How to Transform a Department of Mathematics

By: David Bressoud @dbressoud The Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) and American Mathematical Society (AMS) have just published Transformational Change Efforts: Student Engagement in Mathematics through an Institutional Network for Active Learning, a report on Phase I of a National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored study of what it takes to implement and sustain active...

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IndyCar Math

By Tim Chartier, @timchartier, Davidson College This Sunday, the Indy 500 will be run as it has almost every year since 1911. The event is billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing and considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport. For 500 miles, IndyCar automobiles, which can cost as much as $3 million, will...

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Learning about Mathematicians through Journaling

By Carolyn Otto, Associate Professor of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire “The instructor’s teaching methods motivate me to learn the subject.” This is one of the prompts on the instructor evaluations that students use to critique me at the end of the semester. When I first started teaching, I thought my enthusiasm and creative examples...

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Teaching Advice from a Tree

By Julie Barnes, Western Carolina University When I first bought my house, the view from one window included a plum tree with crisp burgundy leaves and little plums on which squirrels enjoyed snacking. My cats loved the show, and I enjoyed the beautiful fractal. At that time, though, I had no idea how much that...

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Near-Peer Mentoring in Computer Science and Mathematics

By Jana Talley, Co-Editor of DUE Point, Jackson State University The Computer Science and Mathematics (CS/M) Scholars Program (https://mathematics.wwu.edu/csm-scholars) at Western Washington University (WWU) is funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Track 2 S-STEM grant (Award Number 1742110). The grant funds scholarships for students majoring in computer science or mathematics and involves a variety...

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How to Become a Math Cartoonist, in Four Easy Steps

By Ben Orlin Hello, mathematical friends! It is I, Ben Orlin, author of the blog Math with Bad Drawings and of books that have inspired readers everywhere to say “Hooray triangles!” and “Yay constants of integration!” and “This poor man truly cannot draw!” I bring happy news: you can join me. Not as a professional...

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Email From a Former Student I’d Never Met

By Keith Devlin @profkeithdevlin For those of us who teach a subject so many find hard and frustrating (because it is), praise for our efforts from students comes relatively infrequently, so when it does it makes our day. I got this email from a former student of my online course on Coursera recently. Hi Keith,...

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Mathematical Memes: Fun and Insightful

By Andrew Penland, Western Carolina University A meme was originally defined by Richard Dawkins as an idea that can be replicated. However, most people nowadays are familiar with the meme as a particular text-on-image Internet format, making a point through absurd or irreverent humor. Making and sharing memes is a popular pastime for some Internet...

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Taking Responsibility for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

By: David Bressoud @dbressoud David Bressoud is DeWitt Wallace Professor Emeritus at Macalester College and Director of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences I live just a few miles from 38th and Chicago—where George Floyd was murdered—and from the Hennepin County Courthouse—where the jury rendered its verdict that Black Lives Matter. I have been...

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Picture a Scientist: Celebrating Maryam Mirzakhani and Women in Mathematics in 2021

By Della Dumbaugh (University of Richmond), Diep Nguyen (student, University of Richmond), and Madeline Polhill (student, University of Richmond) May 12 marks the birthday of Maryam Mirzakhani, to date the first and only woman to win the Fields Medal, the most prestigious prize in mathematics. Mirzakhani’s short but exceptional life offers inspiration for all women...

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