You are here

Undergraduate Student Activities

Invited Address

MAA Chan Stanek Lecture for Students

Seventy-Five Years of MAA Mathematics Competitions

Wednesday, August 5, 1:00 PM - 1:50 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 2/3

Joseph GallianUniversity of Minnesota Duluth

In this talk we provide facts, statistics, oddities, curiosities, videos, and trivia questions about the mathematics competitions that the MAA has sponsored for 75 years. 

 

Radical Dash

Wednesday, August 5, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 1

The Radical Dash, a daily scavenger hunt filled with math challenges and creativity for teams of undergraduates. Every day up to five clues will be released via Instagram including a code to break, a mathematical brainteaser, a number of Instagram targets to find throughout the meeting, creative math artwork to fashion, and math to find in everyday objects. So, how quick are you on your feet at solving math problems? Can you picstitch? Would you like to create a sculpture with George Hart? How about your brain being puzzled by Joe Gallian? If any of this sounds like fun to you, join us at MAA MathFest 2015 for the Radical Dash. Individuals are welcome and encouraged to participate; they will be formed into teams on site.

Jennifer Bergner, Salisbury University
Lisa Marano, West Chester University

Committee on Undergraduate Student Activities and Chapters

Maryland/DC/Virginia Section

Mathematical Art for Radical Dashers

Thursday, August 6, 3:45 PM - 4:45 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Washington 2

Join Reza Sarhangi to construct Persian tiling patterns using two different methods of “compass-straightedge method” and “modularity approach”. All materials provided by the Bridges Organization.

Student Hospitality Center

Thursday, August 6, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Exhibit Hall
Friday, August 7, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Exhibit Hall
Saturday, August 8, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Exhibit Hall

The Student Hospitality Center (SHC) provides a place for students and other MathFest attendees to meet for informal conversation, refreshments, and mathematical diversions. 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 are available in the SHC.

Richard and Araceli Neal, American Society for the Communication of Mathematics

Sponsored by Pearson

 

MAA Student Paper Sessions 

Full program of MAA Student Paper Sessions and PME Sessions

Theron J. Hitchman, University of Northern Iowa
Jiehua Zhu, Georgia Southern University

MAA Student Paper Session #1

Thursday, August 6, 8:30 AM - 10:25 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia A

MAA Student Paper Session #2

Thursday, August 6, 8:30 AM - 10:25 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia B

MAA Student Paper Session #3

Thursday, August 6, 8:30 AM - 10:25 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia C

MAA Student Paper Session #4

Thursday, August 6, 8:30 AM - 10:25 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson A

MAA Student Paper Session #5

Thursday, August 6, 8:30 AM - 10:25 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson B

MAA Student Paper Session #6

Thursday, August 6, 8:30 AM -  10:25 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson C

MAA Student Paper Session #7

Thursday, August 6, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia A

MAA Student Paper Session #8

Thursday, August 6, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia B

MAA Student Paper Session #9

Thursday, August 6, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia C

MAA Student Paper Session #10

Thursday, August 6, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson A

MAA Student Paper Session #11

Thursday, August 6, 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia A

MAA Student Paper Session #12

Thursday, August 6, 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia B

MAA Student Paper Session #13

Thursday, August 6, 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia C

MAA Student Paper Session #14

Thursday, August 6, 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson A

MAA Student Paper Session #15 

Friday, August 7, 8:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia A

MAA Student Paper Session #16

Friday, August 7, 8:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia B

MAA Student Paper Session #17

Friday, August 7, 8:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia C

MAA Student Paper Session #18

Friday, August 7, 8:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson A

MAA Student Paper Session #19

Friday, August 7, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia A

MAA Student Paper Session #20 

Friday, August 7, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia B

MAA Student Paper Session #21 

Friday, August 7, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia C

MAA Student Paper Session #22 

Friday, August 7, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson A 

 

 

Pi Mu Epsilon Student Paper Sessions

Darci KrachtKent State University

PME Student Paper Session #1

Thursday, August 6, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson B

PME Student Paper Session #2

Thursday, August 6, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson C

PME Student Paper Session #3

Thursday, August 6, 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson B

PME Student Paper Session #4

Thursday, August 6, 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson C

PME Student Paper Session #5

Friday, August 7,  8:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson B

PME Student Paper Session #6

Friday, August 7, 8:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson C

PME Student Paper Session #7

Friday, August 7, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson B

PME Student Paper Session #8

Friday, August 7, 2:00 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson C

PME Student Paper Session #9

Friday, August 7, 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson B

PME Student Paper Session #10

Friday, August 7, 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Wilson C

PME Student Paper Session #11

Thursday, August 6, 8:30 AM - 10:25 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Delaware B

PME Student Paper Session #12

Friday, August 7, 8:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Delaware B

 

Secrets of Mental Math

Thursday, August 6, 1:00 PM - 1:50 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 2/3

Arthur Benjamin, Harvey Mudd College

Dr. Arthur Benjamin is a mathematician and a magician. In his entertaining and fast-paced performance, he will demonstrate and explain how to mentally add and multiply numbers faster than a calculator, how to figure out the day of the week of any date in history, and other amazing feats of mind. He has presented his mixture of math and magic to audiences all over the world.

