Proposals
Below are some proposals for talks from the past (and current). By clicking on the ID number, more details are shown. By default, these are sorted chronologically (recent first) and by then by last name. The data can be sorted by alternate means by using the links at the top right, each allowing ascending or descending orders.
Displaying 241-260 of 471 results.
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ID:
549
Year: 2019
Name: Carol Schumacher
Institution: Kenyon College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: All Tangled Up
Abstract: Toys have inspired a lot of interesting mathematics. The SpirographTM helps children create lovely curves by rolling a small circle around the inside or the outside of a larger circle. These curves are called hypotrochoids and epitrochoids and are special cases of mathematical curves called roulettes. A roulette is created by following a point attached to one curve as that curve “rolls” along another curve. Another children’s toy, the TangleTM, inspired some students and me to investigate roulettes that we get by rolling a circle around the inside of a “tangle curve,” which is made up of quarter circles. The resulting roulettes we named “tangloids.” In this talk, we will look at many pretty pictures and animations of these curves and discuss some of their interesting properties. As a bonus, I will discuss the nature of generalization, which is very important in mathematics.
Year: 2019
Name: Carol Schumacher
Institution: Kenyon College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: All Tangled Up
Abstract: Toys have inspired a lot of interesting mathematics. The SpirographTM helps children create lovely curves by rolling a small circle around the inside or the outside of a larger circle. These curves are called hypotrochoids and epitrochoids and are special cases of mathematical curves called roulettes. A roulette is created by following a point attached to one curve as that curve “rolls” along another curve. Another children’s toy, the TangleTM, inspired some students and me to investigate roulettes that we get by rolling a circle around the inside of a “tangle curve,” which is made up of quarter circles. The resulting roulettes we named “tangloids.” In this talk, we will look at many pretty pictures and animations of these curves and discuss some of their interesting properties. As a bonus, I will discuss the nature of generalization, which is very important in mathematics.
ID:
550
Year: 2019
Name: Carol Schumacher
Institution: Kenyon College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Fast Forward, Slow Motion
Abstract: A graphical link between fast and slow time scales: The world is shaped by interactions between things that develop slowly over time and things that happen very rapidly. Picture a garden. A bud takes hours to open up into a flower. A bee takes seconds to fly in, pollinate the flower and then depart. It can be difficult to fully consider both fast and slow time scales at the same time---yet it is the interaction between these events that makes the garden work. Mathematicians have developed a number of techniques for analyzing systems that include both fast and slow time scales. We will consider a graphical method for predicting what happens when fast and slow interact.
Year: 2019
Name: Carol Schumacher
Institution: Kenyon College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Fast Forward, Slow Motion
Abstract: A graphical link between fast and slow time scales: The world is shaped by interactions between things that develop slowly over time and things that happen very rapidly. Picture a garden. A bud takes hours to open up into a flower. A bee takes seconds to fly in, pollinate the flower and then depart. It can be difficult to fully consider both fast and slow time scales at the same time---yet it is the interaction between these events that makes the garden work. Mathematicians have developed a number of techniques for analyzing systems that include both fast and slow time scales. We will consider a graphical method for predicting what happens when fast and slow interact.
ID:
518
Year: 2018
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Data Reasoning: Changing our General Math Requirement
Abstract: At Loras College, we have had a mathematical modeling requirement in our general education for some time. Traditional courses like college algebra, precalculus, and calculus satisfy the requirement, as do a variety of “math for liberal arts” type courses. Though all of them use data, none of them deeply engage students in reasoning with data. This means we are not really preparing our students to engage with our data-driven world. We have also had an increased demand for statistics, which barely satisfies our math modeling outcomes. So, whether we are sages or fools, we have decided to essentially change our general education math requirement to a statistics requirement. In this talk, we will share our hopes, our steps in this direction, and our concerns so far.
