Invited Sessions

MAA Invited Paper Session

Generations of Monthly Gems

Wednesday, August 5, 1:00 PM - 3:50 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 1

The session is designed to help celebrate the MAA's Centennial. With thousands of papers to draw on, 6 speakers will give 25-minute talks on papers chosen from throughout the Monthly's history. Speakers will highlight the significance of these papers and remark on their impact on mathematics and science in general.

Scott Chapman, Sam Houston State University
Dan Velleman, Amherst College
Bruce Palka, National Science Foundation
Roger Horn, University of Utah
John Ewing, Math for America

Click here to see abstracts of the talks in this session

1894 - 1919

1:00 PM - 1:20 PM
Karen Parshall, University of Virginia

1920 - 1939

1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
John Stillwell, University of San Francisco

1940 - 1959

2:00 PM - 2:20 PM
Ron Graham, University of California at San Diego

1960 - 1979

2:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Bob Devaney, Boston University

1980 - 1999

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Paul Zorn, St. Olaf College

2000 - 2015

3:30 PM - 3:50 PM
Rebecca Goldin, George Mason University

MAA Invited Paper Session

The Non-Traditional "Traditional NSA Mathematician"

Wednesday, August 5, 1:00 PM - 3:45 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Delaware B

The National Security Agency's (NSA) mathematicians create breakthroughs in cryptography and communications security. It is common to associate number theory and discrete mathematics with cryptography. However, problems tackled by NSA mathematicians actually draw upon a much broader variety of fields including statistics, geometry, analysis, topology, graph theory, neuroscience, big data analytics, theoretical computer science, and computational linguistics. As a result, the research community at NSA includes experts in a wide range of mathematics and math-related subjects.

The purpose of this session is to highlight both usual and unusual problems applied to national security, with all talks being at the general non-expert level. NSA mathematicians have produced fascinating and significant results over the years, however much of the work is not published. This session is a great opportunity for the MAA community to be exposed to some of NSA's leading mathematicians and learn about the important role mathematics plays in a variety of problems.

Carla D. Martin, National Security Agency

Click here to see abstracts of the talks in this session

The Coming of Enigma

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
David Perry, National Security Agency

Public Key Cryptography: From Abelian Groups to Yellow Padlocks in 30 Minutes Flat

1:45 PM - 2:15 PM
David Fu, National Security Agency

Extending Pairwise Element Similarity to Set Similarity Efficiently

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Steve Knox, National Security Agency

Teaching Computers to See

3:15 PM - 3:45 PM
Christine Edwards, National Security Agency

MAA Invited Paper Session

Improving Access to Mathematical Modeling Research

Thursday, August 6, 1:00 PM - 4:20 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Delaware B

Recently with documents such as the Common Core State Standards, there has been an increasing push for mathematical modeling in every classroom. But the picture of mathematical modeling that applied mathematics researchers have is very different from the word problems provided in textbooks for teachers. This session is dedicated to closing the gap between applied mathematics research, mathematics education research, and what goes on in classrooms around the United States. With an eye to creating environment(s) that support students and teachers in mathematical modeling throughout the united states, at all mathematical and economic levels: How can we improve teacher's and students understanding of modeling research, and improve access to the experience of mathematical modeling research to populations that do not typically receive graduate training in the field?

Carlos Castillo-Chavez, Arizona State University
Carlos Castillo-Garsow, Eastern Washington University

Click here to see abstracts of the talks in this session

Global Disease Monitoring and Forecasting with Wikipedia

1:00 PM - 1:25 PM
Sara Del Valle, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Engaging students in applied mathematics via experiential learning through research

1:30 PM - 1:55 PM
Sherry Towers, Arizona State University

Overcoming Epistemic Obstacles to Teaching Mathematical Modeling in Calculus

2:00 PM - 2:25 PM
Patrick Thompson, Arizona State University

Mathematical Modeling Experiences in Secondary Schools

2:30 PM - 2:55 PM
Kathleen R. Fowler, Clarkson University

Mathematics Education Commentary: At the Interface Between Applied Mathematics and Mathematics Education

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM
Carlos Castillo-Garsow, Eastern Washington University

Applied Mathematics Commentary: Math at Top Speed: The Role of Mathematical Modeling in Science and in My Personal Life

3:30 PM - 4:20 PM
Richard Tapia, Rice University

MAA Invited Paper Session

Algebraic Structures Motivated by Knot Theory

Friday, August 7, 9:00 AM - 11:20 AM and 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Delaware A

The area of knot theory has been developing rapidly in recent years. Most recent advances rely on the connections between algebra, homological algebra and knot theory. Examples include the Jones polynomial, topological quantum field theories, skein modules of links in 3-manifolds, Khovanov link and Heegard-Floer homologies, homology of distributive structures (i.e. quandles, racks, distributive lattices) and Yang-Baxter operators, as well as categorifications of knot polynomials and other appropriate combinatorial structures. These new developments relate knot theory to other branches of mathematics including number theory, Lie theory, statistical physics, etc, and employ tools far beyond the traditional ones from algebraic topology. These ideas mark the beginning of a new era in knot theory that includes relationships with four-dimensional problems and the creation of new forms of algebraic topology relevant to knot theory. Moreover, knot theory has numerous results and open problems requiring only knowledge of linear algebra, and are therefore accessible to undergraduates. We propose to bring together students and faculty active in these areas to share them with the broader mathematical community and encourage future collaboration and investigation.

