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 41-60 of 471 results.
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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:
305
Year: 2011
Name: Travis Peters
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Zero forcing number, maximum nullity, and path cover number of complete edge subdivision graphs
Abstract: The minimum rank of a simple graph G is defined to be the smallest possible rank over all symmetric real matrices whose ijth entry is nonzero whenever {i, j} is an edge in G and is zero otherwise. Maximum nullity is taken over the same set of matrices. The zero forcing number is the minimum size of a zero forcing set of vertices and bounds the maximum nullity from above. The path cover number is the fewest number of vertex disjoint induced paths that cover all the vertices of the graph. We study the effect of edge subdivisions of a graph on the zero forcing number, maximum nullity, and path cover number.
Year: 2011
Name: Travis Peters
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Zero forcing number, maximum nullity, and path cover number of complete edge subdivision graphs
Abstract: The minimum rank of a simple graph G is defined to be the smallest possible rank over all symmetric real matrices whose ijth entry is nonzero whenever {i, j} is an edge in G and is zero otherwise. Maximum nullity is taken over the same set of matrices. The zero forcing number is the minimum size of a zero forcing set of vertices and bounds the maximum nullity from above. The path cover number is the fewest number of vertex disjoint induced paths that cover all the vertices of the graph. We study the effect of edge subdivisions of a graph on the zero forcing number, maximum nullity, and path cover number.
ID:
306
Year: 2011
Name: Martha Ellen Waggoner
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Discovery learning in linear algebra using dynamical geometry software.
Abstract: I have developed several Geometers Sketchpad sketches that students can use to help them understand transformations, eigenvalues, eigenvectors and a geometrical interpretation of the determinant. These dynamic sketches are used in discovery learning exercises in a computer classroom. In this talk I will demonstrate a couple of sketches and explain how they are used in the classroom.
Year: 2011
Name: Martha Ellen Waggoner
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Discovery learning in linear algebra using dynamical geometry software.
Abstract: I have developed several Geometers Sketchpad sketches that students can use to help them understand transformations, eigenvalues, eigenvectors and a geometrical interpretation of the determinant. These dynamic sketches are used in discovery learning exercises in a computer classroom. In this talk I will demonstrate a couple of sketches and explain how they are used in the classroom.
ID:
53
Year: 2004
Name: Stephen Walk
Institution: St. Cloud State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Avoiding Paradoxes in Joker Poker
Abstract: If we add a Joker to an ordinary deck of cards, we'll find that the three-of-a-kind hands are more prevalent than the two-pair hands. (By convention, the Joker is always interpreted to make the hand's rank as high as possible.) Since the two-pair hands are rarer, by all rights they should outrank the threes-of-a-kind. But if the ranking is redone so that two-pair hands rank higher, then some of the Joker hands have to be interpreted as two-pair hands instead of threes-of-a-kind, and as a result the two-pair hands are again more prevalent than threes-of-a-kind. There is simply no consistent way to rank the poker hands in this Joker deck. It's enough to make Bret Maverick spin in his grave. \par What if we don't confine ourselves to the ordinary deck? Is it possible to find a deck that avoids paradoxes like the one above? Yes! Is it \emph{easy} to avoid paradoxes? Sure---if the deck is big enough. This talk will include the results of an investigation into this situation as well as a few details about the methodology. Only decks of size smaller than one million are considered; bigger decks become somewhat difficult to shuffle.
Year: 2004
Name: Stephen Walk
Institution: St. Cloud State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Avoiding Paradoxes in Joker Poker
Abstract: If we add a Joker to an ordinary deck of cards, we'll find that the three-of-a-kind hands are more prevalent than the two-pair hands. (By convention, the Joker is always interpreted to make the hand's rank as high as possible.) Since the two-pair hands are rarer, by all rights they should outrank the threes-of-a-kind. But if the ranking is redone so that two-pair hands rank higher, then some of the Joker hands have to be interpreted as two-pair hands instead of threes-of-a-kind, and as a result the two-pair hands are again more prevalent than threes-of-a-kind. There is simply no consistent way to rank the poker hands in this Joker deck. It's enough to make Bret Maverick spin in his grave. \par What if we don't confine ourselves to the ordinary deck? Is it possible to find a deck that avoids paradoxes like the one above? Yes! Is it \emph{easy} to avoid paradoxes? Sure---if the deck is big enough. This talk will include the results of an investigation into this situation as well as a few details about the methodology. Only decks of size smaller than one million are considered; bigger decks become somewhat difficult to shuffle.
