduate students will be asked to give a lecture to a general audience which includes undergraduates and non-mathematicians as part of a job interview, most students do not have experience talking to a non-research audience. This session gives graduate students the opportunity to give a 20-minute talk aimed at an undergraduate audience which has been exposed to calculus and some linear algebra. Both the talks and abstracts should be designed to excite a wide range of undergraduates about mathematics. All participants in this session will receive private feedback on their presentations from an established faculty member and an undergraduate student. Time permitting, a discussion of effective techniques for delivering great general-audience talks will occur at the end of the session.
Contact Jim Freeman or Rachel Schwell for help on writing an abstract and preparing a talk for a general audience. Graduate student participants in this session should also attend the graduate student workshop (What's the Story?) on mathematical presentations. Information on travel support will be available at www.maa.org/students/grad.html on March 1, 2012. Abstracts must be submitted by April 30, 2012.
- Panel Discusson
The Job Search I: How to Apply for Jobs - Lessons for Academia and Industry
Friday, August 3, 2:35 – 3:55 pm, Lecture Hall
Organizer: Estela A. Gavosto, University of Kansas
Panelists:
James Freeman, Cornell College; Will Hickman, Epic Systems Corporation; Joanne Peeples, El Paso Community College; Kimberly Roth, Juniata College; and Erika Ward, Jacksonville University
Sponsors:
MAA Committee on Graduate Students
This panel session will focus on the application process for both academic and industry jobs. Topics that will be addressed include where to find job postings, how to tailor your cover letter and other application material to the job that you are applying to, selecting your references, and how you can be sure that your entire application package accurately describes you. There will be multiple opportunities for Q&A during the session.
- Panel Discussion
The Job Search II: Interviewing and Hiring for Academic Jobs - Lessons from Both Sides of the Trenches
Thursday, August 2, 4:10 – 5:30 pm, Lecture Hall
Organizer:
Jenna Carpenter, Louisiana Tech University
Panelists:
Gulden Karakok, University of Northern Colorado; John Travis, Mississippi College; John Hamman, Montgomery College Germantown Campus; Louis Deaett, Quinnipiac University; and Michael Stob, Calvin College
Sponsor:
Professional Development Committee
This panel session will focus on best practices and tips for successfully navigating the interview and hiring process for academic jobs. Panelists will include recent applicants, department chairs, and hiring committee members from a variety of institutions, from community colleges to liberal arts institutions to large state universities with a strong research focus. There will be a Q&A session at the end.