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Invited Paper Sessions

Please note: all sessions are listed in Mountain Daylight Time (MDT = UTC-6:00)

Invited Paper Sessions are organized by professionals in the mathematical sciences and designed to provide substantial mathematical content in the MAA program. Four to six speakers are invited by the organizers to present on a designated topic for twenty-minute segments. MAA MathFest participants who tune in to these sessions will get the chance to hear from a diverse set of speakers on current or emerging topics in various areas of mathematics.

Open and Accessible Areas in Computational Mathematics

Wednesday, August 4, 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Description

Mathematics research employ modern computational tools (such as computer algebra systems and programming environments) to investigate mathematical concepts, formulate questions, perform mathematical experiments, gather numerical evidence, and test conjectures. Computational tools can help make certain areas of mathematics research accessible to students, providing points of entry where students can formulate and explore questions in number theory, algebra, topology, and more.

This session will highlight areas of mathematics where computational tools allow students to grapple with open questions. Talks will be aimed at a broad, non-expert audience. The use of computation for investigating mathematical topics, rather than computation employed for statistical analysis, is preferred. Discussion of connections between computational investigation and proof is encouraged.

Click here to read abstracts for the talks in this session

Organizer:
Matthew Wright, St. Olaf College

Schedule

Patterns in Generalized Permutations

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Lara Pudwell, Valparaiso University

An Undergraduate Course in Computational Mathematics

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Matthew Richey, St. Olaf College

How Neuroscience Provides an Accessible Context for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics

2:00 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Victor Barranca, Swarthmore College

Computing Hyperelliptic Invariants from Period Matrices

2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Christelle Vincent, University of Vermont

Using Simulation to Investigate Distributions of Piercing Numbers

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Tia Sondjaja, New York University

 

Surprising Discoveries by Amateur Mathematicians

Part A: Wednesday, August 4, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Part B: Thursday, August 5, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Description

This session will focus on sometimes overlooked non-professionals who have solved interesting mathematical problems or made significant contributions to mathematical knowledge. These persons had no formal education in higher mathematics and pursued mathematical investigations in their own way. Martin Gardner inspired such amateurs throughout his career. Indeed, he himself never completed a math course past high school, yet contributed new mathematical results, many of them published in award-winning MAA papers. From the 19th century and earlier, we will learn of the mathematical contributions of Benjamin Franklin, Mary Somerville, Florence Nightingale, Thomas Kirkman, Henry Dudeney, and Alicia Boole Stott. From the 20th century to the present, in addition to Gardner, we will learn of patent officer Harry Lindgren, artist George Odom, postal worker Robert Ammann, surgeon Jan Gullberg, artist Anthony Hill and others. On Saturday, the Martin Gardner Lecture will feature three other amateur mathematicians who made surprising discoveries: M.C. Escher, Marjorie Rice, and Rinus Roelofs.

Click here to read abstracts for the talks in this session

Organizers:
Doris Schattschneider, Professor Emerita of Mathematics, Moravian College
Colm Mulcahy, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Spelman College

Schedule

Part A

Is Mathematics Too Serious to Be Left to Mathematicians?

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Donald Albers, Retired Director of Publications at the MAA
Peter Renz, Retired Editor (W. H. Freeman, Birkhaüser Boston, Academic Press)

Florence Nightingale’s Notes on Victorian Officials’ Misunderstanding of Basic Mathematical Calculations and Management of Data

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Noel-Ann Bradshaw, London Metropolitan University

The Reverend Thomas P. Kirkman: What Did He Do Besides Inventing the Fifteen Schoolgirls Problem?

2:00 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Ezra (Bud) Brown, Virginia Tech

Benjamin Franklin, 231 Years Later

2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Paul C. Pasles, Villanova University

(RESCHEDULED) Henry Dudeney: Amateur Mathematician?

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Charles Ashbacher, Charles Ashbacher Technologies

Alicia Boole Stott in the Fourth Dimension

3:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Moira Chas, Stony Brook University

Questions and Wrapup

3:50 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Part B

‘The Philosopher in His Study, the Literary Lady in Her Boudoir’: How Mary Somerville Transcended the Amateur Status of 19th-century Scientific Women

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Brigitte Stenhouse, The Open University, UK

(CANCELED) The Exquisite Geometric Dissections of Harry Lindgren

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Greg N. Frederickson, Purdue University

(NEW)Henry Dudeney: Amateur Mathematician?