ID:
565
Year: 2021
Name: Eric Hart
Institution: Grand View University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Mathematics Course Placement -- How? Why? For whom? Recommended Guidelines for an Effective Placement Process for the First College Mathematics Course
Abstract: The issue of mathematics transitions that students navigate as they move through high school to college and on to career is many faceted and critically impactful across education and workforce development, and affects educators at all levels, business and civic leaders, and most importantly, current and future Iowa students. A new state group has been formed to help address this issue—the Iowa Higher Education Mathematics Transition Advisory Council (IHEMTAC). The charge of the Advisory Council is to examine the relevant research and related literature around mathematical transitions for the purpose of developing and making recommendations and taking appropriate action steps relating to the mathematics transitions students make from high school through college. The Council is comprised of representatives from two- and four-year public and private institutions of higher education and representatives of high schools in Iowa, and is organized into action groups focused on three general objectives: • AG 1 – Provide Effective High School Mathematics Pathways • AG 2 – Provide an Effective Mathematics Transition from High School to College • AG 3 – Provide Effective College Mathematics Pathways In this session, we will focus on AG 2. In particular, we will present our near-final draft of recommendations for an effective mathematics course placement process. These recommendations are based on best practice and research. Please join us to help shape the final draft and move this work forward!
Year: 2021
Name: Eric Hart
Institution: Grand View University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Mathematics Course Placement -- How? Why? For whom? Recommended Guidelines for an Effective Placement Process for the First College Mathematics Course
Abstract: The issue of mathematics transitions that students navigate as they move through high school to college and on to career is many faceted and critically impactful across education and workforce development, and affects educators at all levels, business and civic leaders, and most importantly, current and future Iowa students. A new state group has been formed to help address this issue—the Iowa Higher Education Mathematics Transition Advisory Council (IHEMTAC). The charge of the Advisory Council is to examine the relevant research and related literature around mathematical transitions for the purpose of developing and making recommendations and taking appropriate action steps relating to the mathematics transitions students make from high school through college. The Council is comprised of representatives from two- and four-year public and private institutions of higher education and representatives of high schools in Iowa, and is organized into action groups focused on three general objectives: • AG 1 – Provide Effective High School Mathematics Pathways • AG 2 – Provide an Effective Mathematics Transition from High School to College • AG 3 – Provide Effective College Mathematics Pathways In this session, we will focus on AG 2. In particular, we will present our near-final draft of recommendations for an effective mathematics course placement process. These recommendations are based on best practice and research. Please join us to help shape the final draft and move this work forward!
ID:
566
Year: 2021
Name: Zonghao Zou
Institution: Santa Clara University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Helical trajectories of swimming cells with a flexible flagellar hook
Abstract: The flexibility of the bacterial flagellar hook is believed to have substantial consequences for microorganism locomotion. Using a simplified model of a rigid flagellum and a flexible hook, we show that the paths of axisymmetric cell bodies driven by a single flagellum in Stokes flow are generically helical. Phase-averaged resistance and mobility tensors are produced to describe the flagellar hydrodynamics, and a helical rod model which retains a coupling between translation and rotation is identified as a distinguished asymptotic limit. A supercritical Hopf bifurcation in the flagellar orientation beyond a critical ratio of flagellar motor torque to hook bending stiffness, which is set by the spontaneous curvature of the flexible hook, the shape of the cell body, and the flagellum geometry, can have a dramatic effect on the cell's trajectory through the fluid. Although the equilibrium hook angle can result in a wide variance in the trajectory's helical pitch, we find a very consistent prediction for the trajectory's helical amplitude using parameters relevant to swimming P. aeruginosa cells.
Year: 2021
Name: Zonghao Zou
Institution: Santa Clara University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Helical trajectories of swimming cells with a flexible flagellar hook
Abstract: The flexibility of the bacterial flagellar hook is believed to have substantial consequences for microorganism locomotion. Using a simplified model of a rigid flagellum and a flexible hook, we show that the paths of axisymmetric cell bodies driven by a single flagellum in Stokes flow are generically helical. Phase-averaged resistance and mobility tensors are produced to describe the flagellar hydrodynamics, and a helical rod model which retains a coupling between translation and rotation is identified as a distinguished asymptotic limit. A supercritical Hopf bifurcation in the flagellar orientation beyond a critical ratio of flagellar motor torque to hook bending stiffness, which is set by the spontaneous curvature of the flexible hook, the shape of the cell body, and the flagellum geometry, can have a dramatic effect on the cell's trajectory through the fluid. Although the equilibrium hook angle can result in a wide variance in the trajectory's helical pitch, we find a very consistent prediction for the trajectory's helical amplitude using parameters relevant to swimming P. aeruginosa cells.
