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FOCUS Editorial Board: Rob Bradley; J.Kevin Colligan; Sharon Cutler Ross; JoeGallian; Jackie Giles; Maeve McCarthy; ColmMulcahy; Peter Renz; Annie Selden;Hortensia Soto-Johnson; Ravi Vakil.
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May/June August/September OctoberEditorial Copy March 10 June 9Display Ads March 10 June 9 August 11Employment Ads March 24 June 16 August 4
Inside
Volume 26 Issue 2
4 Plague or Prediction?By Meredith Greer
6 Archives of American Mathematics on the WebBy Kristy Sorensen
8 The Changing Face of Calculus:Engineering Math at the University of IowaBy Keith D. Stroyan
9 National Summit on Competitiveness Calls for More Funding, MoreMathematics and Science Degrees
9 In Memoriam
10 Prizes and Awards at the San Antonio Joint Mathematics Meetings
16 Short TakesCompiled by Fernando Q. Gouvêa
17 Harvey Mudd College, Puerto Rico REU Program, and Universityof Iowa Win AMS AwardsBy Fernando Q. Gouvêa
18 AMS Elects New Officers
18 SIAM Elects New Officers
19 Call for PapersContributed Paper Sessions at MathFest 2006
22 Employment Opportunities
On the cover: This issue was finalized during the Joint Mathematics Meetings in SanAntonio, Texas, where this photo was taken. See our coverage of joint prize session onpages 10-18. Much more extensive coverage of the Joint Meetings will appear in our Marchissue. (Photograph by Marilena B. Gouvêa; used with permission.)
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February 2006
The Committee on the Euler BookPrize is seeking nominations from MAAmembers for books to be considered bythe Committee for the first such prize,to be awarded in 2007, the tercentenaryof the birth of Leonhard Euler. The newannual prize for expository writing inmathematics, approved by the Board ofGovernors in November, 2005, can beawarded to the author or authors of“mathematical monographs at theundergraduate level, histories, bio-graphies, works of mathematical fiction,and anthologies.” Textbooks are notnormally eligible and may be consideredonly if they are “innovative, distinctive,well written, and very likely to have along-standing impact on mathematics.”Books nominated must have beenpublished no more than five years priorto the year of the award.
The Euler Book Prize: Nominations Sought
Each nomination for the Euler BookPrize should include a short statementby the nominator as to why the bookdeserves the prize. A nomination mayalso include appropriate publishedreviews of the book. A nominator maybe asked to supply a copy of the bookbeing nominated if it is not readilyavailable to the Committee, and suchbooks will be returned to the nominatorswhen the Committee has completed itsselection.
Nominations should be sent by March31, 2006 to:
G. L. AlexandersonDepartment of Mathematicsand Computer ScienceSanta Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA [email protected]
The first annual Pacific CoastUndergraduate Mathematics Conferencewill be held on March 25, 2006 atOccidental College in Los Angeles from8 am until 5 pm. In addition to freeregistration and lunch, the conferencewill feature talks by undergraduates, withspecial sessions for freshmen andsophomores. Talks are encouraged on alltopics, ranging from results of researchprojects through historical/biographicalpresentations to interesting solutions ofmath club problems.
The keynote speaker will be JenniferQuinn of Occidental College/University
of Puget Sound and the new ExecutiveDirector of the Association for Womenin Mathematics. The program will alsocontain two panel discussions focusingon summer opportunities for mathstudents and career opportunities forstudents with a degree in mathematics.In addition, there will be a student mathclub competition with prizes given awayduring lunch, including a digital camerafor first place! We encourage faculty andstudents to visit our conference website:ht tp: / /www.math.pepperdine.edu/~kkillpat/PCUMC/PCUMC.htm to registerand for further information about theschedule of events and invited speakers.
Pacific Coast Undergraduate
Mathematics Conference
Two MAA Journals enter new phasesat the beginning of 2006. Allen Schwenkof Western Michigan University, afterserving a year as Editor-Elect, is the neweditor of Mathematics Magazine. DanVelleman of Amherst College is just be-ginning his year as Editor-Elect of theAmerican Mathematical Monthly.
