Undergraduate Sustainability Experiences in Mathematics (USE Math) at the Beach

Ben Galluzzo, Corrine Taylor
May 12 - 17, 2014
Wallops Island, Virginia

Registration Fee: $325 per person ($400 for registrations received after March 31, 2014)

In this workshop, participants will explore the relationship between sustainability and mathematics “at the beach.” During the preparatory component, participants will study current USE Math projects (webspace.ship.edu/bjgalluzzo/prep2014) and identify sustainability topics that are applicable for use in their introductory mathematics classes (including College Algebra, Quantitative Reasoning, Introductory Statistics, Precalculus, and Calculus I). During the onsite component, participants will work on creating new projects dealing with themes such as beach erosion, waterfowl diversity, marine animal populations, aquaculture, and more.  Sustainability-focused educators, marine scientists, and other professionals will give presentations on new initiatives in resource management and lead field excursions through the Wallops Island National Wildlife Refuge. Participants will get dirty and wet while taking part in the excursions, and some activities will require participants to walk across wet, muddy, and sandy terrain. Following the intensive component workshop, participants will use the materials, evaluate their effectiveness, and prepare their projects for publication on the peer-reviewed USE Math website and for presentation at upcoming national meetings.

Primary funding is provided by NSF DUE-1245937.