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MAA Math Alert - June 2008

News and Views

2008 U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad Team Announced
Six students from across the country will represent the United States at the 49th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in Madrid. The students completed the third part of the IMO Team Selection Test on Friday, June 13. Read More

Evan O'Dorney, Spelling Champ and Math Whiz
The similarities between a spelling bee and a mathematics competition are few. But whatever one may need to be successful at either, Evan O’Dorney has it in no short supply. Read More

At the Carriage House: Right Triangles and Elliptic Curves
Given a natural number d, is there a right triangle with rational sides and area d? Noted number theorist Karl Rubin of the University of California, Irvine addressed this question in last month's Distinguished Lecture at the MAA's Carriage House Conference Center. Read More

Studying Biology Now Requires a Grounding in Math
Recent reports suggest that biomedical scientists need a strong grounding in mathematics. But putting the right kind of mathematics into biology and related undergraduate courses is not simply a matter of adding statistics, calculus, and computer science. Read More

The Future of High School Mathematics: New Priorities and Promising Innovations
(September 25 – 27, 2008)The conference will include presentations and examples of promising innovations produced by extensive research and development programs, and it will provide a forum for shaping the national, state, and local policy debates about appropriate directions for progress in high school mathematics. More Information


Featured Articles

Devlin's Angle by Keith Devlin: Lockhart's Lament - The Sequel
Devlin responds to the massive amount of feedback received after publishing and commenting on Paul Lockhart’s provocative essay on mathematics education in March. Read More

The Mathematical Tourist by Ivars Peterson: Unveiling the Enigma Machine
The Enigma cipher machine figures prominently among the displays at the National Cryptologic Museum, located next to the headquarters of the National Security Agency in Ft. George G. Meade, Md. German military forces used the machine during World War II to encrypt tens of thousands of messages. Read More


New From the MAA

Making the Connection
The chapters in this volume convey insights from mathematics education research that have direct implications for anyone interested in improving teaching and learning in undergraduate mathematics. Buy this Book

The Contest Problem Book VIII
For more than 50 years, the Mathematical Association of America has been engaged in the construction and administration of challenging contests for students in American and Canadian high schools. Buy this Book

MathFest 2008
Join the MAA and more than 1200 of your colleagues in Madison, Wisconsin July 31- August 2 for what promises to be one of the best MathFests to date!

Publishing Date: 
June, 2008