Allen Schwenk replaces Frank Farris,who concluded his five-year term as edi-tor of the Magazine with the December2005 issue. (See the December issue ofFOCUS for an account of some ofFarris’s experiences as editor.) During allof 2005, Schwenk was editor-elect, whichmeant in particular that all new submis-sions went to him. That year of prepara-tion should allow him to hit the groundrunning as he becomes editor.
Dan Velleman is just beginning his pre-paratory year. Bruce Palka continues aseditor of the Monthly for all of 2006, butall new submissions should go toVelleman instead. We hope to include aninterview with Velleman in a future is-sue of FOCUS.
Information on all MAA journals can befound online at http://www.maa.org. Usethe dropdown menu for Publications,then choose Journals to see a menu point-ing to each of the journals.
MAA Journals Have
New Editor and Editor-
Elect
Note from the Editor
As I write, it is the first week of Janu-ary and many mathematicians are get-ting ready to leave for the Joint Meetingsin San Antonio. I’ll be there too, ofcourse, taking pictures and talking topeople. We’ll be holding this issue untilthe last possible minute so that we caninsert pictures of those receiving prizesand awards at the meeting. (See pages 10-15 to see if we managed!) A more com-plete report on the meeting, includingour traditional photo spread, will appearin the March issue.
Adults Learning Mathematics Conference
Adults Learning Mathematics (ALM), an international forum of researchers andpractitioners in the field of adult mathematics education, will hold their thirteenthannual conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland from Sunday, July 16th through Thurs-day, July 20th, 2006. Details of the conference as well as the call for papers are avail-able at the ALM website, at http://www.alm-online.org. Questions about the confer-ence can be addressed to Kathy Safford-Ramus at [email protected].
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FOCUS February 2006
In the summer of 2007, for the first time, the MAA will holdMathFest in coordination with the annual meeting of the So-ciety for Mathematical Biology (SMB). This will be an out-standing opportunity for members of each group to learn moreabout the other. Looking ahead to that event, I hope to piqueyour interest with a description of just one of many fascinat-ing biomathematical models.
Is a swarm of locusts a biblical plague, or a natural and math-ematically predictable occurrence? Consider the observationsmade by P. Collinson [1] in 1764.
In Pennsylvania the Cicada is seen annually, but not insuch numbers as to be remarkable; but at certain peri-ods, of 14 or 15 years distance, they come forth in suchgreat swarms, that the people have given them the nameof Locusts. About the latter end of April these Cicadaecome near the surface: this is known, by the hogs rout-ing after them. They creep out of the ground, near theroots of trees, in such numbers, that in some places,the earth is so full of holes, it is like an honey-comb.
Biologists and mathematicians alike have studied, and continueto study, the Magicicada phenomenon. Several species of thistype of cicada emerge periodically, every 13 or 17 years. Thecicadas synchronize their emergence: they all appear at the sametime, within a few busy and very loud weeks, and they do notshow themselves during the intervening years. Let’s take a mathmodeling look at cicada behavior.
To put together appropriate equations, we need to first under-stand the basic life cycle of the cicada. An adult cicada lives afew weeks, during which time it lays eggs. The eggs hatch, pro-ducing nymphs, the young form of the cicada. These nymphsburrow underground and live around tree roots for most oftheir lifespan - typically 3, 4, 7, 13, or 17 years, depending ontheir species. When they near the end of their lifespan, theyemerge as adults, lay eggs, and the cycle begins anew.
Now we can describe the four functions that are relevant inour model.
We refer to the current year as year t. Then the number of newnymphs that became established underground k years ago isn(t – k). The number of predators in year t is p(t). There mayalready be some nymphs living underground, and there are lim-ited resources and space to go around, so each year there is alimited number of new nymphs that can be supported. We callthis the carrying capacity in year t, and denote it c(t). We alsoneed to refer to the number of new nymphs actually producedin year t, N(t). Due to carrying capacity constraints, the num-
ber becoming established underground, n(t), may be less thanthe total number produced, N(t), so we will have equations foreach.
Here are the parameters we will consider in our discussion ofcicadas. Nymphs live underground for most of their lifespan.Not all of them survive from each year to the next. We willassume that, as each year passes, the same percentage of livingnymphs survives to the next year. We call this percentage s.
