Social Events and Other Mathematical Sessions

Math Jeopardy and the Student Welcome Reception, Sponsored by Citadel | Citadel Securities

Wednedsay, August 2, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., Ballroom A

Answer: A fun undergraduate mathematics contest to lead off 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
 

MAA Prize Session

Wednesday, August 2, 5:00 p.m. - 6:15 p.m., Ballroom B/C

Please come see the full recognition of this year's Prize Recipients! The session is organized by MAA Secretary Cynthia Wyels, California State University - Chanel Islands, and is moderated by MAA President Hortensia Soto, Colorado State University.
 

Mayoral Remarks

Wednesday, August 2, 6:15 p.m. - 6:45 p.m., Ballroom B/C

Remarks by Mayor Jane Castor of the City of Tampa
 

Exhibit Hall & Grand Opening Reception

Wednesday, August 2, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., West Hall
 

The MAA MathFest Grand Opening Reception will launch this year's MAA MathFest on a high note. This event is intended to draw attendees together in a spirit of camaraderie. We warmly invite you to enjoy complimentary light hors d'oeuvres while you mix and mingle in the Exhibit Hall with other registered participants and guests, sponsors, and exhibitors.
 

Introduction to MAA MathFest

Thursday, August 3, 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m., Room 101/102

First time at MAA MathFest? Welcome! Come meet members of the MAA Community, including members of the MAA Board of Directors, MAA Congress, SIGMAA Organizers, Section Chairs.
 

Coffee Break! Sponsored by Pearson, Booth 113

Thursday, August 3, 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Booth 113, Exhibit Hall

Learning is hard work and you deserve a break. Thanks to Pearson, you get one!

Visit their Booth 113 for a selection of coffee, decaf coffee, and tea options.
 

Estimathon! Sponsored by Jane Street

Thursday, August 3, 4:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m., Ballroom A

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
 

NSA Networking Night (partnership with Women in Mathematics Society)

Thursday, August 3rd, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Room 114

Get a chance to meet mathematicians from NSA, and get insight into the “day in the life” of an NSA mathematician.
 

Expo Block Party and Puppy Break!

Friday, August 4, 12:00 p.m. -1:00 p.m., Exhibit Hall

Join your MAA community for the MathFest 2023 Expo Block Party!

Snacks! Games! Music! and…. Puppies!

Take a break, grab a colleague or two, and head over to the Exhibit Hall for a tasty treat at one of our sponsoring booths, then play a game of cornhole, and cuddle with adorable adoptable puppies at the Puppy Break!

Expo Block Party! Sponsored by Mathematical Association of America, Visit Tampa Bay, American Mathematical Society, Pearson, and National Security Agency

Puppy Break! Sponsored by Hudson River Trading in partnership with Tampa Bay SPCA
 

Alder Award Session

Friday, August 4, 3:00 p.m. - 4:20 p.m., Ballroom B & C

The MAA established the Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member to honor beginning college or university faculty members whose teaching has been extraordinarily successful and whose effectiveness in teaching undergraduate mathematics is shown to have influence beyond their own classrooms. Each year, at most three college or university teachers are honored with this national award. The awardees are invited to make a presentation in this session. The session is moderated by MAA President Hortensia Soto, Colorado State University.
 

“Finally felt like I had something to contribute…” Nurturing student's mathematical discourse by teaching with primary source projects.

Speaker:
Richard (Abe) Edwards, Michigan State University

Abstract: Many instructional approaches in undergraduate mathematics classrooms do not invite, nor recognize, the kinds of discursive shifts that characterize increased participation in the mathematical community. Primary Source Projects immerse students in a mathematical world where they can witness firsthand how ideas evolve over time, and how mathematics is shaped by people and culture. In this talk I describe how I use such projects in my courses and how I’ve seen students become more flexible, adaptable, confident, and enthusiastic about mathematics as evidenced by changes in their own discourse.
 

And Thus a Writer of Truths: On Identity in Mathematics

Speaker:
Andrea Arauza Rivera, California State University, East Bay

Abstract: We all hold intersecting identities (i.e. race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, and more) that influence how we traverse through mathematical spaces. Our definitions of success, failure, and progress are informed by our identities and experience. We bring lifetimes into the classroom. Our joys, our suffering, all of it comes with us as we teach and learn from one another. What barriers have we had to overcome? What barriers are we currently overcoming? As we engage in the science of truth, what truths are we being asked to leave behind?
 

