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 81-100 of 471 results.
ID: 457
Year: 2016
Name: Jason Smith
Institution: Graceland University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Magical Grants

Abstract: A discussion of writing and receiving an in-house grant to visit local middle schools and do mathematical tricks with them. Some tricks may also be revealed.
ID: 221
Year: 2008
Name: Michael Smith
Institution: Morningside College
Subject area(s): Statistics, Education
Title of Talk: Class Research Projects in Elementary Statistics

Abstract: This talk presents the results of a class data collection project completed in an elementary statistics class, as well as a philosophical discussion of what students can gain from collecting data in a statistics class.
ID: 399
Year: 2014
Name: Tyler Skorczewski
Institution: Cornell College
Subject area(s): math biology, fluid dynamics
Title of Talk: Toward an integrative model of suction feeding using the immersed boundary method

Abstract: Suction feeding is among the most common forms of aquatic prey capture. During a suction feeding strike a fish rapidly opens its mouth creating a fluid flow that draws in the prey. This is an example of indirect prey capture; the fish does not directly manipulate the prey, but rather the fluid flow around the prey. Previous studies of suction feeding have either studied jaw mechanics or the flow field in isolation, or have only considered rigid jaw motions (think of a fish mouth as a collection of metal plates). In this talk I will describe work in progress to develop a new methodology to study fish suction feeding that relaxes some of these conditions. In particular we will allow for more realistic flexible jaws and examine how the kinematics of the jaw motion affects the resultant flow field and subsequent prey capture.
ID: 114
Year: 2005
Name: Karen Shuman
Institution: Grinnell College
Subject area(s): mathematics education
Title of Talk: Getting Students to Read a Linear Algebra Text--Methods and Reactions

Abstract: Linear algebra may be the first undergraduate course in which is it crucial for students to understand definitions, theorems, and special examples. Exposing students to new material for the first time in class can take up a lot of time and prevent other, deeper material from being covered. This talk will focus on how I have gotten students to write and think about new material that they read on their own, how I have responded to them, and how students have reacted to the experience.
ID: 324
Year: 2012
Name: Courtney Sherwood
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s): Math Biology
Title of Talk: A Model of Invertebrate Richness on Restored Prairies

Abstract: We will present a differential equations model of prairie restoration. Here, species richness is considered as an indicator of prairie restoration, with the variables for the equation being invertebrate and plant species richness and time. We will incorporate field work from a prairie in Nebraska as an example of our model. Our main goal is determining if planting fewer seeds will yield similar invertebrate richness as planting more seeds, that is, a more cost effective approach.
ID: 344
Year: 2012
Name: Courtney Sherwood
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: A Model of Invertebrate Richness on Restored Prairies

Abstract: We will present a differential equations model of prairie restoration. Here, species richness is considered as an indicator of prairie restoration, with the variables for the equation being invertebrate and plant species richness and time. We will incorporate field work from a prairie in Nebraska as an example of our model. Our main goal is determining if planting fewer seeds will yield similar invertebrate richness as planting more seeds, that is, a more cost effective approach.
ID: 298
Year: 2010
Name: Luke Serafin
Institution: Coe College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Explicit Constructions of Functions whose Graphs are Dense in The Plane

Abstract: A set D is dense in the plane if and only if every open ball in the plane contains an element of D. We prove that there exists a function f from the real line R to itself whose graph is dense in the plane by explicitly constructing it using a partition of the rationals into countably many subsets dense in R. We then use this method of construction to prove that there are 2^(2^\aleph_0) functions whose graphs are dense in the plane, and that there exists a function f: R ->R such that f(U) = R for every non-empty open set U in R.
ID: 570
Year: 2021
Name: James Sellers
Institution: University of Minnesota - Duluth
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Revisiting What Euler and the Bernoullis Knew About Convergent Infinite Series

Abstract: All too often in first-year calculus classes, conversations about infinite series stop with discussions about convergence or divergence. Such interactions are, unfortunately, not often illuminating or intriguing. Interestingly enough, Jacob and Johann Bernoulli and Leonhard Euler (and their contemporaries in the early 18th century) knew quite a bit about how to find the *exact* values of numerous families of convergent infinite series. In this talk, I will show two sets of *exact* results in this vein. The talk will be accessible to anyone interested in mathematics.
ID: 556
Year: 2021
Name: vcjjtmd segBbsCPnCBGrDu
Institution: YAYqKBPnZmPx
Subject area(s): XNzkISkaiyjnQUK
Title of Talk: COueJFEdUUL

