Special Sessions at MAA MathFest 2026 are lightly modified sequences of paper presentations on a themed mathematical topic. Session organizers are invited directly by the MAA to coordinate presentations on related themes, and sessions may conclude with a broader discussion, panel, activity, or demonstration to solicit greater attendee participation.

Two Perspectives, One Journey: Reflections from Mentors and Mentees on their Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research is a collaborative journey for mentors and mentees, yet their perspectives are often presented separately at conferences. This session brings both voices together, inviting joint talks that illuminate the research process from both sides. Sharing challenges and successes, mentors and mentees will provide a fuller picture of the undergraduate research experience, offering insights for faculty, students, and organizers. 

Sponsor: SIGMAA on Undergraduate Research (SIGMAA UR)

Organizers:
Adam Schultze, Lewis University
Violeta Vasilevska, Utah Valley University
Vinodh Chellamuthu, Utah Tech University
Cara Sulyok, Villanova Univeristy
Lauren Rose, Bard College
Altay Ozgener, State College of Florida

MAA Project NExT and its Impact on Teaching and Learning

Since 1994, new mathematics faculty have participated in the MAA Project NExT program, engaging in professional learning about student-centered teaching practices, assessment strategies, and supporting all students in growth.  In this session, former Project NExT fellows will talk about their experiences adopting evidence-based pedagogies or assessment practices in the classroom as a demonstration of the long-term impact of Project NExT participation. Some will be early adopters that will talk about what has gone well and what they will change, and some will be seasoned experts who after many iterations have perfected it.

Sponsor: MAA Project NExT

Organizers:
Christine Kelley, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Brian (BK) Katz, California State University Long Beach
Alicia Prieto-Langarica, Youngstown State University
Stephanie Salomone, Oregon STEM

The SUMMIT-P Consortium: Institutional Transformation through Interdisciplinary STEM Partnerships to Support Student Transfer of Mathematical Knowledge

It is well known that a large majority of students enrolled in traditional STEM curricula have difficulty applying knowledge from mathematics courses to problem solving in other disciplines. Students need to be able to make connections and articulate problems in quantitative terms. It is vital that faculty are better equipped to adapt to a classroom that embraces an integrative STEM curriculum, and most institutions have limited support for this critical change. This session will provide a forum for discussing the use of interdisciplinary faculty partnerships to affect change in the mathematics curriculum, improving the quality and effectiveness of undergraduate education in STEM fields. The discussion will be organized and led by the National Consortium for Synergistic Undergraduate Mathematics via Multi-institutional Interdisciplinary Teaching Partnerships (SUMMIT-P), a group of interdisciplinary faculty across numerous institutions that have gained significant experience since 2016 implementing, studying, and disseminating curricular change through interdisciplinary partnerships. Sponsored by MAA’s CRAFTY committee and with funding from the National Science Foundation, the SUMMIT-P model has demonstrated changes in faculty practice that can be disseminated, adapted, and implemented at other institutions. This session will share ideas and results from SUMMIT-P institutions, including specific classroom modules and dissemination activities that participants can implement at their institutions. Additionally, faculty from other institutions who have utilized interdisciplinary faculty teams to explore innovative ideas, develop classroom modules and activities, or launch new mathematics courses to support student transfer of mathematical knowledge across disciplines will have an opportunity to share their experiences.

Sponsors:
Curriculum Renewal Across the First Two Years Committee (CRAFTY)
National Science Foundation

Organizers:
Victor Piercey, Ferris State University
Susan Ganter, West Virginia University
Jack Bookman, Duke University

AMC/AIME/USAMO Favorite Problems

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.

Sponsor: MAA Council on Competitions

Organizers:
Steven Dunbar, MAA Council on Competitions

OPEN Secrets for Online Teaching-Focused Professional Development in Mathematics

Since January of 2022, the NSF-funded OPEN Math project (Online Professional Enhancement and Capacity Building for Instructional Practices in Undergraduate Mathematics) has hosted 1000 college mathematics instructors in 40 online, professional-development workshops. These convenient, low-cost training opportunities have reached into every corner of the profession, and their results have improved the mathematics classroom experience for tens of thousands of students. This session will feature talks and breakout discussions led by workshop providers and project team members, with the goals of sharing best practices for online workshops and learning communities, disseminating research findings from the project and brainstorming ideas for what might come next for MAA.

Sponsor:
This workshop is partially supported by National Science Foundation awards DUE-2111260 and DUE-2111273.

Organizers:
Doug Ensley, Mathematical Association of America
Sandra Laursen, University of Colorado
Stan Yoshinobu, University of Toronto
Tim Archie, University of Colorado