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Charles Ashbacher, Charles Ashbacher Technologies

Martin Gardner -- "Are you a mathematician?"

2:00 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Dana Richards, George Mason University

Some Remarks on George Odom, Artist and Amateur Geometer

2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Doris Schattschneider, Professor Emerita of Mathematics, Moravian College

Anthony Hill and The Crossing Number

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Marcus Schaefer, DePaul University

Robert Amman (1946 - 1994): Postman and More

3:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Marjorie Senechal, Smith College

Questions and Wrapup

3:50 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

 

African American Women and the Mathematics of Flight

Wednesday, August 4, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Description

The 2016 book “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race” featured stories about African American women who worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from the 1930s through the 1960s. Several of these women were mathematicians: Katherine Johnson worked out the orbital mechanics of John Glenn’s orbit of the Earth in 1962; and Dr. Christine Darden revolutionized aerodynamics design to produce low-boom sonic effects in the 1970’s. Indeed, Katherine Johnson earned a BS in mathematics in 1937 and Dr. Christine Darden earned a MS in Mathematics in 1967. In this session, we will feature the mathematics of pioneers in flight such as Katherine Johnson Christine Darden; and we will discuss the history of African American women who have worked in the aeronautical industry.

Click here to read abstracts for the talks in this session

Organizer:
Edray Goins, Pomona College
Christine Darden, Retired from NASA Langley Research Center

Schedule

Highlighting the Hidden Legacy of Eunice Gray Smith

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Ranthony A.C. Edmonds, Ohio State University

Women in NASA Aeronautics

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Michelle Ferebee, NASA Langley Research Center

Value of Applied Mathematics For Aviation Research

2:00 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Tasha R. Inniss, Spelman College

STEM Stars! The Celebrity of Women Role Models in the Aeronautical Industry

2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Shelly M. Jones, Central Connecticut State University

The Mathematical Story of a "Hidden Figure", Katherine Johnson (August 26, 1918 - February 24, 2020)

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Talitha Washington, Clark Atlanta University and Atlanta University Center

Dorothy Hoover: The Journey of a Hidden Figure from Arkansas to NASA

3:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Kimberly S. Weems, North Carolina Central University

 

Open & Accessible Problems for Undergraduate Research

Thursday, August 5, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Description

More and more mathematics faculty members around the country are conducting math research with undergraduates. As the benefits to students and faculty of engaging in undergraduate research become apparent, the number of professors with an interest in doing undergraduate research grows. Indeed, many of us would like to begin a research project with students, but we may be unsure of how to choose problems that are accessible for students. The aim of this session is to have experienced undergraduate research mentors share open and accessible problems from a variety of mathematical fields that can be used to generate ideas for new undergraduate research projects.

Click here to read abstracts for the talks in this session

Organizer:
Allison Henrich, Seattle University
Laramie Paxton, Marian University

Sponsor: SIGMAA on Undergraduate Research (UR SIGMAA)

Schedule

Knotted Undergraduate Research

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Colin Adams, Williams College

Computer Driven Questions and Theorems and in Geometry

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Moira Chas, Stony Brook University

Data-intensive Undergraduate Research Projects

2:00 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Kumer Das, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Elementary? Maybe for Watson....

2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Tamas Forgacs, California State University, Fresno

Patterns in Trees

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Lara Pudwell, Valparaiso University

Getting Started in Sports Analytics Research

3:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Amanda Harsy, Lewis University

 

Eigenvalues and Graphs

Thursday, August 5, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Description

Graphs can be used to represent the relations (edges) between objects (vertices), and so play an important role both in theoretical as well as applied settings. One important tool in understanding graphs is through the use of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of matrices associated with graphs; this is sometimes known as spectral graph theory. There are many possible matrices that can be explored and each one brings its own strengths and weaknesses into understanding graphs. This session will bring together a variety of viewpoints of how eigenvalues and graphs are connected.

