2009 Annual Meeting
Welcome!Kentucky State University is pleased to host the 2009 Annual Meeting of the KYMAA on March 27-28, 2009. This should be an enjoyable and inspiring meeting and we strongly encourage you to join the fun. Perhaps you can give a talk, or just come and listen to what your fellow mathematicians are up to these days.More information will be provided below, including a description of the invited talks, a call for papers, information for students, meeting forms, directions, and lodging and meal information. A complete schedule for the meeting should be available on this site by March 9, 2009 at: Program for the 2009 Annual Meeting of KYMAA Please note the following important dates for the KYMAA Annual Meeting:
The Invited TalksFriday evening:Women and Mathematics in the Time of EulerBetty Mayfield, Hood College In 2007, the mathematical world celebrated Everything Euler -- his life, his work, his legacy. This talk examines some female contemporaries of Euler, some famous, some not so famous. We will also look at mathematics that was written both by and for women in the time of Euler. Bio: Betty Mayfield is the current First Vice President of the MAA. She earned a B.A. in mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island. Between undergraduate and graduate school, she taught high school mathematics for a year. Since 1979, Mayfield has served on the faculty of Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, where she has chaired the mathematics department since 1999. She has been awarded the College's Mortar Board Excellence in Teaching Award and its Laughlin Award for Professional Achievement, and was inducted into the campus Ionic Society in recognition of outstanding service. She has enjoyed doing research, often with students or colleagues in other disciplines, in underwater acoustics, mathematics pedagogy, and the history of mathematics. She became involved in the MAA first in the Maryland-DC-Virginia Section, where she served as newsletter editor, chair, and governor, and was the 2001 recipient of its Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. She has served on the Committee on Sections, the Centennial Planning Committee, and as chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Student Activities and Chapters and of the Search Committee for Associate Secretary. She is also proud to be a consultant for Project NExT. Saturday morning:P-A-S-C-A-L M-A-G-I-CPat Costello, Eastern Kentucky University Pascal's Triangle has a seemingly boundless array of patterns and relationships. This talk will be a crude approximation to "Everything you wanted to know about Pascal's Triangle but were afraid to ask." We will identify many well-known patterns and many lesser-known patterns in the triangle. Then a slight modification of Pascal's triangle provides another triangle with some interesting patterns. It will be left to the audience to find more patterns. Bio: Pat Costello grew up in Davenport, IA, but received his B.S. in mathematics from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA. Moving to Columbus, OH, he worked on an M.S. in computer science and a Ph.D. in mathematics at Ohio State University. Finishing the Ph.D. (but not the M.S.), he was hired by EKU to teach both math and computer science. He replaced the faculty sponsor of Kappa Mu Epsilon (KME) and became active in this national math honor society. From 1997 to 2001, he was the national President of KME. When computer science formed a separate department at EKU, Pat chose to stay with math. He was Interim Chair of the department from 2001 to 2004. Today he teaches a wide range of math courses at EKU including some using interactive TV. How Always to Win at Limbo, or You can sum some of the series some of the time, and some of the series none of the time... but can you sum some of the series ALL of the time? Edward B. Burger, Williams College Have you ever gone out with someone for a while and asked yourself: "How close are we?" This presentation will answer that question by answering: What does it mean for two things to be close to one another? We'll take a strange look at infinite series, dare to mention a calculus student's fantasy, and momentarily consider transcendental meditation. In fact, we'll even attempt to build some very exotic series that can be used if you ever have to flee the country in a hurry: we'll either succeed or fail... you'll have to attend the lecture to find out. Will you be at the edge of your seats? Perhaps; but if not, then you'll probably fall asleep and either way, after the talk, you'll feel refreshed. No matter what, you'll learn a sneaky way to always win at Limbo. This presentation is open to all math fans--young and old alike. A familiarity with infinite series is helpful. If you've ever heard of the words "triangle inequality," then this is the talk for you. Bio: Edward Burger is Professor