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 321-340 of 471 results.
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ID:
418
Year: 2015
Name: Kevin Gerstle
Institution: University of Iowa
Subject area(s): Algebra
Title of Talk: Algebras and Coalgebras
Abstract: While algebra is widely recognized as an important branch of mathematics, most people do not know how the objects called algebras play a vital role in our understanding of many commonly used number systems such as the real and complex numbers. In addition, the dual notion of coalgebras give us a way to introduce a new type of structure to these systems allowing us novel, exciting ways to talk about numbers. In this talk, we will explore the interplay between algebras and coalgebras, and I will show what information these algebraic structures give us about some of our favorite number systems.
Year: 2015
Name: Kevin Gerstle
Institution: University of Iowa
Subject area(s): Algebra
Title of Talk: Algebras and Coalgebras
Abstract: While algebra is widely recognized as an important branch of mathematics, most people do not know how the objects called algebras play a vital role in our understanding of many commonly used number systems such as the real and complex numbers. In addition, the dual notion of coalgebras give us a way to introduce a new type of structure to these systems allowing us novel, exciting ways to talk about numbers. In this talk, we will explore the interplay between algebras and coalgebras, and I will show what information these algebraic structures give us about some of our favorite number systems.
ID:
419
Year: 2015
Name: Sean Bradley
Institution: Clarke University
Subject area(s): Teaching Statistics
Title of Talk: Intro Stats Project: Handwriting and Gender
Abstract: Can you tell the gender of a writer from a sample of handwriting? A simple survey leads provides perhaps surprising answers. The resulting data set proves unexpectedly rich in terms of the number of questions students can ask. Most of the questions are suitable for a first course in statistics for a general audience. (Side questions: Many math departments are asked to teach elementary statistic courses. Is this math? Should it be?)
Year: 2015
Name: Sean Bradley
Institution: Clarke University
Subject area(s): Teaching Statistics
Title of Talk: Intro Stats Project: Handwriting and Gender
Abstract: Can you tell the gender of a writer from a sample of handwriting? A simple survey leads provides perhaps surprising answers. The resulting data set proves unexpectedly rich in terms of the number of questions students can ask. Most of the questions are suitable for a first course in statistics for a general audience. (Side questions: Many math departments are asked to teach elementary statistic courses. Is this math? Should it be?)
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:
421
Year: 2015
Name: Marc Chamberland
Institution: Grinnell College
Subject area(s): general, educational
Title of Talk: Popularizing Mathematics with YouTube
Abstract: How is mathematics being popularized with YouTube? We show various math channels, including the speaker's channel Tipping Point Math, and explain what goes into making such videos.
Year: 2015
Name: Marc Chamberland
Institution: Grinnell College
Subject area(s): general, educational
Title of Talk: Popularizing Mathematics with YouTube
Abstract: How is mathematics being popularized with YouTube? We show various math channels, including the speaker's channel Tipping Point Math, and explain what goes into making such videos.
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.
ID:
423
Year: 2015
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Sports Analytics
Title of Talk: Another College Football Ranking
Abstract: Anyone who has followed D1A college football in the last two decades is aware that there computer rankings and probably has opinions on them. In this talk we will discuss my ranking which is a tweak of the Colley Matrix method, one of the former BCS rankings. My ranking uses a little bit of discrete probability, linear algebra, graph theory, and stochastic systems to arrive at its results.
Year: 2015
Name: Matt Rissler
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Sports Analytics
Title of Talk: Another College Football Ranking
Abstract: Anyone who has followed D1A college football in the last two decades is aware that there computer rankings and probably has opinions on them. In this talk we will discuss my ranking which is a tweak of the Colley Matrix method, one of the former BCS rankings. My ranking uses a little bit of discrete probability, linear algebra, graph theory, and stochastic systems to arrive at its results.
ID:
425
Year: 2015
Name: Jonas Meyer
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Education, Math problem solving, Networking
Title of Talk: Starting a Math Teachers' Circle in Dubuque
Abstract: Math Teachers' Circles are "professional communities centered on mathematics," in which professors and middle school math teachers come together to solve mathematics problems, discuss teaching, and more. The presenter worked with colleagues in Dubuque to start a Math Teachers' Circle this year. He'll provide an overview of what MTCs are, then discuss our Circle, including what we've done so far, our hopes for the near future, and examples of some of the problems and activities we've done.
