A panel of student leaders from Alma C, GVSU, and Siena Heights U discuss successful activities for math clubs.
Alma College hosted the Michigan Undergraduate Mathematics Conference on February 13. Organized by Tim Sipka (Alma C), Paul Fishback (GVSU), Jody Sorensen (GVSU), and Toni Carroll (Siena Heights U), and planned by students at these three colleges, the conference drew 120 college students, parents, and professors.
Aparna Higgins (U of Dayton) gave as keynote address the talk on undergraduate research in demonic graphs which she had presented at last spring's Michigan Section meeting. About 22 students from nine different schools from Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio presented 15-minute talks on their work on such topics as continued fractions, bicycle spokes, Sierpinski's gasket, Pappus's theorem, and global positioning systems. A panel discussion was held on successful math clubs, and representatives from such diverse employers as Pharmacia & Upjohn, the U.S. Census Bureau, and Ford talked about career opportunities.
One highlight of the meeting was a Web page competition. Students from UM-Flint (http://www.flint.umich.edu/Clubs/sum), Siena Heights U (http://www.sienahts.edu/~mhartley/mathclub), GVSU (http://www2.gvsu.edu/~mthclub), and Indiana U-South Bend (http://www.iusb.edu/~mathclub) designed impressive and imaginative Web pages for their organizations, which were judged in several categories. Each school won at least one prize, with the GVSU page taking top honors.
Two students and some faculty at the graduate program information table.