Predators can’t live forever either. They also, of course, pro-duce young. We combine their death and birth rates, settingaside any effects due to cicadas, into the parameter r.
When adult cicadas emerge, predators have more food thanusual, and they produce more young. A rate a relates the num-ber of adult cicadas to the number of extra predators produced.
The ground itself has an intrinsic carrying capacity, startingwith no nymphs present. This number is related to but dis-tinct from c(t), which can vary each year depending on already-established nymphs. We call the total intrinsic carrying capac-ity D.
The lifespan of the cicadas is denoted by k. Remember that kcan take values from 3 to 17 years. We will vary this parameterto try to see which cicada species exhibit synchronized emer-gence.
The number of eggs laid and hatched depends on the numberof adult cicadas that emerge. We will use a constant of fecun-dity, f, to represent this.
There is one added wrinkle: we know that many functions havenegative outputs. Since our functions represent things like thenumber of cicadas or the number of predators, negative re-sults do not make sense. We simply will not let them happen!To prevent negatives, use the function
xx x
x[ ] =
≥
<
⋅+
if
if
0
0 0
In words, this function takes any negative quantities and re-places them with zeroes.
Now we are ready to write equations.
Predators: p(t) = rp(t –1) + askn(t – k – 1) . Notice that thenumber of predators depends on two things. First, rp(t – 1) isthe normal number of predators expected this year, based onlast year’s number of predators. Second, there may be extrapredators if any adult cicadas emerged last year. Since the ci-
Plague or Prediction?
by Meredith Greer
FOCUS
5
February 2006
cada lifespan is k, any cicadas that emerge in year t – 1 arethose that were new k years before that, in year t – k – 1. Onlythe proportion s survived as each of those k years passed to thenext, and we multiply n(t – k – 1) by sk to represent that. Theparameter a connects this number of emerging cicadas to thenumber of extra predators produced. Available carrying capac-ity:
c t D s n t jj
j
k
( ) = ( )
−
−
+
∑– –1
1
.
Each year, the carrying capacity is the total possible carryingcapacity minus the sum of all the nymphs already underground.We do not allow this number to be less than zero.
New nymphs produced: N(t) = [Skn(t – k) – p(t) ]+
. f. All livingadults emerge k years after they were produced. Predators eatsome of them. If a positive number remain, they produce somemultiple f of eggs.
New nymphs established underground: n(t) = min(N(t), c(t)).This is the minimum of the new nymphs produced and theavailable carrying capacity.
All these equations and parameters are similar to those usedby Hoppensteadt and Keller [2], who modeled cicadas thirtyyears ago. We share the parameters they chose: s = r = 0.95, a =0.042, D = 10000, and f = 10. We start by establishing 100 newnymphs underground for each of k years, then allow all fourequations to interact. The results, displayed as graphs, show usthat indeed the cicada populations with lifespans of 13 or 17years move — rather quickly! — toward synchronized emer-gence. Those with shorter lifespans move the other way: a frac-tion of the population emerges each year.
We can conclude that the length k of the cicada lifespan defi-nitely affects the emergence pattern. The graphs here look onlyat lifespans we know to exist, but with the model we used,lifespans of 10 or greater show synchronized emergence, andshorter lifespans do not.
Many math folks have noticed that actual cicada species withsynchronized emergence have lifespans that are prime num-bers. Might this be significant? Most predators of cicadas haveshort lifespans, only two to five years. Perhaps longer, prime-number cicada lifespans prevent these predators from havingunusually large populations in the years when adult cicadasemerge. Then more cicadas live long enough to lay eggs. Mod-els exist in both camps: some support this hypothesis, and somedo not. This is one of many further directions we can take intrying to understand and explain cicada emergence patterns.
References
[1] P. Collinson, Some Observations on the Cicada of NorthAmerica, Collected by Mr. P. Collinson, F. R. S., PhilosophicalTransactions 54 (1764) 65–68.[2] Frank C. Hoppensteadt and Joseph B. Keller, Synchroniza-tion of Periodical Cicada Emergences, Science 194 (1976) 335–337.
