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MAA Math Alert - November 2013

News

Cathy O'Neil Boosts Data Science in MAA Distinguished Lecture

In a talk titled "Start Your Own Netflix," data scientist Cathy O'Neil described three different recommendation systems, discussed the massive amounts of data needed to make them work, and indicated one way to overcome the difficulties posed by big data. Read about and listen to the lecture (and follow along in the Prezi).

 

Mathemagician Art Benjamin Shares His Secrets at Martin Gardner Celebration of Mind

For its fourth annual Martin Gardner Celebration of Mind, MAA co-sponsored a presentation by mathemagician (and Harvey Mudd College professor) Art Benjamin titled "The Magic and Math of Mental Calculation." Read more or watch the presentation.

 

November CMJ Contributes to Mathematics of Planet Earth Effort

Printed in full color, the November issue of The College Mathematics Journal collects papers that tie into the international Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 initiative. See for yourself.

 

Announcements

Movie and Math Magic at JMM -- You Won't Want to Miss This

These exciting sessions at the Joint Mathematics Meetings are great for general audiences, mathematics educators at all levels, and, of course, students!

 

MAA-AMS-SIAM Gerald and Judith Porter Public Lecture
Movie Magic: The Mathematics behind Hollywood's Visual Effects -- Presented by Eitan Grinspun

Saturday, January 18, 2014, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. 

Baltimore Convention Center Ballrooms I & II, 400 Level

Eitan Grinspun explores the math behind explosions, floods, armies of creatures, stunt doubles, and more. This is the world of applied mathematics with an artistic flair.

 

Weird Ways to Work with Pi -- Presented by James Tanton

Saturday, January 18, 2014, 10:00 -10:50 a.m.
Baltimore Convention Center, Room 327
Bring a pencil and paper, and join James Tanton, MAA Mathematician in Residence, in his lively contemplation of the meaning and mystery of the number pi. 

 

MAA Partners with Edfinity

Edfinity is a searchable repository of thousands of math problems organized by topic, difficulty level, and other attributes. Educators can find problems for a topic, create problem sets, and distribute them to students in seconds. This includes AMC Contest Problems dating back to 1950 organized by Common Core. Edfinity is scheduled to debut at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, January 2014 in Baltimore, MD. Edfinity is currently accepting private 'beta' requests from educators. Visit Edfinity to sign up today. 

 

Nominations for Gung and Hu Award Due December 1

Nominations for the Yueh-Gin Gung and Dr. Charles Y. Hu Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics, the most prestigious award for service offered by the MAA, are due by December 1, 2013. Learn more.

 

MAA Minicourse Proposals Due December 31

All MAA members are invited to consider submitting proposals for MAA Minicourses. Proposals for the Joint Mathematics Meetings 2015 are due by December 31, 2013More.

 

Register for the American Mathematics Competitions

The 2014 AMC 10/12 A will take place on Tuesday, February 4. The AMC 10/12 B will take place on Wednesday, February 19Click here to create an AMC account to register for the competitions online using our new registration website. Also new this year and included in AMC registration is a K-12 Teacher Membership in the MAA. Learn more about the benefits of being a K-12 Member here.

 

Special Issues of Journals Available for Individual Sale

Three recent special issues of MAA journals are available for individual sale in the MAA store. The March Monthly features the work of presenters at the 2011 International Mathematics Summer School for Students in Bremen, Germany; the September CMJ is a compendium of papers about the mathematics of games, from Set and mancala to Chomp and Boggle; and the November CMJ ties into the international Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 initiative.

 

Sustainability SmartBrief Keeps You Informed

MAA is pleased to offer members a complimentary subscription to Sustainability SmartBrief. You can view a sample issue of SmartBrief here. If you find the information to be valuable, activate your free daily subscription today.

 

Job Seekers Can Post Resumes Free of Charge

MAA Math Classifieds gives job seekers the opportunity to get their mathematical credentials in front of interested employers. Search jobs. Post a resume. Set up an email job alert.

 

MAA Blogs

To Facilitate Group Work, Hodge Is All Ears

In a late October Math Ed Matters post, Angie Hodge draws on years of experience to offer advice on effective management of group work. Read the post.

 

United States Lags in Development of Quantitatively Literate Workforce

In the November Launchings, David Bressoud gives the high (or, more accurately, low) points of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Skills Outlook 2013. Read more.

 

There Is Nothing Elementary about Elementary Arithmetic, Says Devlin

Keith Devlin devotes the November Devlin's Angle to discussion of the suggestion, advanced by Liping Ma in an article in the AMSNotices, that arithmetic once again be the focus of elementary school mathematics. Read the post.

 

Put Polydivisibility to Work for You

The October Card Colm explains how you can use one of the magic numbers of Dr. Matrix to wow your friends. Read the post.

 

Announcing Enhanced Partnership with NASA Federal Credit Union 

We are thrilled by our new association with NASA Federal Credit Union and the opportunity it brings to deliver financial solutions that will benefit our MAA members and the mathematical community at large. Click here for more information. 

 

Publishing Date: 
November, 2013