Undergraduate Student Activities

• 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.

• 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.