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

The Spring 2026 Meeting of the MD-DC-VA section of the MAA will be held at Frederick Community College on April 24-25, 2026.

On Friday, Geoff Cox of Virginia Military Institute will run a workshop, Getting Started with PreTeXt for Accessible, Interactive Course Materials, and C. Allen Butler of Daniel H. Wagner Associates, Inc. will give the banquet address, Bayes' Theorem – Making Rational Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty.

One of the Saturday addresses, AI Is Changing Our Profession: What Do We Do?, will be given by Alexander Diaz-Lopez of Villanova University. Info on the other Saturday address is coming soon.

Conference Links

• Hotels
• Registration
• Call for Talks
• Student Activity Registration
• Directions and Parking
• Contacts

Geoff Cox

Friday workshop: Getting Started with PreTeXt for Accessible, Interactive Course Materials

Abstract: PreTeXt is an open-source authoring system designed for creating high-quality mathematical and STEM materials in multiple formats (including web and PDF) from a single source. In this beginner-friendly, hands-on workshop, participants will learn what PreTeXt is, how a typical authoring workflow is organized, and how to get from “first file” to published output quickly. We'll walk through the basic structure of a PreTeXt project. Attendees will leave with a clear setup path, a minimal working example they can adapt for their own courses, and a roadmap for adding interactive elements, managing larger projects, and collaborating on open textbooks. No prior PreTeXt experience is assumed.

Biographical Sketch: Applied mathematician and educator, Geoff Cox, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics at Virginia Military Institute. His recent work centers on developing open, interactive online textbooks. Using the PreTeXt authoring workflow, he creates web-first texts that integrate interactive components and modern publishing formats, supporting both student engagement and long-term sustainability of instructional resources.

In parallel with his textbook work, Geoff teaches across the undergraduate mathematics curriculum and advises applied, data-driven student projects. His broader interests include mathematical modeling, data science, and educational technology.

C. Allen Butler

Banquet Address: Bayes' Theorem – Making Rational Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty

Abstract: A statement of Bayes' Theorem (aka Bayes' Rule) can be written very succinctly, but this belies its far-reaching consequences. In this talk, I will provide a little of the history behind Bayes' Theorem, a derivation of the mathematical basis in probabilistic terms, and a description of the less formal basis where it is viewed as a form of evidential or inferential reasoning. I will illustrate the utility of Bayes' Theorem by describing applications from the work of my company, Daniel H. Wagner Associates, Inc. One of these resulted in the location and recovery of the “Ship of Gold,” the SS Central America, a side-wheel steamer carrying nearly six hundred passengers returning from the California Gold Rush, which sank in a hurricane two hundred miles off the Carolina coast in September 1857.

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Butler holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Texas Tech University and a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (1987). He has been employed at Daniel H. Wagner Associates, Inc. (www.wagner.com) since 1987, serving as President and CEO from 2008 to 2021. Throughout his career, Dr. Butler served as the principal investigator for Department of Defense R&D projects involving a variety of mathematical disciplines as applied to areas such as target tracking, multi-sensor data fusion, and search optimization. He has been involved in the development and implementation of optimal search techniques for a number of projects, including a research effort whose goal was the interdiction of narcotics smugglers in the Caribbean. Dr. Butler is a member of AMS, MAA, SIAM, IEEE, INFORMS, and a number of industry specific professional organizations. Dr. Butler is an INFORMS Fellow, former Treasurer of the MAA, and serves on the INFORMS Prize Committee for the “Daniel H. Wagner Prize for Excellence in Analytics and Operations Research Practice.” He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI) and on the Board of Directors of the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP).

Alexander Diaz-Lopez

Saturday Address: AI Is Changing Our Profession: What Do We Do?

Abstract: Generative AI is already changing mathematics education and, more broadly, our profession. Whether we welcome it, resist it, or remain unsure, these tools are influencing teaching, assessment, student learning, and even mathematical research. This talk will explore how AI is reshaping the landscape of our field and profession, highlight emerging developments, and invite us to think carefully about how we should respond.

Biographical Sketch: Alexander Diaz-Lopez is a mathematician, educator, and community builder who currently serves as Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Villanova University. His research in combinatorics and algebraic graph theory is currently supported by the NSF. He is passionate about creating inclusive mathematical communities and mentoring students through collaborative research experiences and innovative teaching. Recently, he has explored the role of generative AI in mathematics education. Alexander loves the MAA, is part of the editorial board at Mathematics Magazine, Member-at-Large of the MAA EPaDel section, and was the recipient of the 2021 MAA Henry Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching