This is the web edition of the Iowa Section Newsletter. To receive a printed copy of the newsletter or to make suggestions/comments, please contact the editor, Mark Mills, millsm@central.edu.

Contents

• 2003 Iowa Mathematics Meeting at University of Northern Iowa
• Governor's Report
• Treasurer's Report
• Nominating Committee Report
• Announcements and Dates of Importance
• Officers of the Iowa Section

Governor's Report

The MAA Board of Governors met on Tuesday, January 14, in Baltimore, MD. Here the items of interest to MAA members:

• The MAA received the largest single donation ever: Paul and Virginia Halmos donated $3,000,000 to establish a Mathematical Sciences Conference Center in Washington, D.C. (www.maa.org/news/011603halmos.html)
  
• A new MAA award endowed by Henry L. Alder for Distinguished Teaching by beginning College or University Faculty will be established in memory of Henry L. Alder, who passed away in November 2002. (www.maa.org/news/alder.html)
  
• April is Math Awareness Month. This year's theme is Math in Art. (www.mathforum.org/mam/03/)
  
• MAA treasurer John Kenelly reported that the MAA is financially sound, despite the changes in the national economy. He identified three main financial goals for the next year: attention to endowment; real estate management; and to identify new income sources. The board approved a small membership dues increase for 2004. No dues are assessed for retirees who have been members in good standing for 20 years, subscription to journals are available to retirees at a reduced rate.
  
• The MAA web site www.maa.org as been completely re-designed, so you will want to check it out! It now includes a link to the MAA bookstore where MAA books can be ordered on-line directly from the MAA. And of course it also links to MathDL, an online library of mathematics learning materials, primarily at the undergraduate level.
  
• NSF has just funded a new MAA multifaceted program: Preparing Mathematicians to Educate Teachers (PMET). (www.maa.org/pmet/welcome.html)  It includes workshops of varying duration throughout the year and mini courses at professional meetings. Check out the four workshops to be offered in 2003. Also, a mini course will be offered at the 2003 Math Fest in Boulder. Information on PMET as well as PREP (Professional Enhancement Programs), and many others can be found through the "Programs" link on the new MAA web site.
  
• Sections are encouraged to promote the American Mathematics Competitions program (www.unl.edu/amc). There are now three general competitions: AMC 8, AMC 10, AMC 12; the title indicates the participant's grade levels. These examinations lead to the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), the USAMO, and the IMO (International Math Olympiad). Our section's Elgin Johnson is now the AMC chair, so maybe he can talk to us at the Iowa business meeting on how we can help in promoting the competitions.
  
• The number of SIGMAAs (Special Interest Groups of MAA) continues to grow. The newest ones are: Environmental Mathematics, the Philosophy of Mathematics, and the Web.
  
• The board approved the option of on-line voting for the election of national officers of the MAA. Professional services, independent of the MAA will be used. How fast this can be implemented remains to be seen.
  
• Because of the heavy financial and legal responsibilities of the members of the Board, the MAA had to restrict the voting rights of substitutes at board meetings. Only a former section Governor can be used as substitute with voting rights if a current Governor is unable to attend a meeting.

At the close of the Joint MAA-AMS meeting in Baltimore in January 2003, Ron Graham became the fiftieth President of the MAA. It was an eventful meeting for Graham, since he also received the Steele Prize for lifetime achievement as a research mathematician (www.maa.org/news/030603president.html).  The Iowa section is looking forward to having Ron Graham as their invited speaker this Spring!

The next Board of Governors meeting will be this summer at the Boulder MathFest. For a complete list of upcoming national meetings, see www.maa.org/meetings/national_meetings.html.

Respectfully submitted,

Ruth I. Berger
Luther College

Treasurer's Report

Announcements and Dates of Importance

• To subscribe to a monthly e-mail newsletter covering the advancements in recreational mathematics, contact Charles Ashbacher at cashbacher@yahoo.com. Charles is the editor of Journal of Recreational Mathematics and the newsletter features descriptions of the content of JRM, web site reviews, book reviews and correspondence about the latest results in the field.
  
• The MAA's Professional Enhancement Program (PREP) will offer a wide variety of workshops during summer 2003. PREP workshops offer you the chance to spend a few days exploring topics of mutual interest with colleagues from other institutions, with experienced leaders to guide the group towards a deeper understanding and broader perspective. Most of the cost of attending a PREP workshop is covered by the program, so what are you waiting for? Visit the PREP web site, www.maa.org/prep to see this year's schedule and to obtain registration materials.

Dates of Importance

July 31-August 2, 2003 - MathFest in Boulder, Colorado

January 7-10, 2004 - MAA-AMS Joint Meetings in Phoenix, Arizona