Year: 2018
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Data Reasoning: Changing our General Math Requirement
Abstract: At Loras College, we have had a mathematical modeling requirement in our general education for some time. Traditional courses like college algebra, precalculus, and calculus satisfy the requirement, as do a variety of “math for liberal arts” type courses. Though all of them use data, none of them deeply engage students in reasoning with data. This means we are not really preparing our students to engage with our data-driven world. We have also had an increased demand for statistics, which barely satisfies our math modeling outcomes. So, whether we are sages or fools, we have decided to essentially change our general education math requirement to a statistics requirement. In this talk, we will share our hopes, our steps in this direction, and our concerns so far.
ID:
291
Year: 2010
Name: Robert Keller
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Collaborative learning, discrete math
Title of Talk: Discrete Observations or Continuous Ramblings: Some Thoughts on Historical Projects in Discrete Mathematics
Abstract: I will share some of my recent experiences on the use of historical projects in a discrete mathematics course. I used the projects to reinforce broad key topics from discrete in a provocative way. These topics included recursive vs. exact formulas, counting and patterns, and proof techniques such as induction. I will share some details on how I integrated the projects into the class and some (limited) responses from students.
Year: 2010
Name: Robert Keller
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Collaborative learning, discrete math
Title of Talk: Discrete Observations or Continuous Ramblings: Some Thoughts on Historical Projects in Discrete Mathematics
Abstract: I will share some of my recent experiences on the use of historical projects in a discrete mathematics course. I used the projects to reinforce broad key topics from discrete in a provocative way. These topics included recursive vs. exact formulas, counting and patterns, and proof techniques such as induction. I will share some details on how I integrated the projects into the class and some (limited) responses from students.
ID:
551
Year: 2019
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Iowa Mathematics Pathway Forum
Abstract: This fall, members of the Iowa Department of Education started a statewide conversation with the goal of improving student success in transitioning from high school to college math, with a focus on low income students and underrepresented minorities. This conversation is taking place through a series of monthly online discussions connecting representatives from various professional Iowa math organizations across high schools, community colleges, Regents institutions, and private four-year colleges and universities. As our representative from the Iowa MAA, I will share the background for this initiative as well as our current progress defining challenges and brainstorming solutions. I will also invite discussion and continued brainstorming from the audience.
Year: 2019
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Iowa Mathematics Pathway Forum
Abstract: This fall, members of the Iowa Department of Education started a statewide conversation with the goal of improving student success in transitioning from high school to college math, with a focus on low income students and underrepresented minorities. This conversation is taking place through a series of monthly online discussions connecting representatives from various professional Iowa math organizations across high schools, community colleges, Regents institutions, and private four-year colleges and universities. As our representative from the Iowa MAA, I will share the background for this initiative as well as our current progress defining challenges and brainstorming solutions. I will also invite discussion and continued brainstorming from the audience.
ID:
297
Year: 2010
Name: Daniel Willis
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): K-12 Teaching; Geometry
Title of Talk: An Introduction to Logo
Abstract: An introduction to Logo (Turtle Geometry) using MSWLogo, a freeware version of Logo for 32-bit Windows. The talk will introduce basic commands, loops, procedures, and the use of variables, with applications to regular polygons, stars, tessellations, rotations, translations, reflections, and symmetry. The speaker has used Logo with teachers (and pre-service teachers) of elementary school, middle school, and high school mathematics.
Year: 2010
Name: Daniel Willis
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): K-12 Teaching; Geometry
Title of Talk: An Introduction to Logo
Abstract: An introduction to Logo (Turtle Geometry) using MSWLogo, a freeware version of Logo for 32-bit Windows. The talk will introduce basic commands, loops, procedures, and the use of variables, with applications to regular polygons, stars, tessellations, rotations, translations, reflections, and symmetry. The speaker has used Logo with teachers (and pre-service teachers) of elementary school, middle school, and high school mathematics.
ID:
554
Year: 2019
Name: Susan Crook
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Why Aren't We All Using IBL?