Meredith Greer is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at BatesCollege in Lewiston, Maine. She is involved, among other things,with Project NExT, the MAA, and the SMB. She would especiallylike to thank Brian Pfohl for his support in the writing of thisarticle.
Figure 1: When cicadas have lifespans of 13 or 17 years, theirpopulations move quickly toward synchronized emergence.
Cicada species with shorter lifespans of 3, 4, or 7 years do notsynchronize their emergence. Instead, similar numbers of adultcicadas emerge each year.
6
FOCUS February 2006
If you haven’t had a chance to visit theArchives of American Mathematics(AAM) on the web in the past, now isthe time to take a look! Our main page isat the URL displayed on the right, belowour logo.
Beyond the home page, our website isdivided into three sections: Finding Aids,Resources, and Subject Guide. Each sec-tion includes valuable information forhistorians, mathematicians, and otherinterested parties.
Finding Aids
Seventy-two of our collection invento-ries are currently available onlinethrough the Texas Archival ResourcesOnline (TARO) website. TARO is an in-ter-institutional project dedicated to pro-viding greater online access to archivalcollections across the state of Texas. Theinventories are searchable by keywordand generally provide a folder-level list-ing of the material in the collections, aswell as biographical information aboutthe creator. The alphabetical index ofcollections on the AAM page providesfast access to our collection inventoriesin the TARO project.
Resources
Our section on resources lists articlesabout the AAM, with links to articlesavailable online, as well as useful down-loads like a detailed subject index andPDF versions of our brochures andhandouts, including a in-depth look atHistory of Science resources available atthe University of Texas at Austin. It alsofeatures a brief list of helpful links forthose interested in mathematical historyincluding the page for the Joint ArchivesCommittee of the American Mathemati-cal Society/Mathematical Association ofAmerica and the Mathematics Geneal-ogy Project.
Archives of American Mathematics on the Web
By Kristy Sorensen
Subject Guide
This page features a general overview ofthe AAM, as well as an annotated guideto selected mathematics collections, in-cluding links to the online inventories,when available.
AAM staff are always making updatesand additions to the website, so pleasecheck back often to see what is new. Ifyou have any comments or questionsabout the website, or suggestions for newcontent, feel free to contact me.
The Archives of American Mathematicsis located at the Research and Collectionsdivision of the Center for American His-
tory on the University of Texas at Austincampus. Persons interested in conduct-ing research or donating materials orwho have general questions about the Ar-chives of American Mathematics shouldcontact Kristy Sorensen, Archivist,[email protected], (512) 495-4539.
FOCUS includes regular articles spot-lighting the holdings of the Archives ofAmerican Mathematics. These articles areall available online at the MAA web site:h t t p : / / w w w. m a a . o r g / f e a t u r e s /archivesspotlight.html.
Order your copy today!1.800.331.1622 • www.maa.org
The MAA is pleased to announce the publication of the second volume on assessment inundergraduate mathematics.
Supporting Assessment in Undergraduate MathematicsLynn Arthur Steen, Editor
Supporting Assessment in Undergraduate Mathematics contains 26 case studies.
Case studies deal primarily with coherent blocks of courses designed for particular purposes, such as,general education, math-intensive majors, developmental education, and quantitative literacy.
The case studies presented here are useful not just for the results achieved, but also to alert thosestarting assessment programs to the kinds of issues they will need to consider, the potential pitfallsalong the way, and strategies for how these can be avoided. The range of solutions represented inthese case studies offers readers a large variety of models to adapt to their own institutions' needs.
MAA Reports • Catalog Code: SAUM • 288 pp., Paperbound, 2005 • ISBN: 0-88385-820-7List: $49.50 • MAA Member: $39.50
From Calculus to ComputersUsing the Last 200 Years of Mathematics History in the Classroom
Amy Shell-Gellasch and Richard Jardine
Using the history of mathematics enhances the teaching and learning of mathematics. To date, much ofthe literature prepared on the topic of integrating mathematics history in undergraduate teachingcontains, predominantly, ideas from the 18th century and earlier. This volume focuses on 19th and 20thcentury mathematics, building on the earlier efforts but emphasizing recent history in the teaching ofmathematics, computer science, and related disciplines.
