The fourth annual Michigan Undergraduate Mathematics Conference (MUMC) will take place Saturday, February 16, 2002 on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids. Frank Morgan (Williams C) will give the keynote address, and the conference will feature talks by undergraduates on a wide range of mathematical topics.
Details about the program for the conference as well as on-line registration for speakers and non-speaking participants will be made available on the conference Web page (www.calvin.edu/academic/math/mumc2002). Conference information will also be mailed to MAA student chapter advisers and department liaisons by the beginning of December. Other individuals who wish to be added to the mailing list are encouraged to contact Student Activities Coordinator Randall Pruim (Calvin C). Faculty members are asked to begin now to encourage their students to participate in the conference and to help them with selection of a topic and preparation of a presentation. Talks at any undergraduate level and in any area of mathematics or a related discipline are welcome. This includes both talks describing student research and expository talks based on class projects or other interests students have.
The three previous Michigan Undergraduate Conferences have been hosted by faculty and students at Grand Valley State University, Alma College, and Siena Heights University. Each of these conferences has placed a large measure of the responsibility for planning and funding the conference on the host institution and its local resources, although faculty from these three institutions collaborated on each conference. While those efforts have gotten the conference off to a good start, it was felt that to ensure the continued success of the conference a broader base of support and leadership was needed. For this reason this year, in addition to a local arrangements committee, a conference steering committee has been formed. Current members include John Clifford (UM–Dearborn), John Fink (Kalamazoo C), Sivaram Narayan (CMU), Randall Pruim (chair), Jody Sorensen (GVSU), and Darin Stephenson (Hope C). This committee seeks to promote the conference throughout the Section and to plan for its continued success. While the conference remains dependent upon the leadership and funding of the host institutions, it is hoped that over time this dependence will be diminished as Section-wide support increases. The steering committee welcomes suggestions for improving the conference from any Michigan Section member.
Initial planning is already under way for MUMC 2003, with the location tentatively set for University of Michigan–Dearborn. Other institutions interested in hosting a future conference are encouraged to contact a member of the steering committee. Even if faculty and students within your department cannot make such a commitment at the present time, any financial contribution that your department can make toward this year’s conference is very much appreciated.
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