Abstract: Inquiry-based learning has been a buzzword in college mathematics teaching circles for years. By having students have more ownership over their own learning, IBL has been shown to begin closing the achievement gap for minority students. Anecdotal evidence of its success abounds…so, with all this positive data, why isn't every math classroom taught using IBL methods? In this interactive talk, we'll discuss some of the common obstacles and challenges professors experience when they use IBL and brainstorm some ways to overcome these issues.
Year: 2019
Name: Susan Crook
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Why Aren't We All Using IBL?
Abstract: Inquiry-based learning has been a buzzword in college mathematics teaching circles for years. By having students have more ownership over their own learning, IBL has been shown to begin closing the achievement gap for minority students. Anecdotal evidence of its success abounds…so, with all this positive data, why isn't every math classroom taught using IBL methods? In this interactive talk, we'll discuss some of the common obstacles and challenges professors experience when they use IBL and brainstorm some ways to overcome these issues.
ID:
555
Year: 2019
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: The Math of Data Science
Abstract: Data Science is one of the buzzwordiest fields right now. In this talk, I will try to define Data Science out of my work implementing it as an undergraduate major at Loras. Then I will go on to talk about where Mathematics, both from the undergraduate and graduate curricula, is integral to the development and perhaps practice of Data Science.
Year: 2019
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: The Math of Data Science
Abstract: Data Science is one of the buzzwordiest fields right now. In this talk, I will try to define Data Science out of my work implementing it as an undergraduate major at Loras. Then I will go on to talk about where Mathematics, both from the undergraduate and graduate curricula, is integral to the development and perhaps practice of Data Science.
ID:
302
Year: 2010
Name: Matthew Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Starting a Math Colloquium: Experiences from Loras College
Abstract: Also presenting: Angela Kohlhass (Loras College). In this talk, the speakers will describe their experiences initiating and maintaining the Loras College half of the Bi-State Mathematics Colloquium. The BSMC is a partnership between the math departments of UW-Platteville and Loras College and is in its second year. The Loras talks provide a venue for Loras math students and faculty to hear from mathematicians in the region surrounding Loras College on a biweekly basis. Topics that will be addressed in this talk include finding speakers, getting students to attend, establishing regional buy-in, and the issues that we have yet to resolve.
Year: 2010
Name: Matthew Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Starting a Math Colloquium: Experiences from Loras College
Abstract: Also presenting: Angela Kohlhass (Loras College). In this talk, the speakers will describe their experiences initiating and maintaining the Loras College half of the Bi-State Mathematics Colloquium. The BSMC is a partnership between the math departments of UW-Platteville and Loras College and is in its second year. The Loras talks provide a venue for Loras math students and faculty to hear from mathematicians in the region surrounding Loras College on a biweekly basis. Topics that will be addressed in this talk include finding speakers, getting students to attend, establishing regional buy-in, and the issues that we have yet to resolve.
ID:
571
Year: 2021
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: What Does It Mean to Have a Vocation in Mathematics?
Abstract: "Vocation" can be a confusing and even divisive word, but at Loras College, we take the term to mean finding your life's purpose or your way of seeking the common good for society. How can mathematics help our students find purpose and meaning in life? Do our students see mathematics as a way of seeking the common good? Do we? How do we cultivate a sense of mathematical vocation in our students? How do we grow in our own mathematical vocation and share it with our students?
Year: 2021
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: What Does It Mean to Have a Vocation in Mathematics?
Abstract: "Vocation" can be a confusing and even divisive word, but at Loras College, we take the term to mean finding your life's purpose or your way of seeking the common good for society. How can mathematics help our students find purpose and meaning in life? Do our students see mathematics as a way of seeking the common good? Do we? How do we cultivate a sense of mathematical vocation in our students? How do we grow in our own mathematical vocation and share it with our students?
ID:
328
Year: 2012
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Introductory Stats, Teaching with Technology
Title of Talk: Writing WeBWorK questions for Introductory Statistics
Abstract: WeBWorK is an Open-Source online homework system for Mathematics. The Open Problem Library contains many usable questions for Introductory Statistics. In this talk, I will discuss the current procedures for writing questions for Statistics and what improvements I have accomplished to simplify writing questions.
Year: 2012
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Introductory Stats, Teaching with Technology
Title of Talk: Writing WeBWorK questions for Introductory Statistics
Abstract: WeBWorK is an Open-Source online homework system for Mathematics. The Open Problem Library contains many usable questions for Introductory Statistics. In this talk, I will discuss the current procedures for writing questions for Statistics and what improvements I have accomplished to simplify writing questions.
ID:
341
Year: 2012
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Algebra (Commutative Algebra)
Title of Talk: Cores of Monomial Ideals
Abstract: Blow-up algebras associated to an ideal I are at the center of the interplay between commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. One can study these algebras through minimal reductions of I, or simpler ideals inside of I which retain much of I
Year: 2012
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Algebra (Commutative Algebra)
Title of Talk: Cores of Monomial Ideals
Abstract: Blow-up algebras associated to an ideal I are at the center of the interplay between commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. One can study these algebras through minimal reductions of I, or simpler ideals inside of I which retain much of I
ID:
374
Year: 2013
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Teaching
Title of Talk: Using Smartpens to Aid Student Learning
Abstract: Smartpens store writing and audio in a digital format that can be converted into various formats. In this talk, I will be discussing how I have used a smartpen to provide students with a variety of aids for learning Mathematics. All with relatively low overhead for the instructor.
Year: 2013
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Teaching
Title of Talk: Using Smartpens to Aid Student Learning
Abstract: Smartpens store writing and audio in a digital format that can be converted into various formats. In this talk, I will be discussing how I have used a smartpen to provide students with a variety of aids for learning Mathematics. All with relatively low overhead for the instructor.
ID:
377
Year: 2014
Name: Jacob Heidenreich
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): math education
Title of Talk: Toys, Puzzles, and Games: the Importance of Play in the Classroom
Abstract: Much research has been done over the past few decades concerning using games in education. One fruitful line of investigation has been on the importance of play in the learning experience. In this talk, I will discuss college-level educational goals and how they can be served by creating a playful learning environment in the classroom. I will also discuss and demonstrate the toys, puzzles, and games I developed for use in the classroom.
Year: 2014
Name: Jacob Heidenreich
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): math education
Title of Talk: Toys, Puzzles, and Games: the Importance of Play in the Classroom
Abstract: Much research has been done over the past few decades concerning using games in education. One fruitful line of investigation has been on the importance of play in the learning experience. In this talk, I will discuss college-level educational goals and how they can be served by creating a playful learning environment in the classroom. I will also discuss and demonstrate the toys, puzzles, and games I developed for use in the classroom.
ID:
384
Year: 2014
Name: Susan Crook
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Generalized Augmented Happy Numbers
Abstract: What makes a number a happy number? Is it sitting on the beach with no cares in the world or is there more to it than that? In this talk, we'll mathematically define happy numbers and discuss some properties. We'll explore some of their properties and look at variations on the idea of happy numbers to see if we can extend any of these properties. This work was done collaboratively with other undergraduate math faculty at a Research Experience for Undergraduate Faculty this summer at the American Institute for Mathematics, so there will also be a short plug for REUs and the REUF.
Year: 2014
Name: Susan Crook
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Generalized Augmented Happy Numbers
Abstract: What makes a number a happy number? Is it sitting on the beach with no cares in the world or is there more to it than that? In this talk, we'll mathematically define happy numbers and discuss some properties. We'll explore some of their properties and look at variations on the idea of happy numbers to see if we can extend any of these properties. This work was done collaboratively with other undergraduate math faculty at a Research Experience for Undergraduate Faculty this summer at the American Institute for Mathematics, so there will also be a short plug for REUs and the REUF.
