Winter 2009 Newsletter

From the Chair	A Call for Papers
The Governor's Corner	The Invited Talks - including abstracts
The Annual KYMAA Meeting	Hey Students!!
	Kentucky Section NExT

From the Chair

I have just returned from the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, DC. A day and a half before the end of the conference, 5942 participants had registered. This was probably one of the largest meetings of mathematicians in history. While our KYMAA meetings do an impressive job of reflecting the latest national trends, the sheer size of the Joint Math Meetings provide opportunities--exhibits and staged events for example, as well as the scientific program--on a scale that no other meeting can. I encourage you to consider attending a national meeting if you have the chance. It was a pleasure to see Kentucky so well represented there, by faculty and undergraduate students.

"Mathematician" has moved to the top of the ratings of 200 careers, conducted by CareerCast.com and reported by the Wall Street Journal on Jan. 6, 2009. The second and third rated careers were Actuary and Statistician. While it is good to see that mathematical jobs hold the top three positions, it is somewhat disappointing to find that "Teacher" ranks 127th. Teachers will proudly note that fourth- and eighth- grade students in the U.S fared better in the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Details are available at http://nces.ed.gov/timss/results07_math07.asp.

Chair-Elect Will Harris has arranged some excellent speakers for our March 27-28, 2009 meeting at Kentucky State University. I look forward to another excellent meeting, made so by your attendance and contributions. While faculty may tend to wait until the last minute to write an abstract, now is the time to suggest speaking at the KYMAA meeting to your students. If you have ideas for panels or other activities for our meeting, let Will Harris or me know. If you've been to our meetings, I look forward to seeing you again. If you've not been, I encourage you to attend. In particular, new faculty members may be interested in the Section NExT opportunities. I hope to see you in Frankfort on March 27-28.

The Governor's Corner

The Board of Governors met on Sunday January 4 in Washington, D.C. While there were reports on publications, membership, awards, the American Mathematics Competition, etc., the meeting was dominated by financial concerns.

Last year was a tough year financially for the MAA, as it was for many organizations. The treasurer noted, however, that while the MAA's investments lost money in 2008, "we have done better than most." The staff is doing some belt-tightening, striving to maintain programs while being very cautious about costs.

One change that members will notice is that the newsletter FOCUS is being reduced from nine to six issues annually, though these are expected to be larger issues. Another is a slight increase in annual dues (remarkably slight, in my view: $4 or $5 for most individuals).

The treasurer's reports and other financial information are available on the MAA website. Go to the Organization page and look under Governance Documents. To examine these documents, you will need to log in as an MAA member.

On a cheerier note, I hope everyone has heard of the study published in the Wall Street Journal in January that listed "Mathematician" as the best occupation in the United States. (A short summary on this appears in MathDL, available at the MAA website.) Among the reasons we are highly rated are that we "rarely work outdoors" and "do little heavy lifting". Apparently these researchers have never picked up a calculus book!

The Annual KYMAA Meeting

Our 2009 KYMAA Annual Meeting is scheduled for March 27 - 28, 2009, at Kentucky State University, Frankfort, Kentucky. This should be an outstanding 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 is provided below, including a description of the invited talks, a call for papers, and information for students. Information to facilitate your attendance of the meeting, including various forms for registration and talks and lodging information, can be found on our 2009 Annual Meeting and 2009 Meeting Program webpages. Complete program details will appear in the next newsletter on March 9, 2009. Please note the following important dates for the KYMAA Annual Meeting:

• February 25 : Deadline for submitting abstracts for talks at the meeting.
• March 9 : Publication date of meeting program on this website.
• MARCH 13 : Registration Deadline. You Must register by this date if you would like to join us for meals at the meeting since the caterer needs a headcount by this date. At the very least e-mail our section treasurer Molly Dunkum at molly.dunkum@wku.edu . Payment for meals should be in regular mail by this date.
• March 27 - 28 : a grand celebration of Kentucky mathematics at KSU!

• Presentation Abstract Form
• Registration Form

• Presentation Abstract Form
• Registration Form

Finally, our schedule of hosts for future section meetings is:

March 26-27, 2010	University of Kentucky
2011	Eastern Kentucky University
2012	Any volunteers?

Please contact any officer of KYMAA if you would interested in hosting a future meeting; we're always on the look out for a good meeting site!

The Invited Talks

Friday evening:

Betty 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.

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:

Pat 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.

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.

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.

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 Papers

Each 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
Department of Mathematics
Georgetown College
400 E. College St. #234
Georgetown, KY 40324
e-mail: wharris@georgetowncollege.edu

Phone: 502-863-7921
Fax: 502-868-7744

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.

Kentucky Section NExT

The 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:

• A brief personal statement (two-page maximum, one-page preferred) describing your approach to teaching and learning mathematics, and what you expect to gain from participating in KYNExT.
• A short (one-page) vitae, which should include contact information, education and employment history, teaching experience, and research interests.
• A statement of support from your chair or dean indicating a willingness to:
  • Support or coordinate your release from teaching and other responsibilities on Friday, March 27, 2009 and Friday, March 27, 2010.
  • Pay for registration, Friday night lodging, and Friday evening and Saturday morning meals for the KYMAA Annual Meetings in Spring 2009 at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, and in Spring 2010 at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, estimated to be $100 to $150 per meeting. Note that KYNExT funds will cover all costs of attending the KYNExT program itself, including the Thursday evening Ice Cream Social, Thursday night lodging, and breakfast and lunch on Friday.