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MAA Math Alert - January 2011

News and Views

2011 Joint Mathematics Meetings Set New Attendance Record
A record 6,032 mathematicians registered for this year's JMM in New Orleans. Highlights, photos, and video.

Did you attend the 2011 Joint Mathematics Meetings in New Orleans? Take a moment to fill out the participant survey.

Keith Devlin Appreciates the Binary Code on Radio
Stanford professor and MAA columnist Keith Devlin discussed the binary code with Kojo Nnamdi on his radio program on Jan. 11, 2011 (01-11-11). Audio and transcript.

Announcements

MAA Search for Executive Director
The Executive Committee of the Mathematical Association of America seeks candidates for the position of Executive Director to succeed Dr. Tina Straley, who will retire in December 2011 after twelve years of outstanding service. Read more.

Application Deadlines for MAA Grant Programs
Deadlines for MAA grant programs are approaching! Read more.

New submission guidelines for The American Mathematical Monthly
Effective January 1, 2011, The American Mathematical Monthly no longer accepts articles via e-mail or regular mail. Read more.

Official MA-1 Flight Jacket Winner Announced
Alessandra Pantano was the winner of the Apollo MA-1 Flight Jacket courtesy of NASA Federal Credit Union at this year's JMM. Ms. Pantano is a Lecturer/Assistant Specialist at the University of California, Irvine. Congratuations!

Register to be a College/University host site for the February 2011 AMC 10/12 Contests
There's still time to register your institution to be a host site for the AMC 10/12 contests, but hurry! The contests are on February 8, 2011 and February 23, 2011. Talented high school math students take these contests if they would like to have the opportunity to move onto the AIME, the USAMO, and the IMO. For more information, contact the American Mathematics Competitions office or call 1-800-527-3690. For instructions on registering, suggestions for what to do on the day of the contest, and a list of the colleges and universities currently registered to give the 2011 AMC 10 and the AMC 12, click here.

Featured Articles

"Mathematics & Democracy + 10"
MAA President David Bressoud marks the 10th anniversary of the publication of Mathematics and Democracy: The Case for Quantitative Literacy in his January 2011 Launchings column.Full article.

"Words with a Twist"
Mathematical Tourist Ivars Peterson finds Möbius strips in The New Yorker Magazine and the 2011 Joint Mathematics Meetings. Full article.

Devlin's Angle
Keith Devlin tackles the question "What Exactly Is Multiplication?" in his January column. Full article.

New in Loci
"Rethinking Pythagoras" by Daniel J. Heath. Full article. Make sure to read the accompanying article "Geometry Playground" by Daniel Heath and Joshua Jacobs.

New in Loci: Convergence
"SMURCHOM: Providing Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in the History of Mathematics" by Sloan Evans Despeaux. Full Article.

Principia Mathematica Celebrates 100 Years
Science writer Julie Rehmeyer talked to National Public Radio's Robert Siegel about the 100-year anniversary of Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead's Principia Mathematica.
Full Math in the News article.

Documentary Reveals Secret Role of Women Mathematicians During WWII
Top Secret Rosies: The Female Computers of WWII (2010) is a new documentary that relates the little-known details of the contributions of college-educated women mathematicians, scientists, and technicians to winning a war and ushering in the computer age. Full Math in the News article.


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Publishing Date: 
January, 2011