Panel Session

Nonacademic Career Paths for Mathematicians

Friday, August 7, 2:35 PM - 3:55 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 1

You’re about to earn a degree in mathematics, now what? You may be surprised to know that teaching isn’t your only option; in the “real world” mathematical knowledge is a valued commodity and there are many interesting job opportunities for mathematicians in nonacademic settings. So, whether you are a mathematics student looking for a job once you graduate or an advisor looking for advice to give to future job-seeking students, this session will help you gain new perspectives on nonacademic career experiences and what employers value in their employees. Panelists will share their paths to their current positions and offer advice to others looking for employment in similar venues.

Ben Galluzzo, Shippensburg University
Dora Ahmadi, Morehead State University

Panelists:
Amir Ahmadi, Ryder
Jill Montaquila, Westat
Karen Patterson, Naval Research Laboratory
Greg Sternschuss, National Security Agency

MAA Committee on Undergraduate Student Activities and Chapters

Other Mathematical Session

Estimathon!

Friday, August 7, 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Maryland C

They're called Fermi problems...
How many stop signs are in New York City?
How heavy is the Empire State Building?
How many primes have distinct digits?
If you're looking for a mindbending mixture of math and trivia, look no further! Jane Street Capital presents The Estimathon contest: attempt 13 Fermi problems in 30 minutes, ranging from totally trivial to positively Putnamesque. Work in teams to come up with the best set of confidence intervals. The top teams will receive prizes!

Andy Niedermaier, Jane Street Capital

 

Pi Mu Epsilon Student Banquet

Friday, August 7, 6:00 PM - 7:45 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia A/B/C

All PME members and their supporters are welcome. See the registration form for more information on this ticketed event.

 

 

 

Pi Mu Epsilon J. Sutherland Frame Lecture

G-sharp, A-flat, and the Euclidean Algorithm

Friday, August 7, 8:00 PM - 8:50 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 2/3

Noam Elkies, Harvard University

Why does Western music almost universally use the same repeating pattern of 7+5 notes seen in the piano's white and black keys, and why does each of these notes (especially the black ones, like G-sharp / A-flat) get more than one name? Using a piano, the audience's voices, and more traditional lecture materials, I'll outline how music, physics, and mathematics converged to produce this structure, including an overlap between one thread of music history and the first few steps of the Euclidean algorithm applied to the logarithms of 2 and 3.

 

MAA Mathematical Competition in Modeling (MCM) Winners

Saturday, August 8, 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 1

About 400 American teams, each consisting of three undergraduates, entered the 2014 Mathematical Contest in Modeling in February. Teams choose one of two real(istic) problems. The first problem requires a model for analyzing the performance of the Keep-Right-Except-To-Pass rule for drivers. The second requires a model for choosing the best 20th century coach for a sport such as football, basketball, etc. Teams have four days to deal with the MCM challenge and may use or access any inanimate source – computers, libraries, the Web, etc. MAA judges choose a winner for each problem. The two MAA winning teams of students will present their results of the MCM four-day challenge.

Ben Fusaro, Florida State University

MAA Ice Cream Social and Undergraduate Awards Ceremony

Saturday, August 8, 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 3

Students who gave the best talks in the MAA Student Paper Sessions will be recognized and awarded prizes. All undergraduate students are invited to attend.

Student Problem Solving Competition

Saturday, August 8, 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Marriott Wardman Park, Maryland B

This event is 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 a contestant. Each contestant will be required to solve a series of mathematical problems. Based on the outcome, a champion along with 2nd through 6th place winners will be named.

Richard Neal, American Society for the Communication of Mathematics

Great Talks for a General Audience: Coached Presentations by Graduate Students

Part A - Saturday, August 8, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Virginia C
Part B - Saturday, August 8, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Maryland C
Part C - Saturday, August 8, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Salon 1 Balcony A

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 (jfreeman@cornellcollege.edu),Rachel Schwell (schwellrac@ccsu.edu) or Aliza Steurer (asteurer@dom.edu) for help on writing an abstract and preparing a talk for a general audience. Informal optional sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday for session participants to get feedback on their presentations from the session organizers. Graduate student participants in this session should also attend the graduate student workshop (What’s the Story?) on mathematical presentations. A limited amount of travel support is available and will be processed in the order received. Contact a session organizer on how to apply for funds. Abstracts must be submitted by May 1, 2015.

Schedule of talks available on Graduate Student Activities page. 

James Freeman, Cornell College
Rachel Schwell, Central Connecticut State University
Aliza Steurer, Dominican University

MAA Committee on Graduate Students

Industrial Math Research in the PIC Math Program

Saturday, August 8, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Marriott Wardman Park, Maryland B

During the spring 2015 semester, mathematics undergraduate students at 30 U.S. universities and colleges were enrolled in a PIC Math (Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematical Sciences) research course. Each student team worked on its own research problem, which came directly from industry, and submitted a written report and video solution to the problem. Several students with exemplary solutions will discuss their problem and solution during this session. In addition, other students will give poster presentations of their work. Finally, a few industrial mathematicians will make presentations about math in BIG (business, industry, and government).

PIC Math is a program of the MAA and SIAM supported by NSF funding (DMS-1345499). See www.maa.org/picmath.

Linda Braddy, MAA
Michael Dorff, Brigham Young University
Suzanne Weekes, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Reza Malek-Madani, Unietd States Naval Academy

Year: 
2015