Doing Big Things Together – Building Relationships In and For Mathematics Teaching

Speaker:
Allison Lynch, California State University, Monterey Bay

Abstract: In recent years, we have been increasing the number of “non-traditional” mathematics courses offered in our general education curriculum at Lewis University. Most recently we added a 100-level mathematical modeling course that counts for both mathematics and civic engagement credit. In this newly developed course, we introduce students to the process of model construction in a variety of applications and demonstrate the role assumptions play in model outcomes and data visualizations. The emphasis is on improving students’ quantitative literacy skills and providing firsthand experience with how mathematics can help us understand applications and make informed decisions. Topics have included data visualization dos and don’ts, voting strategies, gerrymandering, racial profiling, minimum wage, tax brackets, disease models, and predator/prey models. In this talk, I will share lessons I learned in the development and initial implementation of this course.
 

Student Dessert Reception

Friday, August 4, 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., Ballroom D

Besides serving various desserts, we shall recognize all students who gave talks in the MAA Student Poster Session. The Association for Women in Mathematics will also present student chapter awards. All are invited.

Organizer:
Sara Malec, Hood College

Sponsor:
Committee on Undergraduate Student Prorgramming (CUSP)
 

Project NExT Reception and Celebration of David Kung

Friday, August 4, 8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., Ballroom B/C

Reception for Project NExT fellows and supporters; please join us as we honor David Kung's tenure as Director of Project NExT.
 

Competitive Math Problems for Everyone

Saturday, August 5, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Room 103/104

A lot of people think competitive math problems are beyond their ability to solve, but they’re not. Solving competitive math problems does not necessarily require a high level of math ability, but rather an understanding of the problems and seeing them for what they say. All the math competitions leading up to the IMO only require a high school level of math understanding, so they in essence include everyone. I will present some intriguing problems I wrote for the AMC and AIME that any student trying to advance to the IMO must first solve.

Organizer:
Steven Davis, American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME), American Mathematics Competitions (AMC)
 

Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Awards

Saturday, August 5, 3:00 - 4:20 p.m., Ballroom B & C

In 1991 the Mathematical Association of America instituted Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics to honor college or university teachers who have been widely recognized as extraordinarily successful and whose teaching effectiveness has been shown to have had influence beyond their own institutions. In 1993 the MAA Board of Governors renamed the award to honor Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo. Each year at most three college or university teachers are honored with this award. Recipients of the Haimo Award receive $1,000 and a certificate of recognition; recipients must be members of the Association (teaching in the U.S. or Canada). At least one of the Award recipients must be a current Section nominee. The Section nominee may be the current recipient of the Section Award for Distinguished Teaching or a previous recipient of a Section Award for Distinguished Teaching from any Section. At most one of the Award recipients may be other than a current or past recipient of a Section Award for Distinguished Teaching.
 

Winners of the Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching will give presentations on the secrets of their success. This is moderated by MAA President Hortensia Soto, Colorado State University.
 

Chaos

Speaker:
Sarah Koch, University of Michigan

Abstract: As a mathematician, I encounter chaos constantly, from the amazingly rich families of complex dynamical systems that I study to the summers that I get to spend working with the absolutely incredible kids in the Math Corps Summer Camp at the University of Michigan. In this talk, we will contemplate the chaos and discover a wealth of riches.
 

Learning to Listen

Speaker:
Carol S. Schumacher, Kenyon College

Abstract: We improve our teaching by better understanding how others learn. Thus, the best “self-improvement tool” in a teacher’s arsenal is learning to listen---to our colleagues, to our students, to the lessons for the scholarship of teaching and learning. Even to our families and friends.
 

Teaching math is hard -- a fifteen year retrospective

Speaker:
Adriana Salerno, Bates College

Abstract: "Math is hard." That was the first sentence in my teaching statement when I applied to be a professor 15 years ago. Looking back, there are many things I got right, even more that I got wrong, and there is much I have yet to learn. In this talk, I will share reflections, experiences, and lessons learned, from my time teaching at Bates College, promoting equity in mathematics, volunteering for MAA, AMS, and AWM, and interacting on social media.
 

Read the Masters!: Cauchy's Limits

Saturday, August 5, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Room 103/104

All participants at this session will join in reading together, in small groups, from Cauchy's 1823 lecture notes, wherein he first introduced the notion of a limit to provide definitions for continuity of a function and the derivative. A brief talk to place these readings in context will open the session, and a general open discussion will close it.

Organizer:
Daniel Otero, Xavier University

Sponsors:
SIGMAA on the History of Mathematics (SIGMAA HOM)
The ORESME Reading Group
Arithmos Reading Group
The Euler Society
TRIUMPHS (NSF grant project)
 

Please note: All sessions are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT = UTC-4:00)