Year: 2015
Name: Jonas Meyer
Institution: Loras College
Subject area(s): Education, Math problem solving, Networking
Title of Talk: Starting a Math Teachers' Circle in Dubuque
Abstract: Math Teachers' Circles are "professional communities centered on mathematics," in which professors and middle school math teachers come together to solve mathematics problems, discuss teaching, and more. The presenter worked with colleagues in Dubuque to start a Math Teachers' Circle this year. He'll provide an overview of what MTCs are, then discuss our Circle, including what we've done so far, our hopes for the near future, and examples of some of the problems and activities we've done.
ID:
426
Year: 2015
Name: Kristopher Lee
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: MATH 106X: A New Course at Iowa State
Abstract: Last year, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State approved the creation of an inquiry-based mathematics course for the liberal arts. The course has begun this semester, and I will discuss my experience as the faithful guide to the intrepid explorers who so bravely signed up for this journey to discover mathematics.
Year: 2015
Name: Kristopher Lee
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: MATH 106X: A New Course at Iowa State
Abstract: Last year, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State approved the creation of an inquiry-based mathematics course for the liberal arts. The course has begun this semester, and I will discuss my experience as the faithful guide to the intrepid explorers who so bravely signed up for this journey to discover mathematics.
ID:
427
Year: 2015
Name: Julia Walk
Institution: University of Iowa
Subject area(s): Mathematical Biology
Title of Talk: Building a Model of the Effects of Multiple Myeloma on Kidney Function
Abstract: Multiple myeloma is a type of plasma cell cancer associated with many health challenges, including damage to the kidney. When a patient's kidneys are damaged, waste builds up in the bloodstream and the body begins to shut down. We would like to model what happens as the cancer affects the proximal tubule cells in the kidney, to eventually create a model that doctors can use as a predictive tool to catch problems early. We will explore an initial model that captures the biology of the interaction between kidney cells and proteins produced by the myeloma cells. The discussion will emphasize the development of the model using power law approximations in a system of ODEs.
Year: 2015
Name: Julia Walk
Institution: University of Iowa
Subject area(s): Mathematical Biology
Title of Talk: Building a Model of the Effects of Multiple Myeloma on Kidney Function
Abstract: Multiple myeloma is a type of plasma cell cancer associated with many health challenges, including damage to the kidney. When a patient's kidneys are damaged, waste builds up in the bloodstream and the body begins to shut down. We would like to model what happens as the cancer affects the proximal tubule cells in the kidney, to eventually create a model that doctors can use as a predictive tool to catch problems early. We will explore an initial model that captures the biology of the interaction between kidney cells and proteins produced by the myeloma cells. The discussion will emphasize the development of the model using power law approximations in a system of ODEs.
ID:
428
Year: 2015
Name: Christine Caples
Institution: University of Iowa
Subject area(s): Knot Theory
Title of Talk: Tangle Classification
Abstract: A knot can be thought of as a knotted piece of string with the ends glued together. A tangle is formed by intersecting a knot with a 3-dimensional ball. The portion of the knot in the interior of the ball along with the fixed intersection points on the surface of the ball form the tangle. Tangles can be used to model protein-DNA binding, so another way to think of a tangle is in terms of segments of DNA (the strings) bounded by the protein complex (the 3-dimensional ball). Like knots, the same tangle can be represented by multiple diagrams which are equivalent under deformations (no cutting or gluing allowed). A tangle invariant is a value that is the same for equivalent tangles. Tangles can be classified into families which allows one to study properties of tangles that may be useful for solving tangle equations. This talk will be an introduction to knot theory and will investigate how tangle invariants can be used to classify tangles.
Year: 2015
Name: Christine Caples
Institution: University of Iowa
Subject area(s): Knot Theory
Title of Talk: Tangle Classification
Abstract: A knot can be thought of as a knotted piece of string with the ends glued together. A tangle is formed by intersecting a knot with a 3-dimensional ball. The portion of the knot in the interior of the ball along with the fixed intersection points on the surface of the ball form the tangle. Tangles can be used to model protein-DNA binding, so another way to think of a tangle is in terms of segments of DNA (the strings) bounded by the protein complex (the 3-dimensional ball). Like knots, the same tangle can be represented by multiple diagrams which are equivalent under deformations (no cutting or gluing allowed). A tangle invariant is a value that is the same for equivalent tangles. Tangles can be classified into families which allows one to study properties of tangles that may be useful for solving tangle equations. This talk will be an introduction to knot theory and will investigate how tangle invariants can be used to classify tangles.