From Calculus to Computers is a resource for undergraduate teachers that provides ideas andmaterials for immediate adoption in the classroom and proven examples to motivate innovation by thereader. Contributions to this volume are from historians of mathematics and college mathematicsinstructors with years of experience and expertise in these subjects.
MAA Notes • Catalog Code: NTE-68 • 200 pp., Paperbound, 2005 • ISBN 0-88385-178-4List: $48.95 • MAA Member: $39.50
Innovative Approaches to Undergraduate Mathematics CoursesBeyond Calculus
Richard J. Maher, Editor
This book describes innovative approaches that have been used successfully by a variety of instructorsin the undergraduate mathematics courses that follow calculus. These approaches are designed tomake upper division mathematics courses more interesting, more attractive, and more beneficial to ourstudents. The authors of the articles in this volume show how this can be done while still teachingmathematics courses. These approaches range from various classroom techniques to novelpresentations of material to discussing topics not normally encountered in the typical mathematicscurriculum.
One overriding goal of all of these articles is to encourage students to stretch their mathematicalboundaries. This stretching can be done in a variety of ways but there is one common theme;students expand their horizons not merely by sitting and listening to lectures but by doingmathematics.
This book is mean for the instructor. It will be very useful to anyone teaching a course beyond first year calculus.
Catalog Code: NTE-67 • 200 pp., Paperbound, 2005 • ISBN - 0-88385-177-6List: $48.95 • MAA Member: $39.50
®
New from the Mathematical Association of America
8
FOCUS February 2006
In the November 2004 FOCUS, DavidM. Bressoud wrote The Changing Face ofCalculus: First- and Second-Semester Cal-culus as College Courses. His article de-scribes changes in the preparation andneeds of beginning college students sincethe time when the traditional CalculusI-II sequence was designed. Bressoudmakes a case for the need of a new Cal-culus II and describes a new Calculus Icourse offered at Macalester College. Thisarticle describes changes we made in theEngineering Mathematics sequence atthe University of Iowa a few years ago.The details are different, but some of thesame underlying forces were at work inour re-organization.
Bressoud’s article points out that theCUPM Curriculum Guide 2004 (Under-graduate Programs and Courses in theMathematical Sciences: CUPM Curricu-lum Guide 2004, ed. Pollatsek et. al.,MAA, 2004) encourages departments to“continually strengthen courses and pro-grams to better align with student needs.”Our solution of the Calculus I and II re-alignment for our engineering studentsis different from the one Bressoud de-scribes. It is only intended for our engi-neering students. A large comprehensivestate university like ours needs to offerseveral “flavors” of calculus tailored tovarious majors.
Our re-organization of engineering mathbegan several years ago when our Engi-neering College changed their whole cur-riculum in response to recommenda-tions of the accreditation organizationABET. They designed a beginning corecurriculum for all majors and maderoom for more electives. It was a long andsometimes difficult process inside theircollege and for their “service providers.”Their initial requests to math, physics,and chemistry were similar: do more inless time… teach demanding courses, butdon’t drive our students away… In math-ematics this produced a very detailedplanning process. Representatives of our
math department and the EngineeringCollege met many times to set prioritiesand coordinate the timing of topics withvarious engineering courses. It literallytook years to agree on our plan.
One of the first things we agreed uponwas to make Engineering Math I similarto AP/AB Calculus. While engineeringwanted some computing and vector ge-ometry early in the program, the fact, asBressoud points out in his article, is thatmany students take “Calculus I” in highschool. About 40% of beginning engi-neering students at Iowa have AP/ABscores of 4 or 5. They are generally goodstudents and we did not want them togo back to “Math I” or miss basic topics.We did agree to beef up the integrationportion of Calculus I as much as wecould, but postponed the main changesuntil “Math II.”