of Mathematics and Gaudino Scholar at Williams College. His research interests are in number theory, and he is the author of over 30 research articles and 25 books and video series including "The Heart of Mathematics: An invitation to effective thinking" (winner of a 2001 Robert W. Hamilton Book Award). Burger was awarded the 2000 Northeastern Section of the MAA Award for Distinguished Teaching and 2001 MAA Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo National Award for Distinguished Teaching of Mathematics. The MAA named him the 2001-2003 Polya Lecturer. In 2002-2003 he was the Ulam Visiting Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he was awarded the 2003 Residence Life Teaching Award. In 2004 he was awarded the Mathematical Association of America's Chauvenet Prize and in 2006 he was a recipient of the Lester R. Ford Prize. In 2007 Williams College awarded him the Nelson Bushnell Prize for Scholarship and Teaching. In 2007 and 2008 he received two awards for his video work. Burger is an associate editor of the American Mathematical Monthly and on the Editorial Board for MAA's Math Horizons. In 2006, Reader's Digest listed Burger in their annual "100 Best of America" as America's Best Math Teacher. A Call for PapersEach year at our annual meeting we have the opportunity to listen to contributed talks from faculty and students, both graduate and undergraduate, from across the state (and occasionally beyond). I invite you to be one of those who are heard! Whether you wish to present recent research, the solution to an interesting problem, or share some pedagogical insight, your submission is welcome. We are also always very glad to hear from undergraduates about work they have done in summer research projects, in competitions, or on honors projects. We want to have panel discussions, as well; please let us know if you have an idea for a panel. For both faculty and students, if you wish to make a presentation, fill out the Presentation Abstract Form and submit it by February 25. A copy of the form can be obtained here: Presentation Abstract Form (MS Word) or Presentation Abstract Form (PDF). In general, the time for individual presentations will be 15 minutes, including time for questions. Special presentations can be allocated more time if necessary. Please note any special needs and a time preference on the form, and please submit (e-mail strongly preferred) to: Will Harris
Hey Students!I hope your fall term went well. Seniors who are planning to go to graduate school are busy applying to graduate programs - and working hard to finish their undergraduate studies strong! If you will still be an undergraduate in the Fall Semester of 2009, then you should consider participating in a summer REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates). Check out http://www.maa.org/students/undergrad/research.html for more information. Faculty members can help you determine which REUs you would like best, and they can help you apply. Depending on the REU, the application deadline may be any time from the end of January through late March. April is Mathematics Awareness Month. This year's theme is Mathematics and Climate. For information concerning activities and to download a poster, check out http://www.mathaware.org/. Encourage your mathematics and computer science clubs to organize activities during the month of April. You can also kick off the 2008 Mathematics Awareness Month celebration by organizing a trip to attend the Annual KYMAA Section Meeting, March 27-28, 2009 at Kentucky State University. The KYMAA Section Meeting is a great opportunity for students to give a talk to a friendly audience. There were fourteen undergraduate papers presented at the 2008 meeting. Start thinking about a presentation, discuss it with a professor at your institution and get ready. Here are some ideas: Discuss your team's work in the MCM or ICM. If there is a mathematics or computer science topic you would like to investigate, do the work, and then share what you learned at the section meeting. This activity makes your resume more attractive. When you register for the meeting, register for the Friday evening banquet, too. Meals for students will again be at a discounted price. Students who have attended the banquet in the past have truly enjoyed it. Don't miss it! I will be writing a newsletter to be included with the registration packet at the section meeting, and I need your help providing highlights of your activities. Please have one of your club members send a brief summary to m.dobranski@moreheadstate.edu. Your responses are highly appreciated. If you have any questions about the information above, please feel free to contact me. Hotel InformationBlocks of rooms are reserved for the night of March 27, 2009 -- all prices are base prices without taxes and fees. Each location has the block of rooms under MAA (There will also be reference to KYMAA and Math) Best Western Parkside(40 rooms) 80 Chenault Road, Frankfort 40601 Capital Plaza Hotel(20 rooms) 405 Wilkinson Blvd, Frankfort 40601 Hampton Inn Frankfort(15 rooms)1310 U.S. 127 South, Frankfort 40601 Marriott Fairfield (10 rooms) 40 Chenault Drive Frankfort, KY 40601