Abstract: HKmogj xcoeacgjbesp, [url=http://hqopdzcfoapy.com/]hqopdzcfoapy[/url], [link=http://lbcnhhannaes.com/]lbcnhhannaes[/link], http://vpowzbzxnjis.com/
ID: 277
Year: 2010
Name: Scott Searcy
Institution: Waldorf College
Subject area(s): Math Education
Title of Talk: A Survey of Technology Use and District Spending in North Iowa Schools

Abstract: Also presenting: Dr. Jeffrey Biessman. Conventional wisdom holds that technology use in public schools is commonplace and therefore college freshman have wide exposure to and experience with technology. Anecdotal suggest this may not be true. This survey was designed to reveal the extent of technology use in North Iowa school districts. The survey indicates that larger schools are less likely to budget money for technology on a per pupil basis than smaller districts.
ID: 106
Year: 2005
Name: Scott Searcy
Institution: Waldorf College
Subject area(s): Data Compression
Title of Talk: The Efficiency of Morse Code as Data Compression.

Abstract: Morse code was invented to allow the efficient transmission of textual data in a digital mode. This talk examines the efficiency in comparison with more modern methods of textual data transmission.
ID: 216
Year: 2007
Name: Scott Searcy
Institution: Waldorf College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: The Possible Use of Wavelets in Digital Audio Upsampling

Abstract: The challenge of high fidelity digital to analog conversion of digital audio information is quite challenging. This paper will the possible use of wvaelets to increase the fidelity of the recovered analog signal.
ID: 195
Year: 2007
Name: Tim Schwickerath
Institution: Wartburg College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Historical Roots of Math and Physics in Germany

Abstract: In May 2006, a class of thirteen students and Dr. Brian Birgen from Wartburg College toured Germany and examined math and physics from a historical perspective. The class toured various musuems and universities all around Germany. The class also explored the German culture through home stays and other experiences. Two students from the class will share and discuss highlights of their experiences.
ID: 197
Year: 2007
Name: Tim Schwickerath
Institution: Wartburg College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Historical Roots of Math and Physics in Germany

Abstract: In May 2006, a class of thirteen students and Dr. Brian Birgen from Wartburg College toured Germany and examined math and physics from a historical perspective. The class toured various musuems and universities all around Germany. The class also explored the German culture through home stays and other experiences. Two students from the class will share highlights of their experiences.
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.
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.
ID: 365
Year: 2013
Name: Chris Schultz
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s): Developmental Math
Title of Talk: Remedial Mathematics at Iowa State University

Abstract: Success in a developmental math course is not truly measured until the student success rate in the downstream class is measured. Iowa State University’s Department of Mathematics has started such a study and would like to share our preliminary data for discussion. Concern is often also expressed that students who start in developmental math classes will never graduate and we have gathered 2 years’ worth of data addressing this concern. The format of our developmental course, Math 10, will be shared as well as the data described above.
ID: 492
Year: 2017
Name: Alex Schulte
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Anti-Van der Waerden number of 3-term arithmetic progression

Abstract: A set is rainbow if each element of the set is a di erent color. The anti-van der Waerden number of the integers from 1 to n, denoted by aw([n]; k), is the least positive integer r such that every exact r-coloring of [n] contains a rainbow k-term arithmetic progression. The exact value of the anti-van der Waerden number of the integers where k = 3 is given by aw([n]; 3) = dlog3 ne+2. The anti-van der Waerden number can also be de ned on graphs, where aw(G; k) is the least number of colors such that every coloring contains a rainbow k-term arithmetic progression. Bounds on the anti-van der Wareden number of graphs have been established and exact values are known for certain families of graphs. Keywords: Rainbow, r
ID: 493
Year: 2017
Name: Sarah Schoel
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Fractal Sequence Analysis and Creation of Art and Music

Abstract: For my seminar project, I have been analyzing fractal sequences and using them to create images and to modify musical compositions. A fractal sequence has a pattern that repeats at all scales. One well-known sequence is the Thue-Morse Sequence. This sequence is created by translating the positive integers into base(2) and then adding the digits for each number and taking mod(2) of the result. This forms a pattern of zeroes and ones that continues infinitely. If consecutive numbers are put into groups of two, a unique characteristic about this sequence is revealed. When the first number of every set is kept and the second removed, the remaining numbers create the original pattern. I have shown that translating the integers into base(n) and summing digits mod(n) elicits a similar pattern. I will show how these sequences can then be translated into art and music and analyze the results.
ID: 342
Year: 2012
Name: Bill Schellhorn
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s): math modeling, undergraduate research
Title of Talk: The Feasibility of Electric Vehicles: Driving Interest in Mathematical Modeling

Abstract: The study of electric vehicles can be used to promote interest in mathematical modeling in a variety of courses and student projects. In this presentation, I will discuss how the feasibility of electric vehicles can be investigated using fundamental topics in algebra, calculus, and statistics. I will also give examples of how technology can be incorporated into the investigation.