ID:
311
Year: 2011
Name: Debra Czarneski
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Mathematics and Writing
Abstract: Each fall at Simpson College, Student Support Services helps a group of new students transition to college through the week-long CampusConnect program. The students in the program must be from low-income families, be first-generation college students, and/or have a disability. A one-week course is offered as part of the program. This fall I team-taught a Mathematics and Writing course with the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum. This talk will discuss the topics covered, the assignments given, and student responses to the class.
Year: 2011
Name: Debra Czarneski
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Mathematics and Writing
Abstract: Each fall at Simpson College, Student Support Services helps a group of new students transition to college through the week-long CampusConnect program. The students in the program must be from low-income families, be first-generation college students, and/or have a disability. A one-week course is offered as part of the program. This fall I team-taught a Mathematics and Writing course with the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum. This talk will discuss the topics covered, the assignments given, and student responses to the class.
ID:
58
Year: 2004
Name: Marc Chamberland
Institution: Grinnell College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Unbounded Orbits and Binary Digits
Abstract: We consider iterating the map f(x)=x - 1/x, starting at x=2. Ron Graham asked whether the orbit is bounded. This problem intersects number theory (rationals, the normality of numbers) and dynamics (dynamcis on an interval, chaos). You will find out why this is such a hard problem! The talk will be accessible to a general audience.
Year: 2004
Name: Marc Chamberland
Institution: Grinnell College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Unbounded Orbits and Binary Digits
Abstract: We consider iterating the map f(x)=x - 1/x, starting at x=2. Ron Graham asked whether the orbit is bounded. This problem intersects number theory (rationals, the normality of numbers) and dynamics (dynamcis on an interval, chaos). You will find out why this is such a hard problem! The talk will be accessible to a general audience.
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.
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:
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:
572
Year: 2021
Name: Catherine Hsu
Institution: Swarthmore College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Projective and Non-Abelian SET
Abstract: Mathematicians love SET. On the surface, this classic game is a con test of pattern recognition, but it also presents an interesting way to visualize the geometry of a torus over a finite field. In this talk, we will discuss some of the mathematics connected to SET and then explore several new versions of the game, including one arising from projective geometry and one arising from non-abelian groups. In particular, we will see how these non-abelian variations on SET can give intuitive visualizations of abstract group structures.
Year: 2021
Name: Catherine Hsu
Institution: Swarthmore College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Projective and Non-Abelian SET
Abstract: Mathematicians love SET. On the surface, this classic game is a con test of pattern recognition, but it also presents an interesting way to visualize the geometry of a torus over a finite field. In this talk, we will discuss some of the mathematics connected to SET and then explore several new versions of the game, including one arising from projective geometry and one arising from non-abelian groups. In particular, we will see how these non-abelian variations on SET can give intuitive visualizations of abstract group structures.
ID:
317
Year: 2011
Name: Panel Discussants
Institution: #none
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Developments in Calculus Instruction
Abstract: All Special Session Speakers, along with representatives from several other institutions in the Section, will discuss and entertain questions about current and impending developments.
Year: 2011
Name: Panel Discussants
Institution: #none
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Developments in Calculus Instruction
Abstract: All Special Session Speakers, along with representatives from several other institutions in the Section, will discuss and entertain questions about current and impending developments.
ID:
573
Year: 2021
Name: Amanda Matson
Institution: Clarke University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Smiling While Grading: A Pursuit of a Paradox
Abstract: Dr. Matson will share the outcomes-based approach developed jointly with Dr. Kingston that ended with smiling while grading.
Year: 2021
Name: Amanda Matson
Institution: Clarke University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Smiling While Grading: A Pursuit of a Paradox
Abstract: Dr. Matson will share the outcomes-based approach developed jointly with Dr. Kingston that ended with smiling while grading.
ID:
318
Year: 2011
Name: David Bressoud
Institution: #non-IA section
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Issues of the Transition to College Mathematics
Abstract: Over the past quarter century, 2- and 4-year college enrollment in first semester calculus has remained constant while high school enrollment in calculus has grown tenfold, from 60,000 to 600,000, and continues to grow at 6% per year. We have passed the cross-over point where each year more students study first semester calculus in US high schools than in all 2- and 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. In theory, this should be an engine for directing more students toward careers in science, engineering, and mathematics. In fact, it is having the opposite effect. This talk will present what is known about the effects of this growth and what needs to happen in response within our high schools and universities.
