The MAA endeavors to ensure that all the mathematical sessions at MathFest are accessible to a broad audience and students are invited and encouraged to attend any of them. In addition, check out the range of programming below, which has been curated for K-12 students, parents, teachers, and undergraduate students.

Problems from the American Mathematics Competitions

Wednesday, August 6, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm, Meeting Room 11

My talk is based on problems I wrote for the American Mathematics Competitions. I will include at least two of my problems from this year's tests. Handouts will be provided.

Organizers:
Steven Davis, Retired

Math Jeopardy, the Student Welcome Reception, and Navigating MathFest Overview

Wednesday, August 6, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm, Ballroom B3-5

Answer: A fun undergraduate mathematics contest to lead off MAA MathFest.
Question: What is Mathematics Jeopardy?

Four teams of students will provide the questions to go with the mathematical answers in many categories. All interested students in the audience can enter their names to be chosen to play on one of the four teams of four players. There will be prizes for all the participants. Come cheer for your favorite team.

Organizers:
Ron Taylor, Berry College
Michael W. Berry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Sponsor: Committee on Undergraduate Student Programming (CUSP)

Student Lounge - Sponsored by Transform Learning | Every Learner Everywhere
Open Hours

Thursday, August 7, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Meeting Room 9-10
Friday, August 8, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Meeting Room 9-10

Estimathon® - Sponsored by Jane Street

Thursday, August 7, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Meeting Room 9-10

The Estimathon is a mind-bending mixture of math and trivia. Attendees will work in teams to come up with confidence intervals for 13 Fermi (estimation) problems, ranging from totally trivial to positively Putnamesque. The team with the best set of intervals will be crowned the champs!

Organizer:
Andy Niedermaier, Jane Street

Additional Sponsor: Committee on Undergraduate Student Programming (CUSP)

Research in Motion (Undergraduate Student Poster Session)

Setup: Friday, August 8, 9:00 am - 9:30 am, Exhibit Hall (Hall A - First Floor), Posters Area
Students & Judges Only: Friday, August 8, 9:30 am - 10:30 am, Exhibit Hall (Hall A - First Floor), Posters Area
Public Viewing: Friday, August 8, 10:30 am - 11:30 am, Exhibit Hall (Hall A - First Floor), Posters Area

This session features research done by undergraduate students. Appropriate content includes, but is not limited to, a new result, a new proof of a known result, a new mathematical model, an innovative solution to a Putnam problem, or a method of solution to an applied problem. Projects that are currently in progress, but leading towards one of these outcomes, are also welcome. Purely expository material is not appropriate for this session.

Organizers:
Amber Russell, Butler University
Thomas Langley, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology & C
Lauren Keough, Grand Valley State University

Curious Cube Live Recording - Sponsored by D. E. Shaw & Co.

Friday, August 8, 11:15 am - 12:00 pm, Ballroom B2

Join us for a live recording of the MAA AMC’s student podcast, “The Curious Cube.” Meet hosts Isaac, Laura, Srinivas, and Emily, and come with your questions about math competitions, developing your math skills, embracing your math community, and more! 

Organizers: American Mathematics Competitions (AMC)

MAA Invited Address

Friday, August 8, 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm, Ballroom A1-6

People tend to assume, because of the schooling they received as children or of the practical life they lead as adults, that ‘calculation’ means manipulating numbers or formulas — and often that this is what mathematicians do day in, day out. With a magic routine that you can share later with friends and family, I shall show that there is a world beyond this.

Student Activity Speaker

Friday, August 8, 2:00 pm – 2:50 pm, Ballroom A1-6

Turn your gatherings into unforgettable experiences with mathematically entertaining tricks! Join Tim Chartier for an interactive and engaging session filled with math-based antics and puzzles. Perfect for any occasion, you’ll learn clever tricks and crowd-pleasing skills that bring the magic of mathematics to life. Whether you’re mingling at a school or networking at a conference, these entertaining ideas will make you the life of the party. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to add a dash of math to your social repertoire!

