The Mathematical Association of America Maryland-District of Columbia-Virginia Section

The Fall 2026 Meeting of the MD-DC-VA section of the MAA will be held at Randolph Macon College on October 30-31, 2026. (Halloween costumes are encouraged!)

On Friday, Mindy Capaldi of James Madison University will run the workshop Explore Teaching with AI through Roundtable Discussions, and Annalisa Crannell of Franklin and Marshall/Interim Editor of the Monthly will give the banquet address, Double Take: Geometry, Perspective, and Optical Illusions.

The Saturday morning address, Data With Purpose: How Modern Statistics Drives Solutions to Society's Greatest Challenges, will be given by Kimberly Sellers of North Carolina State University, and the Saturday afternoon address, Seeing the Beauty of Mathematics, will be given by Debra Hydorn of the University of Mary Washington.

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Mindy Capaldi

James Madison University

Friday Workshop:Explore Teaching with AI through Roundtable Discussions

Abstract: Have you checked your assignments for AI vulnerabilities or are looking to AI-proof your course? Or considered using AI for alternative assessments, tutoring, or lesson development? This workshop, sponsored by the MAA Committee for Professional Development, centers around sharing ideas and questions about teaching with AI as well as trying out some prompts with AI. Small groups will experiment with AI and, based on given questions, discuss potential benefits and concerns around various uses of AI in teaching and learning mathematics.

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Mindy Capaldi is an Associate Dean of Faculty Support and Development and a Professor of Mathematics & Statistics at James Madison University (JMU). Her scholarship has focused on STEM education; she edited and published a book titled Teaching Mathematics Through Games. She is PI of a scholarship-based NSF grant that supports low-income STEM students. She is also Chair of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Committee on Professional Development, Editorial Board member for MAA Notes, and Director of the Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grant program.

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Annalisa Crannell

Franklin & Marshall College / Interim Editor of the American Mathematical Monthy

Banquet Address: Double Take: Geometry, Perspective, and Optical Illusions

Abstract: Perspective geometry, so it's said, is the geometry of art that makes paintings seem realistic and true to life. Yet the same artistic techniques—and by extension, the same geometry—can create images that astound and confound us. We explore the geometry behind a carnival of such illusions, from images that seem to change shape as we move, to the impossible worlds of Escher and del Prete.

Biographical Sketch: Annalisa Crannell is the Carmie L. and Beatrice J. Creitz Emerita Professor of Mathematics at Franklin & Marshall College, the Interim Editor of the American Mathematical Monthly, and recipient of both her college’s and the MAA's distinguished teaching awards. Her early research was in topological dynamical systems (also known as "Chaos Theory"), but she subsequently became active in working with mathematicians and artists on Projective Geometry applied to Perspective Art. Together with mathematician/artists Marc Frantz and Fumiko Futamura, she is the author of Perspective and Projective Geometry and Viewpoints: Mathematical Perspective and Fractal Geometry in Art. Her current book project explores the geometry of optical illusions arising from perspective tricks. She especially enjoys talking to non-mathematicians who haven't (yet) learned where the most beautiful aspects of the subject lie.

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Kimberly Sellers

North Carolina State University

Saturday Morning Address: Data With Purpose: How Modern Statistics Drives Solutions to Society's Greatest Challenges

Abstract: In an era dominated by massive datasets and rapid technological change, the bridge between mathematical and statistical methodologies and meaningful real-world impact is more critical than ever. Statistical science provides the foundational framework required to navigate uncertainty that can surface in myriad societal challenges such as validating life-saving medical treatments and guiding equitable public policy decisions. This talk offers a forward-looking perspective on how the evolution of statistical methods directly shapes modern healthcare and society. By exploring key intersections where mathematical rigor meets real-world application, we will examine how modern statisticians act as key architects of evidence-based progress.

Biographical Sketch: Kimberly F. Sellers, Ph.D. is the Head and Professor of the Statistics Department at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. Her primary research interests and expertise center on statistical methods for count data that contain data dispersion with methodological interests in distribution theory, regression analysis, multivariate analysis, stochastic processes, and time series analysis. She authored the book, The Conway-Maxwell-Poisson Distribution (Cambridge University Press, 2023), which is the first comprehensive reference on the distribution and the flexible statistical methods derived using it to analyze dispersed count data. Sellers is an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute, and a Fellow in both the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the Association for Women in Mathematics, respectively, in recognition of her research, and active contributions in service to the discipline.

Sellers completed her BS and MA degrees in Mathematics at the University of Maryland College Park, and obtained her PhD in Mathematical Statistics at The George Washington University. She held previous faculty positions at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Georgetown University; as well as secondary appointments at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Debra Hydorn

University of Mary Washington

Saturday Afternoon Address: Seeing the Beauty of Mathematics

Abstract: In this talk I will briefly describe the First Year Seminar I have taught on the Art of Mathematics (originally titled Escher Math: The Mathematics of Patten and Design) and how that course led me to using Geometer’s Sketchpad to create art as examples for student assignments. I will share some of my art work along with the work of other artists that have inspired me. Some of my artworks are tessellations of the plane created using corner- or edge-matching puzzles or are puzzles I have created based on an individual’s favorite geometric shapes and colors. I also create art based on patterns that I have observed in mathematics applications. I will also share some of my activities to develop an interest in mathematical art in my students, family, and friends.

Biographical Sketch: Debra Hydorn joined the Mathematics Department at the University of Mary Washington in 1994. She teaches mathematics and statistics courses at the introductory and advanced levels. She has developed or co-developed new courses on mathematical modeling, statistical methods, and on scientific reasoning and practices, plus three first year seminars, one on the art of mathematics, another on infographics and, the last one on mathematical modeling. She enjoys mentoring undergraduate research projects and providing statistical support to students and colleagues in other disciplines. When she is not teaching or working with students, she uses Geometers Sketchpad to create side- and corner-matching puzzles and R to discover interesting patterns in mathematics applications. She has had several artworks accepted to the Mathematical Art Exhibitions at the Joint Mathematics Meeting and at MathFest. She received her BS in Applied Mathematics and Zoology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, her MS in Mathematics (with concentration in Statistics) from the University of Texas at San Antonio and her PhD in Statistics from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.