Click here to read abstracts for the talks in this session

Organizer:
Steve Butler, Iowa State University

Schedule

Graphs, Eigenvalues, and COVID-19

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Jane Breen, Ontario Tech University

Fiedler Vectors with Unbalanced Sign Patterns

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Sooyeong Kim, University of Manitoba

Spectral Properties of the Exponential Distance Matrix

2:00 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Kate Lorenzen, Linfield University

Spectral Turán Problems

2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Michael Tait, University of Villanova

Quantum Walks on Graphs

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Sabrina Lato, University of Waterloo

Addressing Graphs and Eigenvalues

3:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Sebastian Cioabă, University of Delaware

 

Women in Mathematics: Math in Action

Saturday, August 7, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Description

Mathematics is in action within so many exciting non-mathematical settings, spanning from classical historical and cutting edge interplays between mathematics and physics, biology, and other sciences, to beautiful applications of mathematics to games, art, social justice, economics, and climate change, to name a few. Topics with possibly unexpected applications outside of mathematics include complexity classes, Ramsey colorings, tropical numbers, topology, hyperbolic surfaces, geodesics, and more.

In this session, we showcase current research done by women (and their students) of mathematics and statistics applied to a variety of non-mathematical settings.

Click here to read abstracts for the talks in this session

Organizer:
Cassie Williams, James Madison University
Shanna Dobson, California State University, Los Angeles
Janet Fierson, La Salle University
Emelie Kenney, Siena College
Sarah Wolff, Denison University

Sponsor: Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)

Schedule

Math, Medicine and Mysteries

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Ami Radunskaya, Pomona College

Finding Atmospheric Features via Topological Data Analysis

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Lynne Seymour, University of Georgia

Analyzing Collective Motion with Machine Learning and Topology

2:00 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Lori Ziegelmeier, Macalaster College

Identifying Geohazards with Mathematics and Statistics

2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Celes Woodruff, James Madison University

The Role of RdCVFL in a Mathematical Model of Photoreceptor Interactions

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Erika Tatiana Camacho, Arizona State University / National Science Foundation

Crochet Topology

3:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Moira Chas, Stony Brook University

 

Supporting Student Success in Introductory Statistics through Evidence-Based Practices

Saturday, August 7, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Description

Each academic year, over 600,000 students enroll in college introductory statistics courses, according to the 2015 CBMS survey. Enrollments have more than doubled since 2000. Although many of the new statistics students have sufficient mathematics fluency to succeed, many others struggle with algebra, numeric operations, and logic, leading to poor course outcomes.

In this session, speakers will present evidence-based results from projects about supporting students enrolled in introductory statistics courses. Projects include identifying students in need of extra assistance with mathematical fluency and/or statistical content, and then implementing one of several ways to provide that assistance, including instructor-led sessions, computer-based support, and undergraduate-led supplemental instruction. Session speakers work at a variety of institutions, small and large, public and private. Though the context for the presentations is Introductory Statistics, the innovations and pedagogical practices presented are adaptable to any introductory college level mathematics course and have broader implications for supporting student success in first-year college level mathematics and statistics.

Click here to read abstracts for the talks in this session

Organizers:
Judith Canner, California State Monterey Bay
Adam Molnar, Oklahoma State University

Sponsor:
SIGMAA on Statistics Education (SIGMAA StatEd)
ASA-MAA Joint Committee on Undergraduate Statistics and Data Science Education

Schedule

Implementation and Continuation Issues for Supporting Underprepared Introductory Statistics Students Using an Assessment and Peer Tutoring Intervention Program

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
M. Leigh Lunsford, Longwood University
Phillip L. Poplin, Longwood University
Leah N. Shilling-Stouffer, Longwood University

Computer-based Learning plus Tutoring in Essentials of Statistics

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Jayne Ann Harder, Oral Roberts University

Large Scale Peer-Assisted Tutoring, Corequisites, and Other Math Support for Introductory Statistics

2:00 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Adam Molnar, Oklahoma State University

Corequisite Statistics Courses for Equitable Support of All Students

2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Alana Unfried, California State University, Monterey Bay

 

Year: 
2021