ID:
429
Year: 2015
Name: Mariah Birgen
Institution: Wartburg College
Subject area(s): Analysis
Title of Talk: How to I keep track of classroom behavior in my IBL Classroom
Abstract: I have been teaching IBL in my upper level classes for several years now, but have struggled with keeping track of participation during class. I want to give my students credit for quality questions and answers, but sometimes (often) things go so fast, or I am so involved with the argumentation, that I can't write things down quickly. Each class starts with the best of intentions, but . . . Today I am going to talk about one nearly fool-proof method that I have discovered that works for me, along with some other ideas that I haven't course-tested, but have strong potential.
Year: 2015
Name: Mariah Birgen
Institution: Wartburg College
Subject area(s): Analysis
Title of Talk: How to I keep track of classroom behavior in my IBL Classroom
Abstract: I have been teaching IBL in my upper level classes for several years now, but have struggled with keeping track of participation during class. I want to give my students credit for quality questions and answers, but sometimes (often) things go so fast, or I am so involved with the argumentation, that I can't write things down quickly. Each class starts with the best of intentions, but . . . Today I am going to talk about one nearly fool-proof method that I have discovered that works for me, along with some other ideas that I haven't course-tested, but have strong potential.
ID:
430
Year: 2015
Name: Russ Goodman
Institution: Central College
Subject area(s): analytics, statistics, data analysis
Title of Talk: Experiences Teaching a Sports Analytics Honors Seminar
Abstract: This talk will offer the presenter's experience designing and teaching an honors seminar on sports analytics. The seminar, offered in spring 2015, was designed for honors students in general and not necessarily for mathematics majors. The presenter will describe effective and not-so-effective aspects of the seminar, along with ideas for improving the seminar in the future. Feedback and input from the audience will be solicited.
Year: 2015
Name: Russ Goodman
Institution: Central College
Subject area(s): analytics, statistics, data analysis
Title of Talk: Experiences Teaching a Sports Analytics Honors Seminar
Abstract: This talk will offer the presenter's experience designing and teaching an honors seminar on sports analytics. The seminar, offered in spring 2015, was designed for honors students in general and not necessarily for mathematics majors. The presenter will describe effective and not-so-effective aspects of the seminar, along with ideas for improving the seminar in the future. Feedback and input from the audience will be solicited.
ID:
431
Year: 2015
Name: Francis Su
Institution: Harvey Mudd College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Voting in Agreeable Societies
Abstract: When does a majority exist in a voting situation? How does the geometry of the political spectrum influence the outcome? What does mathematics have to say about how people behave? When mathematical objects have a social interpretation, the associated results have social applications. We will show how math can be used to model people's preferences and understand voting in "agreeable" societies. This talk also features research with undergraduates.
Year: 2015
Name: Francis Su
Institution: Harvey Mudd College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Voting in Agreeable Societies
Abstract: When does a majority exist in a voting situation? How does the geometry of the political spectrum influence the outcome? What does mathematics have to say about how people behave? When mathematical objects have a social interpretation, the associated results have social applications. We will show how math can be used to model people's preferences and understand voting in "agreeable" societies. This talk also features research with undergraduates.
ID:
432
Year: 2015
Name: Dave Richeson
Institution: Dickinson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: The Four Problems of Antiquity
Abstract: We discuss the history of four of the most famous problems in mathematics-the so-called problems of antiquity: squaring the circle, trisecting the angle, doubling the cube, and constructing regular n-gons. We know the outcome-that they are all impossible to solve using compass and straightedge. But there is a long and fascinating history of mathematicians' attempts to solve the problems using the Euclidean tools and their success at solving them by other means (using marked straightedges, conic sections, transcendental curves, and mechanical devices). Like all great mathematical problems, they pushed mathematics forward.
Year: 2015
Name: Dave Richeson
Institution: Dickinson College
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: The Four Problems of Antiquity
Abstract: We discuss the history of four of the most famous problems in mathematics-the so-called problems of antiquity: squaring the circle, trisecting the angle, doubling the cube, and constructing regular n-gons. We know the outcome-that they are all impossible to solve using compass and straightedge. But there is a long and fascinating history of mathematicians' attempts to solve the problems using the Euclidean tools and their success at solving them by other means (using marked straightedges, conic sections, transcendental curves, and mechanical devices). Like all great mathematical problems, they pushed mathematics forward.