ID:
408
Year: 2014
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Adding Context to Calculus
Abstract: This semester in Calculus I, my students have been doing weekly assignments to help provide them with context for the mathematics they are learning in the rest of the course. These assignments have investigated connections to historical and present day developments in mathematics, as well as to the utility of calculus for problem-solving in students' current lives and future careers. I will discuss what assignments I have done/will do and how students have responded to them.
Year: 2014
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Adding Context to Calculus
Abstract: This semester in Calculus I, my students have been doing weekly assignments to help provide them with context for the mathematics they are learning in the rest of the course. These assignments have investigated connections to historical and present day developments in mathematics, as well as to the utility of calculus for problem-solving in students' current lives and future careers. I will discuss what assignments I have done/will do and how students have responded to them.
ID:
409
Year: 2014
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Patterns and Perspective: Math in Art and Music
Abstract: During January term at Loras College, we offer various courses which fulfill our mathematical modeling general education requirement as well as our experiential learning J-term requirement. I designed a course in this category which investigates mathematical reasoning underlying perspective art and musical compositions. I will discuss the class structure, activities, and assignments I plan to use when teaching it this January.
Year: 2014
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Patterns and Perspective: Math in Art and Music
Abstract: During January term at Loras College, we offer various courses which fulfill our mathematical modeling general education requirement as well as our experiential learning J-term requirement. I designed a course in this category which investigates mathematical reasoning underlying perspective art and musical compositions. I will discuss the class structure, activities, and assignments I plan to use when teaching it this January.
ID:
412
Year: 2014
Name: Jonas Meyer
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): functional analysis, complex variables
Title of Talk: Interplay between function theory and Hilbert space
Abstract: Some classic results in Hilbert space theory are best described through the lens of functions of a complex variable, and vice versa. This survey talk will focus on some examples of that interplay, including how invariant subspaces of some operators on Hilbert space can be described using complex functions, and how Hilbert space theory can be used to prove results on interpolation with analytic functions.
Year: 2014
Name: Jonas Meyer
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): functional analysis, complex variables
Title of Talk: Interplay between function theory and Hilbert space
Abstract: Some classic results in Hilbert space theory are best described through the lens of functions of a complex variable, and vice versa. This survey talk will focus on some examples of that interplay, including how invariant subspaces of some operators on Hilbert space can be described using complex functions, and how Hilbert space theory can be used to prove results on interpolation with analytic functions.
ID:
420
Year: 2015
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Using Math to Create Music
Abstract: In this talk I will present some of the activities my students engaged in and compositions they created in the math of music portion of my January-term course at Loras College. We will apply fractals to musical form, modular arithmetic to chords, transposition, and serialism, and function transformations to counterpoint. No musical background is needed for this talk.
Year: 2015
Name: Angela Kohlhaas
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Using Math to Create Music
Abstract: In this talk I will present some of the activities my students engaged in and compositions they created in the math of music portion of my January-term course at Loras College. We will apply fractals to musical form, modular arithmetic to chords, transposition, and serialism, and function transformations to counterpoint. No musical background is needed for this talk.
ID:
422
Year: 2015
Name: Susan Crook
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Researching in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Abstract: This summer I attended an MAA minicourse focused on beginning to research in the area of scholarship of teaching and learning and would like to disseminate some of this basic information to our section. Several of the Iowa section schools use Boyer's model of scholarship, which includes SoTL, to evaluate scholarship for tenure and promotion. In this talk, I will give a brief overview of how SoTL research is structured and point to many references for faculty looking to begin research in this area.
Year: 2015
Name: Susan Crook
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Researching in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Abstract: This summer I attended an MAA minicourse focused on beginning to research in the area of scholarship of teaching and learning and would like to disseminate some of this basic information to our section. Several of the Iowa section schools use Boyer's model of scholarship, which includes SoTL, to evaluate scholarship for tenure and promotion. In this talk, I will give a brief overview of how SoTL research is structured and point to many references for faculty looking to begin research in this area.