High School Visiting Lecture Program

The High School Visiting Lecture Program offers high school students and teachers throughout Michigan the opportunity to connect with college and university faculty and other mathematics professionals. Topics that mathematicians share with schools include alternate geometries, careers in mathematics, the mathematics of voting, recreational mathematics and topics in areas such as chaos theory and applied mathematics.

Last year there were 24 volunteer speakers from 16 institutions, offering 50 titles. There were 6 requests for visits, 5 of which have been honored, with one is scheduled for November. This number is up from the 5 requests during the 2004-2005 academic year. As of this writing there have been four requests for speakers for the 2006–2007 academic year, all of which are in the process of being fulfilled.

We are always looking for new speakers and talks of interest to students with a solid background in high school mathematics. All mathematicians who are interested in giving presentations to a high school audience are encouraged to participate. The continually updated list of speakers is available on the Section Web site. Speakers volunteer their time and can have their travel expenses reimbursed through the HSVLP. Funding is provided by the Michigan Mathematics Prize Competition.

In addition, please encourage any high school teachers you may know to take advantage of the program. There is no charge to them for this service. Teachers can apply directly from the Web site. Teachers are encouraged to select speakers who are relatively close, but there have been speakers who have traveled great distances to share their love of mathematics with the next generation. For further information, please visit the Web site or contact one of the co-directors.

Brian Snyder and Kimberly Muller, LSSU

Back to the Fall 2006 Newsletter

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