ID:
433
Year: 2015
Name: Dan Alexander
Institution: Drake University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Innovation through Blunder (or the Unexpected Virtues of Non-Intentionality)
Abstract: "We all make mistakes." "There is no such thing as a dumb question." "You should embrace your mistakes and learn from them." These are all things that many of us tell our students. But do we believe it? More importantly, do we follow this advice in our own teaching? What I hope to do in this talk is explore the role of mistakes in teaching with the audience. In hopes of getting the conversation rolling, I will offer a few examples of mistakes, including several I have made. some of which have led to some drastic changes in my teaching.
Year: 2015
Name: Dan Alexander
Institution: Drake University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Innovation through Blunder (or the Unexpected Virtues of Non-Intentionality)
Abstract: "We all make mistakes." "There is no such thing as a dumb question." "You should embrace your mistakes and learn from them." These are all things that many of us tell our students. But do we believe it? More importantly, do we follow this advice in our own teaching? What I hope to do in this talk is explore the role of mistakes in teaching with the audience. In hopes of getting the conversation rolling, I will offer a few examples of mistakes, including several I have made. some of which have led to some drastic changes in my teaching.
ID:
434
Year: 2015
Name: Christian Roettger
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Rashomon sculptures - reconstructing 3D shapes from inexact measurements
Abstract: The art installation 'Rashomon' was displayed on the Iowa State University campus during summer 2015. It consists of 15 identical, abstract sculptures. Artist Chuck Ginnever posed the challenge whether it is possible to display the sculptures so that no two of them are in the same position (modulo translation/rotation). We investigated the related question of reconstructing such a sculpture from (ordinary tape-measure) inexact measurements. Mathematics involved are the Cayley-Menger determinant, and the gradient method / Steepest Descent. We'll explain the mathematics with some simple examples and then show the results of our reconstruction. We will only assume elementary linear algebra (matrix - vector multiplication, determinants).
Year: 2015
Name: Christian Roettger
Institution: Iowa State University
Subject area(s):
Title of Talk: Rashomon sculptures - reconstructing 3D shapes from inexact measurements
Abstract: The art installation 'Rashomon' was displayed on the Iowa State University campus during summer 2015. It consists of 15 identical, abstract sculptures. Artist Chuck Ginnever posed the challenge whether it is possible to display the sculptures so that no two of them are in the same position (modulo translation/rotation). We investigated the related question of reconstructing such a sculpture from (ordinary tape-measure) inexact measurements. Mathematics involved are the Cayley-Menger determinant, and the gradient method / Steepest Descent. We'll explain the mathematics with some simple examples and then show the results of our reconstruction. We will only assume elementary linear algebra (matrix - vector multiplication, determinants).
ID:
435
Year: 2016
Name: Deborah Kent
Institution: Drake University
Subject area(s): Game Theory, Graph Theory
Title of Talk: Can you be happy with your piece of cake?
Abstract: This talk will consider questions of equitable and envy-free division. We will prove Sperner's Lemma -- an elegant graph-theoretic result due to Emmanuel Sperner -- and apply it to conclude the existence of an envy-free division of cake.
Year: 2016
Name: Deborah Kent
Institution: Drake University
Subject area(s): Game Theory, Graph Theory
Title of Talk: Can you be happy with your piece of cake?
Abstract: This talk will consider questions of equitable and envy-free division. We will prove Sperner's Lemma -- an elegant graph-theoretic result due to Emmanuel Sperner -- and apply it to conclude the existence of an envy-free division of cake.
ID:
436
Year: 2016
Name: Charles Ashbacher
Institution: Charles Ashbacher Technologies
Subject area(s): Recreational mathematics, number theory
Title of Talk: Why Are the Morphic Numbers Similar in the End?
Abstract: Charles W. Trigg was the most prolific contributor to "Journal of Recreational Mathematics" during the 38 volumes of publication. One series of his papers deals with the “…morphic” numbers. These are figurate numbers that terminate with their index. For example, trimorphic numbers are triangular numbers that terminate with their index. Some examples are T(25) = 325 and T(625) = 195625 and T(9376) = 43959376. When searching for more of the morphic numbers, it was discovered that there is a curious similarity to the terminal ends. The purpose of this paper is to state that similarity and offer it as a research project.