Year: 2011
Name: David Bressoud
Institution: #non-IA section
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Issues of the Transition to College Mathematics
Abstract: Over the past quarter century, 2- and 4-year college enrollment in first semester calculus has remained constant while high school enrollment in calculus has grown tenfold, from 60,000 to 600,000, and continues to grow at 6% per year. We have passed the cross-over point where each year more students study first semester calculus in US high schools than in all 2- and 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. In theory, this should be an engine for directing more students toward careers in science, engineering, and mathematics. In fact, it is having the opposite effect. This talk will present what is known about the effects of this growth and what needs to happen in response within our high schools and universities.
ID:
574
Year: 2021
Name: Sergio Loch
Institution: Grand View University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Initial Report on work about Math Transition
Abstract: Approaching existing issues for the high school to college transition requires the collaboration of the players involved in this transition: students, parents, teachers, instructors, counselors, and all their institutions and professional organizations. IHEMTAC is attempting to develop and propose ideas in the crucial area of mathematics to facilitate this interaction.
Year: 2021
Name: Sergio Loch
Institution: Grand View University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Initial Report on work about Math Transition
Abstract: Approaching existing issues for the high school to college transition requires the collaboration of the players involved in this transition: students, parents, teachers, instructors, counselors, and all their institutions and professional organizations. IHEMTAC is attempting to develop and propose ideas in the crucial area of mathematics to facilitate this interaction.
ID:
321
Year: 2011
Name: David Bressoud
Institution: #non-IA section
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: The Truth of Proofs
Abstract: Mathematicians often delude themselves into thinking that we create proofs in order to establish truth. In fact, that which is "proven" is often not true, and mathematical results are often known with certainty to be true long before a proof is found. I will use some illustrations from the history of mathematics to make this point and to show that proof is more about making connections than establishing truth.
Year: 2011
Name: David Bressoud
Institution: #non-IA section
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: The Truth of Proofs
Abstract: Mathematicians often delude themselves into thinking that we create proofs in order to establish truth. In fact, that which is "proven" is often not true, and mathematical results are often known with certainty to be true long before a proof is found. I will use some illustrations from the history of mathematics to make this point and to show that proof is more about making connections than establishing truth.
ID:
71
Year: 2004
Name: Irvin Hentzel
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: The mathematics of navigation in aviation
Abstract: We explain the how and why of Compass errors and how to work around them. We discuss the NDB (non-directional beacon) and the geometry behind its use for navigation. We mention the Precision approach. And we present some contradictions from explaining lift by using Bernoulli's theorem.
Year: 2004
Name: Irvin Hentzel
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: The mathematics of navigation in aviation
Abstract: We explain the how and why of Compass errors and how to work around them. We discuss the NDB (non-directional beacon) and the geometry behind its use for navigation. We mention the Precision approach. And we present some contradictions from explaining lift by using Bernoulli's theorem.
ID:
74
Year: 2004
Name: Rick Spellerberg
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Capstone Course In Mathematics. Components For Success.
Abstract: In the fall of 1998, the Simpson College Mathematics Department started offering a capstone course in mathematics called Senior Seminar. This talk will focus on the evolution of this course and what has taken place that has made this course the success it is today.
Year: 2004
Name: Rick Spellerberg
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Capstone Course In Mathematics. Components For Success.
Abstract: In the fall of 1998, the Simpson College Mathematics Department started offering a capstone course in mathematics called Senior Seminar. This talk will focus on the evolution of this course and what has taken place that has made this course the success it is today.
ID:
335
Year: 2012
Name: Rick Spellerberg
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Sabbatical Leave, the Perfect Time to Mentor Undergraduates in Research.
Abstract: During my previous and now current sabbatical I have involved undergraduates in my research activities. I included my intentions in my sabbatical applications and this fact I firmly believe strengthened my proposals. This talk will focus on the strategies I have employed in involving students in my work and the subsequent outcomes.
Year: 2012
Name: Rick Spellerberg
Institution: Simpson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Sabbatical Leave, the Perfect Time to Mentor Undergraduates in Research.
Abstract: During my previous and now current sabbatical I have involved undergraduates in my research activities. I included my intentions in my sabbatical applications and this fact I firmly believe strengthened my proposals. This talk will focus on the strategies I have employed in involving students in my work and the subsequent outcomes.
ID:
337
Year: 2012
Name: Theron Hitchman
Institution: University of Northern Iowa
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Points are Terrible. Better Assessment is possible
Abstract: This is a preliminary report (and a bit of a polemic) about my new experiment with standards based assessment in a college level Euclidean Geometry course.
Year: 2012
Name: Theron Hitchman
Institution: University of Northern Iowa
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Points are Terrible. Better Assessment is possible
Abstract: This is a preliminary report (and a bit of a polemic) about my new experiment with standards based assessment in a college level Euclidean Geometry course.