Alissa Crans, Loyola Marymount University
Jozef Przytycki, George Washington University
Radmila Sazdanovic, North Carolina State University

Click here to see abstracts of the talks in this session

Knots and Knot Theory

9:00 AM - 9:40 AM
Lou Kauffman, University of Illinois at Chicago

Knot Coloring: A Diagrammatic Approach to Algebraic Invariants

9:50 AM - 10:30 AM
Heather Russell, Washington College

Topological Symmetries of Molecules

10:40 AM - 11:20 AM
Erica Flapan, Pomona College

An Introduction to Quandles

1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
Alissa Crans, Loyola Marymount University

Enhancements of Counting Invariants

1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
Sam Nelson, Claremont McKenna College

An Introduction to Quandle Cohomology

2:40 PM - 3:20 PM
J. Scott Carter, University of South Alabama

What is Categorification?

3:30 PM - 4:10 PM
Mikhail Khovanov, Columbia University

From Jones to Chebyshev: Adventures in Categorification

4:20 PM - 5:00 PM
Radmila Sazdanovic, North Carolina State University

MAA Invited Paper Session

Concrete Computations in Algebra and Algebraic Geometry

Friday, August 7, 1:00 PM - 3:20 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Delaware B

This session will bring together researchers in computational or combinatorial algebra and algebraic geometry whose research is concrete and accessible.

Sarah Mayes-Tang, Quest University
Karen Smith, University of Michigan

Click here to see abstracts of the talks in this session

Continued Fractions Can Resolve Singularities?!

1:00 PM - 1:20 PM
Robert Walker, University of Michigan

The Search for Indecomposable Modules

1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
Courtney Gibbons, Hamilton College

The Importance of $$\alpha$$

2:00 PM - 2:20 PM
Mike Janssen, Dordt College

Pictures of Syzygies

2:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Timothy Clark, Loyola University

When Do 10 Points Lie on a Cubic Curve?

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Will Traves, US Naval Academy

AMS-MAA Invited Paper Session

The Arithmetic of the Spheres

Thursday, August 6, 1:00 PM - 3:50 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Delaware A

This session deals with topics in number theory, geometry and dynamics related to Farey fractions, circle packings, and dynamical systems where mode locking appears.

William Abram, Hillsdale College
Alex Kontorovich, Rutgers University
Jeffrey Lagarias, University of Michigan

Click here to see abstracts of the talks in this session

The Apollonian Structure of Imaginary Quadratic Fields

1:00 PM - 1:20 PM
Katherine Stange, University of Colorado Boulder

Circles in the Sand

1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
Lionel Levine, Cornell University

Pythagoras Meets Euclid: A Euclidean Algorithm for Pythagorean Triples

2:00 PM - 2:20 PM
Dan Romik, University of California Davis

Dynamics of Apollonian Circle Packings

2:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Elena Fuchs, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Variations on Apollonian Circle Packing Rules

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Steve Butler, Iowa State University

Geometry and Number Theory of Integral Sphere Packings

3:30 PM - 3:50 PM
Kei Nakamura, University of California Davis

Special Invited Session

The Geometry of Triangles

Saturday, August 8, 1:00 PM - 2:50 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 1

Richard Guy and John Conway will share their latest ideas about the geometry of Euclidean triangles.

Click here to see abstracts of the talks in this session

A Triangle Has Eight Vertices (But Only One Centre)

1:00 PM - 1:50 PM
Richard Guy, University of Calgary

New Ideas about the Geometry of Triangles

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM
John Conway, Princeton University

Special Session

“Notes of a Native Son”: The Legacy of Dr. Abdulalim A. Shabazz (1927-2014)

Saturday, August 8, 1:00 PM - 4:50 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Delaware B

Dr. Abdulalim A. Shabazz was a distinguished mathematician who is credited for mentoring over half of all African-Americans with a doctorate in Mathematics. “Notes of a Native Son” is a title of a collection of essays by James Baldwin. This title is fitting for a session honoring the life of Dr. Shabazz for three reasons. First, Dr. Shabazz is native to Washington, DC as he spent many years of his life there. Second, this session will feature various speakers whose careers were directly transformed by Dr. Shabazz’s mentorship. Third, this session will also include Dr. Shabazz’s peers who will discuss his active role in the mathematical community.

Monica Jackson, American University
Talitha M. Washington, Howard University

Click here to see abstracts of the talks in this session

Dr. Abdulalim A. Shabazz—Statistically Significant!

1:00 PM - 1:20 PM
Monica Jackson, American University

“In a Beautiful Way”: Lessons for Mathematics Education from Dr. Abdulalim Shabazz

1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
Erica Walker, Teachers College, Columbia University

“The Teacher and the Mentor: A Combination that Instills Mathematical Greatness”

2:00 PM - 2:20 PM
Ronald Mickens, Clark Atlanta University

More than Equations

2:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Gwendolyn Irby, Lockheed Martin

The Impact of Dr. Abdulalim Shabazz on the Business Community

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Shree Taylor, Delta Decisions of DC

Dr. Abdulalim A. Shabazz: An Example of a Living Topological Isomorphism

3:30 PM - 3:50 PM
Brett Sims, Borough of Manhattan Community College

To STEM or Not STEM

4:00 PM - 4:20 PM
Gelonia Dent, Medgar Evers College

Sharing the Impacts of Dr. Abdulalim Shabazz

4:30 PM - 4:50 PM
Talitha M. Washington, Howard University