Directions and MapsDirections:From the East:Take I-64 West and get off at Exit 58. Make a right turn onto US-60 W/Versailles Rd towards Frankfort. After a mile, there will be two left turn lanes you can make a left onto KY-676 W/East West Connector. After making that left and merging onto the East West Connector, drive for 2 miles. At the second stop light, make a right onto KY-1659 N/Martin Luther King Blvd. Then make a right onto Cold Harbor Dr (If you went all the way to the stop light, you went too far). Make a left onto South University Dr (there should be a green Kentucky State University sign at the corner). Keep straight up this hill until the street curves left into the parking lot. From the West:Take I-64 East and get off at Exit 53B toward Frankfort. You will merge onto US-127 N. After a mile, make a right just past the Franklin Square Cinema and shopping plaza onto KY-676 E/East West Connector. Go all the way down the hill passing some lights. After 3 miles, make a left at the light onto KY-1659 N/Martin Luther King Blvd. Then make a right onto Cold Harbor Dr (If you went all the way to the stop light, you went too far). Make a left onto South University Dr (there should be a green Kentucky State University sign at the corner). Keep straight up this hill until the street curves left into the parking lot. For Handicap Parking:Follow the same directions as above. After making a right onto KY-1659/Martin Luther King Blvd, you will continue straight instead of turning. When you pass the stop light, you will enter directly onto the main Kentucky State University's campus. The first white building on the right is called Academic Service Building. Make a right into the parking lot just past this building. This is where you will park. Hathaway hall is the next building down the road on the right. Map:Here is a map of the campus (Warning: The file is 2 MB large.):Map
Future KYMAA MeetingsOur schedule of hosts for future section meetings is:
Please contact any officer of KYMAA if you would interested in
hosting a future meeting. Meeting Program & AbstractsThe information at the following links will be complete on March 9:The meeting program can be found at: Program for the 2009 Annual Meeting of KYMAA The abstracts for talks can be found at: Abstracts for the 2009 Annual Meeting of KYMAA (doc) Nominations NeededKYMAA is accepting nominations for three officer positions. Although we currently have one nomination for each position, we would be happy to have more. The open positions are
Dora Ahmadi of Morehead State University is a nominee for Chair-Elect, Mike Dobranski of Morehead State is a nominee for Student Chapter Coordinator, and Duk Lee of Asbury College is a nominee for Secretary. If you wish to nominate someone, including yourself, please contact any member of the Nominating Committee:
The election will be held at the business meeting during the KYMAA meeting in Frankfort. Thanks for your suggestions! Kentucky Section NExTThe KYMAA is soliciting applications for the third installment of the wildly successful KYNExT program! Modeled after the National Project NExT, the mission of the Kentucky Section NExT (New Experiences in Teaching), is to support soon-to-be, newly-minted, and recent-but-untenured Ph.D.s in the mathematical sciences (including all areas of mathematics, statistics, operations research, and mathematics education) in their role as mathematics faculty. In particular, the goal of KYNExT is to foster and enhance all aspects of an academic career: high-quality teaching and learning of mathematics, productive research and scholarship, and meaningful professional activities. The KYNExT program will immediately precede the annual KYMAA spring meeting, beginning the evening before and ending just as the KYMAA meeting commences. This year's program includes inspiring presentations by award winning faculty from Kentucky and beyond, as well as panel discussions on discovering one's teaching style and on balancing responsibilities and activities beyond teaching. To these ends, KYNExT seeks applications from any and all untenured mathematics faculty and mathematics graduate students who anticipate graduating with a Ph.D. by Fall 2010. KYNExT is intended to be a two-year program, so selection will favor applicants who are able to demonstrate a two-year commitment. Please submit applications to Mike Dobranski at m.dobranski@moreheadstate.edu by March 6th. We anticipate that review of applications will be completed no later than March 13th. A complete application will include:
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