Engineering Math II begins with basicvector geometry and continues to usevectors most of the semester. This givesthe students some vector training in timefor their mechanics courses and coin-cides with the vectors in their physicscourse. Engineering Math II continueswith a basic course in multivariable cal-culus, partial derivatives, surface andcontour graphs, multiple integration,and parametric curves. While this soundslike the traditional Calculus III course, itis a combination of topics from the oldCalculus II (like polar coordinates andparametric curves) and the two-dimen-sional parts of Calculus III. The “div,grad, curl” topics from the fifth courseof the traditional sequence were not re-quired of some majors, notably Chemi-cal Engineers, so they were left for a latercourse. Chemical Engineers are, however,expected to learn thermodynamics withall its partial derivatives, so these are cov-ered here.
We agreed to stop Math II at surfaces inorder to leave time for a short course inpower series. Bressoud’s article noted
that the series topics in the old CalculusII “never seems to hang together” and itdoesn’t in Engineering Math II, either.But the Engineering College felt thatpower series were needed at that pointin their curriculum. Power series of clas-sical functions produce amazing resultslike Euler’s formula in a short time andwe just acknowledge that it’s a shortcourse within a course.
Despite not treating Stokes’ Theorem, wefinish the multivariable topics in 2D witha complete conceptual treatment of di-vergence and “swirl” (or 2D curl). Curlis more interesting, but Green’s Theoremcan be presented both as a “flow across”and flow around” result giving the ideaof Gauss’ and Stokes’ Theorems. Chemi-cal engineering students now learn aboutgradient vector fields and conservationof energy before thermo. We hope thiswill lead to better learning there and inother parts of the engineering curricu-lum. We don’t know how much that ishappening, but we do know that thecourse is very well received by studentsand faculty in engineering.
A basic syllabus for the course is at http:// w w w. e n g i n e e r i n g . u i o w a . e d u /~engmath2. The text and computer ma-terials are available at http://www.math.uiowa.edu/~stroyan. We alsohave a webMathematica site under con-struction that will automate most of theexamples in the text so students can re-compute them and have movable graphson their web browser. Computer graph-ics play an important role in helping stu-dents learn the multivariable material.
Early in planning the new curriculum,engineering expressed interest in incor-porating lots of computing in the wholesequence. Engineering Math II usesMathematica in four structured labs andthree “on your own” assignments. Thelabs introduce computing topics and tiethem to the course material, while theother assignments have students com-
The Changing Face of Calculus:
Engineering Math at the University of Iowa
By Keith D. Stroyan
FOCUS
9
February 2006
bine ideas in “eExams.” For example, af-ter a lab on parametric curves, there isan assignment to animate a 3D motionshowing the position, velocity, and ac-celeration vectors of a moving point.That assignment also asks students toprove that speed increases when the ve-locity and acceleration form an acuteangle (the scalar chain rule and dot prod-uct rule) — and to show that happeningon their motion. While we have a sub-stantial component of computing, it isless than the one lab a week we initiallyplanned. Computing got cut back be-cause of availability of lab space and forthe usual weakness of trying to put moretopics in the course. It has proved a work-able compromise at the University ofIowa.
Engineering Math III is a 2 hour matrixalgebra course. We planned to useMATLAB to support the matrix compu-
tations, but when Engineering found thatthey could not introduce MATLAB priorto Math III as planned, we scaled back toa few assignments and only a basic in-troduction to MATLAB matrix compu-tation.
Engineering Math IV is a basic differen-tial equations course and again the hopewas to make use of MATLAB to a greaterextent than we could coordinate in thefinal analysis. The nuts and bolts of find-ing explicit solutions to linear initialvalue problems by hand with and with-out Laplace transforms still dominatesthe course, but those are important skillsfor the engineering students, so it works.There is still room for modernizationand more study of nonlinear equations.
Engineering Math V is beyond the “corecurriculum,” so only selected majors takeit. This course completes surface integra-
tion and Stokes’ Theorem and has a sub-stantial component of max-min in sev-eral variables. It finishes with a brief in-troduction to partial differential equa-tions, so we actually did manage to do alittle more material than we did in theolder curriculum.
