Section Meetings

Spring 2013 meeting

Sunday, May 5, 2013, Farmingdale State College (SUNY)

Schedule

8:30 - 9:30 Registration and refreshments
8:30 - 3:30
 Book exhibits open
9:30 - 9:50 Welcome from College official, Section Chair
9:50 - 10:50 Invited Speaker:

Alan Tucker, Stony Brook University

The History of the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics in the United States
10:50 - 11:00 Break - coffee and refreshments
11:00 - 12:00 Presentation from the Design Team of the National Museum of Mathematics:

Math Unleashed

Glen Whitney, Co-Executive Director, National Museum of Mathematics

Cindy Lawrence, Co-Executive Director, National Museum of Mathematics

Tim Nissen, Chief of Design, National Museum of Mathematics
12:10 - 1:25 Lunch (with time to visit the exhibits)
1:30 - 1:55
 Awards Ceremony - including prize raffle and section business
2:00 - 3:00
 Invited Speaker:

David F. Gleich, Purdue University

How Does Google Google? A journey into the wondrous mathematics behind your favorite websites
3:15 - 5:15
 Contributed papers and poster sessions

Complete conference program (pdf)

Registration form (Word format) (pdf format)

Directions to Farmingdale State College

Map of Farmingdale State College

Contributed Paper and Poster Sessions

Invited speaker: Alan Tucker, Stony Brook University, The History of the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics in the United States
Tucker pic

Abstract:  The undergraduate program in mathematics in America has had a punctuated evolution. The Mathematical Association of American was organized in 1915 at the end of a period of dramatic rethinking of American education at all levels, one product of which was the introduction of academic majors in higher education. The mathematics major was static in its first 40 years, followed by great changes from 1955 to 1975, and then a period of relative stability to the present. This talk is based on a paper solicited by the MAA as part of its 100th anniversary activities.

Biography: Alan Tucker received his Ph.D. from Stanford in 1969 and has been at Stony Brook University ever since. He has been involved in many national and regional projects to improve undergraduate mathematics education. He has served the MAA in numerous roles, including First Vice-President, Chair of the Publications Committee and founding Chair of the Education Council. He has been a recipient of the MAA Award for Distinguished Teaching of Mathematics and MAA Award for Meritorious Service. He is a Fellow of the Amer. Math. Society and a Fellow of the Amer. Assoc. for the Advancement of Science.

Invited speaker: David F. Gleich, Purdue University, Title: How Does Google Google? A journey into the wondrous mathematics behind your favorite websites
Gleich pic

Abstract:  We all Google. Some of us Yelp, Netflix, Tweet, and Facebook too. What you may not know is that behind the Google search engine and other search websites is beautiful and elegant mathematics. In this talk, I will try to explain the workings of page ranking, search engines, and recommenders using only rusty calculus.

Biography: David Gleich is an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department at Purdue University. His research is on high performance and large scale mathematical methods for analyzing data from internet problems such as page ranking and social network analysis, as well as large scale datasets generated in scientific simulations. He held the John von Neumann post-doctoral fellowship at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore CA before joining Purdue in Fall 2011.

Invited speakers: Glen Whitney, Co-Executive Director, National Museum of Mathematics;
Cindy Lawrence, Co-Executive Director, National Museum of Mathematics;
Tim Nissen, Chief of Design, National Museum of Mathematics
Whitney picLawrence picNissen pic

Abstract:  Sequences of symbols on a page hold singular power to express the ideas of mathematics with precision and rigor. Yet are they sometimes ironically an obstacle to transmitting those ideas to new initiates of math? Might other modes of presentation sometimes convey the essence of mathematics more intuitively? The design team of the National Museum of Mathematics will discuss the process they used to create hands-on exhibits with broad public appeal, taking several exhibits designed for the Museum as case studies.

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