- Graduate Student Poster Session
Jim Freeman, Cornell College
Thursday, August 6, 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Graduate students are invited by the MAA Committee on Graduate Students and The Young Mathematicians' Network to submit abstracts for this session. The posters should be 48″ (length) by 36″ (height). Posterboard and fastening materials will be provided on-site. Some funding to cover transportation costs (up to $600) for poster authors is available. At most, one graduate student will be funded per poster, and funded presenters are expected to take full part in the meeting. Abstracts and requests for travel support can be submitted by using the MAA abstract submission site. Information on travel support is available on the MAA's graduate student page. Abstracts submitted by Friday, April 24, will be given precedence in considering applications for travel support. Abstracts must be submitted by Friday, June 12. Questions on this session can be directed to Jim Freeman at jfreeman@cornellcollege.edu.
- Graduate Student Reception
Thursday, August 6, 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Graduate students are invited for some refreshments and to meet several of the invited speakers.
- Graduate Student Workshop
What's the story? A Graduate Student Workshop on Formulating an Effective Mathematical Presentation
Rachel Schwell, Central Connecticut State University
Aaron Luttman, Clarkson University
Friday, August 7, 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Hiding behind every mathematical result are many interesting stories, and one of the most difficult skills in formulating a mathematical presentation is finding the story that is right for a particular audience. Almost any mathematical topic can be pitched at a variety of levels: the topological genus of a surface can be described in terms homotopy or the number of “holes,” measures of central tendency can be described probabilistically or as “averages,” and two things being isomorphic can be described technically in terms of preservation of algebraic structure or as their simply being “the same.” In this workshop the participants will engage in hands-on activities to learn and practice the skills of determining an appropriate mathematical level for a variety of audiences and formulating an appropriate story to tell, with emphasis on presenting to undergraduate students.
- Special Session For Graduate Students
Expository Talks for Undergraduates by Graduate Students
Jim Freeman, Cornell College
Saturday, August 8, 1:00 – 5:30 pm
This session is aimed at graduate students who are ready to enter the job market within the next year. The majority of academic jobs available to mathematicians involve teaching undergraduate students. Many of the interviews for these jobs require a presentation to be made to undergraduates, yet most graduate students have not had the opportunity to give these types of presentations. This session gives graduate students the opportunity to give a 20-minute expository talk aimed at post-calculus undergraduate students. These talks should excite undergraduates about mathematics and abstracts should be written to appeal to undergraduates. Each participant in this session will receive private feedback on his or her presentation from an established faculty member and an undergraduate student. Some funding to cover transportation costs (up to $600) is available. Funded presenters are expected to take full part in the meeting. Information on travel support is available at www.maa.org/students/grad/. Abstracts must be submitted by June 12. The session is co-sponsored by the MAA Committee on Graduate Students and The Young Mathematicians' Network. Questions on this session can be directed to Jim Freeman at jfreeman@cornellcollege.edu.
- Panel
How to Apply for Jobs
David Manderscheid, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Sponsored by the MAA Committee on Graduate Students and the Young Mathematicians Network
Friday, August 7, 4:00 – 5:20 pm
This session is aimed at PhD students and at recent PhD's. An overview of the employment process will be given with ample opportunity for audience members to participate. Questions that will be addressed include: How do you find which jobs are available? How do you choose which jobs you want to apply for? What are academic and other employers looking for in the materials that you send? What should you be doing now? How do schools conduct interviews? How can you best prepare for these interviews? How do employers choose to whom they will make offers? How do you negotiate once you have an offer?
- MAA-PME Student Reception
Wednesday, August 5, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
- Math Jeopardy
Robert Vallin, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Michael Berry, University of Tennessee
Wednesday, August 5, 5:30 – 6:45 pm
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. Come cheer for your favorite team. The session will be emceed by Michael Berry.
- Student Hospitality Center
Richard and Araceli Neal, American Society for the Communication of Mathematics
Thursday, August 6, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, August 7, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday, August 8, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
The Student Hospitality Center (SHC) provides a place for students and other MathFest attendees to meet for informal conversation, refreshments, and mathematical diversions. Programs for the MAA and Pi Mu Epsilon student paper sessions, packets for the MAA student presenters, and information on MathFest activities of interest to students are available in the SHC.
- MAA Lecture For Students
Mathemagic with a Deck of Cards on the Interval Between 5.700439718 and 80658175170943878571660636856403766975289505440883277824000000000000
Colm Mulcahy, Spelman College
Thursday, August 6, 1:00 – 1:50 pm
Some unavoidable coincidences – as well as some truly surprising ones – will be explored as we survey 21st century mathemagical creations/entertainments with a deck of cards, touching on topics in combinatorics, algebra, and probability.
- MAA Undergraduate Student Activity
Chop-chop! A look at dissection puzzles
Travis Kowalski, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Friday, August 7, 1:00 – 1:50 pm
An activity that investigates the mathematics of popular dissection puzzles, the Tangram and the Stomachion being the chief pair that come to mind. There are a number of interesting mathematical problems that arise from these puzzles – what Tangram constructions are convex? What is the solution to Archimede's Stomachion puzzle? – that students can investigate while working – even building their own – with tangrams/stomachion games.
- MAA Undergraduate Student Activity
Secrets of Mental Math
Arthur Benjamin, Harvey Mudd College
Friday, August 7, 1:00 – 1:50 pm
Dr. Arthur Benjamin is a mathematician and a magician. In his entertaining and fast-paced performance, he will demonstrate and explain how to mentally add and multiply numbers faster than a calculator, how to memorize 100 digits of π, how to figure out the day of the week of any date in history, and other amazing feats of mind. He has presented his mixture of math and magic to audiences all over the world.
- MAA Student Paper Sessions
J. Lyn Miller, Slippery Rock University
John Hamman, Montgomery College
Daluss Siewert, Black Hills State University
Thursday, August 6, 8:30 – 10:30 am and 2:00 – 6:15 pm
Friday, August 7, 8:30 – 10:30 am and 2:00 – 5:00 pm
Students who wish to present at the MAA Student Paper Sessions at MathFest 2009 in Portland, Oregon, must be sponsored by a faculty advisor familiar with the work to be presented. Some funding to cover costs (up to $600) for student presenters is available. At most one student from each institution or REU can receive full funding; additional such students may be funded at a lower rate. All presenters are expected to take full part in the meeting and attend indicated activities sponsored for students on all three days of the conference. Information on travel support is available on the MAA's undergraduate student page. Abstracts for the student paper sessions can be submitted at the MathFest abstract submission site.
The deadline for receipt of applications for MAA student papers is Friday, June 12, 2009. Students may not apply for funding from both MAA and ΠΜΕ. Every student paper session room will be equipped with a computer projector (presenters must provide their own laptops or have access to one), and a screen. Each student talk is 15 minutes in length.
- Pi Mu Epsilon Student Paper Sessions
Angela Spalsbury, Youngstown State University
Thursday, August 6, 2:00 – 6:15 pm
Friday, August 7, 8:30 – 10:30 am and 2:00 – 5:00 pm
Pi Mu Epsilon student speakers must be nominated by their chapter advisors. Application forms for PME student speakers will be available by March 1, 2009 on the PME web site or can be obtained from PME Secretary Treasurer, Dr. Leo Schneider (leo@jcu.edu). A PME student speaker who attends all the Pi Mu Epsilon activities is eligible for transportation reimbursement up to $600, and up to five speakers per Chapter may be eligible for full or partial reimbursement.
Every student paper session room will be equipped with a computer projector (presenters must provide their own laptops or have access to one) and a screen. Each student talk is 15 minutes in length.
- Pi Mu Epsilon Student Banquet And Awards Ceremony
Friday, August 7, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
All PME members and their supporters are welcome. See the registration form for more information on this ticketed event.
- Pi Mu Epsilon J. Sutherland Frame Lecture
The Mathematics of Perfect Shuffles
Professor Persi Diaconis, Mary V. Sunseri Professor of Statistics and Mathematics, Stanford University
Friday, August 7, 8:00 – 8:50 pm
Magicians and gamblers can shuffle cards perfectly (demonstrations provided). Understanding what can (and cannot) be done with shuffles leads to mathematics problems, some beyond modern mathematics. The mathematics is also useful for describing all sorts of computer algorithms.
- MAA Ice Cream Social
Friday, August 7, 9:00 – 10:00 pm
Besides cake and ice cream, we will recognize all students who gave talks in the MAA Student Chapters paper sessions, and award prizes for the best of them. All are invited.
- MAA Mathematical Contest In Modeling (MCM) Winners
Ben Fusaro, Florida State University
Saturday, August 8, 9:00 – 10:30 am
About 500 teams, each consisting of three undergraduates, took part in the 2009 MCM in February. The contest consists of two real(istic) scenarios (one discrete, one continuous) that call for analysis and resolution. The teams have four days to deal with the challenge during which time they may use or consult anything inanimate – computers, libraries, the Web, etc. MAA judges choose one continuous and one discrete winner from the top contenders. The MAA subsidizes the teams' travel to MathFest, where they will present the results of their four-day challenge.
- Student Problem Solving Competition
Richard Neal, American Society for the Communication of Mathematics
Saturday, August 8, 1:00 – 2:15 pm
This event is the finals of the Problem Solving Competition. Universities and colleges that participate monthly on their own campuses by holding problem solving contests are invited to send a contestant. Each contestant will be required to solve a series of mathematical problems. Based on the outcome, a champion along with 2nd through 6th place winners will be named.
- Special Session
Expository Talks for Undergraduates by Graduate Students
Jim Freeman, Cornell College
Saturday, August 8, 1:00 – 5:30 pm
Graduate students will give 20-minute expository talks aimed at undergraduate students. The talks will cover exciting areas of mathematics and have wide appeal to undergraduates.
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