History of Mathematics Trivia Contest

Friday, August 8, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Student Lounge (Meeting Room 9-10)

Come join fellow mathematics and history enthusiasts for an exciting team trivia event! Participants will test their mathematical and historical knowledge over several rounds and compete for prizes. Questions are drawn from the general history of mathematics, but with special emphasis on mathematical connections to California. All are welcome, and undergraduate students are especially invited to attend. Players will be put in teams at the event, so please come and make some new friends, too!

Organizers:
Ximena Catepillán, Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Abe Edwards, Michigan State University
Greg Coxson, United States Naval Academy

Sponsors:
Committee on Undergraduate Student Programming (CUSP)
SIGMAA on the History of Mathematics (SIGMAA HOM)

Special Session on AMC/AIME/USAMO Editors’ Favorite Problems

Friday, August 8, 4:00 pm - 5:55 pm, Ballroom B3

With the participation of over 300,000 students each year, the AMC is the largest program of the MAA. The competitions start with the AMC 8, the AMC 10, and the AMC 12 exams, open to students in grade 8 or below, grade 10 or below, and grade 12 or below, respectively. Based on their performance on these multiple-choice competitions, approximately 9,000 students are invited to take the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME). The competition series culminates with the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) and the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO), offered to approximately 500 students.  In this special session AMC Editors will showcase some of their favorite problems from recent competitions.

This session will be immediately be followed by a Meet & Greet. Please join us!

Organizers: 
Béla Bajnok, Gettysburg College
Ioana Mihaila, Cal Poly Pomona

AMC Director and Editors Meet & Greet

Friday, August 8, 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm, Ballroom B3

Meet the AMC Director, members of the Council on Competitions, and Editors for AMC, AIME, USAMO problems.  Informal discussions about the AMC program.

Organizers: 
Béla Bajnok, Gettysburg College
Ioana Mihaila, Cal Poly Pomona

Undergraduate Student Dessert Reception

Friday, August 8, 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Regency Ballroom BC (Hyatt Regency Sacramento Hotel - First Floor)

Besides serving various desserts, we shall recognize all students who gave talks in the MAA Student Poster Session.

Organizer:
Thomas Langley, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Sponsor: Committee on Undergraduate Student Programming (CUSP)

Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival

Saturday, August 9, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Meeting Room 9-10

Join us for this public event designed to spread the joy of mathematics through puzzles and games. MAA MathFest attendees can join as a participant or sign up here to volunteer to lead an activity for students and families.

Chan Stanek Ross Lecture for Students

Saturday, August 9, 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm, Ballroom A1-6

You may have seen news stories about people who seem to be strategically and systematically buying up lottery scratch-off tickets. What might they have been up to? This talk is about the answer proposed by a reporter, which defies the intuition we learn in school. With a little calculus, we can analyze the idea and see how it might play out in reality.

Martin Gardner Lecture

Saturday, August  9, 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm, Ballroom A1-6

Charles Peirce was probably Martin Gardner's favorite philosopher. The father of Pragmatism and co-inventor of symbolic logic, he worked as a mathematician, statistician, geologist, and guru, making substantial contributions. He also invented startlingly original (pretty bad) card tricks. BUT, hidden in his inventions were completely new principles which can be made into terrific tricks. I will explain (and illustrate) the best of these, including some hidden mathematics 'in English'. I'll also tell you how you can find out more, by reading Martin Gardner.

Panel on Career Paths in Business, Industry, and Governments - Sponsored by Citadel | Citadel Securities

Saturday, August 9, 3:00 pm – 4:20 pm, Ballroom B1

You’re about to earn a degree in mathematics. Now what? You may be surprised to know that teaching isn’t your only option. Mathematical knowledge is a valued commodity, and there are many interesting job opportunities for mathematicians that don’t necessarily involve teaching. 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 career experiences in business, industry, and government 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 fields.

Stick around after the panel for light refreshments and an informal meet and greet with the panelists, sponsored by Citadel | Citadel Securities.

Panelists:
Nasko Antasov, Citadel | Citadel Securities
Richard Carini, Waymo
Karen Saxe, American Mathematical Society

Organizers:
Thomas Langley, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Jason Hardin, Worcester State University

All sessions are listed in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT = UTC-7:00) and located on the Second Floor of the SAFE Credit Union Sacramento Convention Center unless otherwise specified.