AWM at the 2024 MAA MathFest

  By Jeanette Shakalli @fundapromat The 2024 Mathematical Association of America (MAA) MathFest is being held August 7-10 in Indianapolis, IN and the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) will be in attendance.  Keeping with tradition, the two organizations will present the Etta Zuber Falconer Lecture, delivered by Deanna Needell, University of California, Los Angeles,...

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Reflections & Take-Aways from Teaching for the First Time or the Millionth Time

  By Leann Ferguson A highlight of teaching for me is teaching others how to teach. I regularly teach a “Teaching Practicum'' class, during which the “student teachers” teach three lessons to a live class of Calc 1, Calc 2, or Calc 3 students, and then do an extensive reflection on their preparation and presentation...

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Utah’s Leap Into Data Science: A Blueprint for Educational Innovation

By Josh Recio and Lindsey Henderson Recognizing misinformation, modeling trends and phenomena—and interpreting and making sense of data—are vital skills for everyone. For our most vulnerable population—our students—data literacy is not only important for general citizenship but also fundamental for career opportunities. According to the 2020 Emerging Jobs Report by LinkedIn, data scientist and data...

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Quantitative Justice: Using Data Science for Good

  By Ariana Mendible For the past several years, I have been closely involved with the Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (QSIDE). This nonprofit organizes events and facilitates research in quantitative justice, the application of data and mathematical sciences to quantify, analyze and address social injustice. It uses the community-based...

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Calculus as Preparation for Calculus

By David Bressoud @dbressoud As of 2024, new Launchings columns appear on the third Tuesday of the month. How should we place students who need mainstream calculus for their intended major? This was one of the questions faced by the California Community Colleges (CCC) as their Chancellor’s office began work on their Multiple Measures Assessment...

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I Finally Finished My PhD. Cool.

By Govanni Granados “You just finished your PhD! How does it feel?” is a question I’ve received a lot recently. I instinctively answer that it feels great, but it’s actually more complicated than that. Even though I was eager to graduate and leave West Lafayette, there was a feeling of  melancholy near the end. I...

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Lessons Learned from a Semester Exploring AI

By Lew Ludwig In a journey reminiscent of Bilbo Baggins, the unassuming hobbit who ventured beyond the familiar comforts of the Shire, this column chronicles a semester-long expedition into the realm of generative artificial intelligence within the mathematical landscape of a calculus class. Each week, my students and I explored the intricacies of Large Language...

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The United States by the Numbers

By Math Values Editorial Board We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the...

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Math Skill is a Civil Right – The Movie

By Keith Devlin @KeithDevlin@fediscience.org, @profkeithdevlin.bsky.social Access to basic math thinking skills is a key civil rights issue of our age. This is the top-level framing issue that shaped Counted Out, a cinema-released documentary film that was at least six years in the making, and had premiere screenings in San Francisco and Los Angeles earlier this...

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Unexpected Results: When Your Math Tutor is a Poet

  By Britt Kaufmann; @brittwriter I hand the teacher a suggested seating chart that breaks up incessant chatterers, puts personalities who work collaboratively close, leaves empty desks around the fidgeter, “And I’ll sit here,” I point, “to minimize the cross-talk and help this one stay awake.” Yes, I put myself in the seating chart—a grown...

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