Year: 2016
Name: Charles Ashbacher
Institution: Charles Ashbacher Technologies
Subject area(s): Recreational mathematics, number theory
Title of Talk: Why Are the Morphic Numbers Similar in the End?
Abstract: Charles W. Trigg was the most prolific contributor to "Journal of Recreational Mathematics" during the 38 volumes of publication. One series of his papers deals with the “…morphic” numbers. These are figurate numbers that terminate with their index. For example, trimorphic numbers are triangular numbers that terminate with their index. Some examples are T(25) = 325 and T(625) = 195625 and T(9376) = 43959376. When searching for more of the morphic numbers, it was discovered that there is a curious similarity to the terminal ends. The purpose of this paper is to state that similarity and offer it as a research project.
ID:
437
Year: 2016
Name: Keith Stroyan
Institution: University of Iowa
Subject area(s): Vector Calculus
Title of Talk: Advanced Calculus using Mathematica
Abstract: Advanced Calculus using Mathematica is a complete text on calculus of several variables written in Mathematica NoteBooks. The eText has large movable figures and interactive programs to illustrate things like “zooming in” to see “local linearity.” In addition to lots of traditional style exercises, the eText also has sections on computing with Mathematica. We will discuss some of the novel features of the text including the explicit, implicit, parametric organization and topics often omitted from "regular" texts (like "vector potentials.") We use the text in a second semester multivariable calculus course and a more advanced course.
Year: 2016
Name: Keith Stroyan
Institution: University of Iowa
Subject area(s): Vector Calculus
Title of Talk: Advanced Calculus using Mathematica
Abstract: Advanced Calculus using Mathematica is a complete text on calculus of several variables written in Mathematica NoteBooks. The eText has large movable figures and interactive programs to illustrate things like “zooming in” to see “local linearity.” In addition to lots of traditional style exercises, the eText also has sections on computing with Mathematica. We will discuss some of the novel features of the text including the explicit, implicit, parametric organization and topics often omitted from "regular" texts (like "vector potentials.") We use the text in a second semester multivariable calculus course and a more advanced course.
ID:
438
Year: 2016
Name: Meghan Stevens
Institution: Drake University
Subject area(s): Ordinary Differential Equations, Mathematical Biology, Global Dynamics
Title of Talk: Global Dynamics of a Breast Cancer Competition System
Abstract: In this talk I present a system of five ordinary differential equations to model the competition for space and resources between breast cancer cells and healthy cells. Included is the cancer stem cell hypothesis, which states that there exist proliferating cancer stem cells that repopulate non-proliferating tumor cells and can lead to tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells exist in a smaller population, making them harder to detect. Additionally, the system contains an equation for the immune system in order to show how the body naturally defends itself from invading tumors. Finally, because the majority of breast cancer cells are estrogen-receptor positive, the role of excess estrogen in the body introduced through birth control in included. Estrogen increases the amount of cancer cells while hindering the effectiveness of the immune system. Its presence also increases the likelihood that healthy cells will mutate.Through stability analysis of sub-models in addition to the full model, states in which cancer is eradicated are found, as well as states in which cancer persists, given certain parameter values.
Year: 2016
Name: Meghan Stevens
Institution: Drake University
Subject area(s): Ordinary Differential Equations, Mathematical Biology, Global Dynamics
Title of Talk: Global Dynamics of a Breast Cancer Competition System
Abstract: In this talk I present a system of five ordinary differential equations to model the competition for space and resources between breast cancer cells and healthy cells. Included is the cancer stem cell hypothesis, which states that there exist proliferating cancer stem cells that repopulate non-proliferating tumor cells and can lead to tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells exist in a smaller population, making them harder to detect. Additionally, the system contains an equation for the immune system in order to show how the body naturally defends itself from invading tumors. Finally, because the majority of breast cancer cells are estrogen-receptor positive, the role of excess estrogen in the body introduced through birth control in included. Estrogen increases the amount of cancer cells while hindering the effectiveness of the immune system. Its presence also increases the likelihood that healthy cells will mutate.Through stability analysis of sub-models in addition to the full model, states in which cancer is eradicated are found, as well as states in which cancer persists, given certain parameter values.