Keith D. Stroyan is professor of mathemat-ics at the University of Iowa. He did un-dergraduate work in engineering andphysics at Drexel, graduate work in math-ematics at Caltech, and had a postdoc atthe University of Wisconsin. He has had acareer-long obsession with teaching, espe-cially the use of computers in undergradu-ate math courses, and as a result served along sentence in calculus reform schoolduring the 1990s. Several of his books areavailable on his website. Keith is one of thisyear’s recipients of the Deborah andFranklin Tepper Haimo teaching awardfrom the MAA.
A “National Summit on Competitive-ness” was held at the Department ofCommerce on December 6, 2005. Thegoal was to discuss ways to maintain andincrease American leadership in the faceof growing international competition.The summit “brought together key lead-ers from government and industry todecide on the specific actions necessaryto strengthen America’s innovation ca-pacity, particularly in science and tech-nology research, education, workforcedevelopment, and the deployment of newtechnologies.” The Summit’s concludingstatement, available online at http://w w w . u s i n n o v a t i o n . o r g / p d f /National_Summit_Statement.pdf, calls forincreased investment in basic research. Italso calls the country to “By 2015, doublethe number of bachelor’s degrees
National Summit on Competitiveness
Calls for More Funding, More Mathematics
and Science Degrees
In Memoriam
Raoul Bott, who was well known forhis leading work in geometry and topol-ogy, died recently at the age of 82. Bornin Budapest, Bott was educated as an en-gineer at McGill University, thenswitched to mathematics and got his doc-torate from Carnegie-Mellon. Over theyears, he held positions at the Institutefor Advanced Study, the University ofMichigan, and finally at Harvard Univer-sity, where he was a professor for 40 years.Bott’s achievements were recognized byway of many awards, including the Na-tional Medal of Science, the Wolf Prize,the AMS Oswald Veblen Prize, and theAMS Steele Prize for Lifetime Achieve-ment. An extended interview with Bottappeared in the April 2001 issue of theNotices of the AMS and is available onlineat http://www.ams.org/ams/fea-bott.pdf.
awarded annually to U.S. students in sci-ence, math, and engineering, and in-crease the number of those students whobecome K–12 science and math teach-ers.”
According to Education Week (14 Decem-ber, 2005), one session at the Summit fea-tured the results of a survey of middleschool students conducted by RaytheonCompany. More than 80 percent of thestudents surveyed said they would ratherclean their rooms, take out the garbageor go to the dentist than do their mathhomework. More than 40 percent saidthey have trouble understanding math.
For more information on the Summit,visit them on the web at http://www.usinnovation.org.
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FOCUS February 2006
Prizes and Awards at the San Antonio Joint Mathematics Meetings
Many prizes and awards were announced at the Joint Prize Session held on Friday, January 13 at the San Antonio JointMeetings. With a large audience at hand, the presidents of the MAA, AMS, and AWM announced their prizes and gave thewinners the opportunity to respond. In this and the following pages, we present a summary of the session. The complete awardsbooklet, including citations, biographical information, and responses from the winners can be found online at http://www.maa.org/news/. Information on the AMS prizes is online at http://www.ams.org/new-in-math/press/.
MAA Prizes
Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or UniversityTeaching of Mathematics
Jacqueline Dewar Keith Stroyan Judy Leavitt Walker
Jacqueline Dewar has taught at LoyolaMarymount University in Los Angelesfor almost 32 years. During this time, asthe Haimo citation states, her “enthusi-asm, extraordinary energy, and clarity ofthought have left a deep imprint on stu-dents, colleagues, her campus, and amuch larger mathematical community.”Dewar has been deeply involved in sev-eral teacher education initiatives, in re-search on mathematics teaching andlearning, and she has put new ideas intopractice with great success. At LMU shehas introduced several “laboratory”courses, ranging from Mathematics forElementary Teachers to a Workshopcourse aimed at first-year mathematicsmajors. The latter course helps introducestudents to mathematics and is often acrucial factor in retaining them in themajor and helping them succeed. Dewaris now involved in a new project calledScience Education for New Civic Engage-ments and Responsibilities, redesigningcore mathematics courses with a view toenhancing students’ quantitative literacy.
Keith Stroyan has taught at the Uni-versity of Iowa for over 30 years. He wasa pioneer in the introduction of technol-ogy and computers into calculus courses,but he does not use these tools merely todraw pretty pictures or to allow studentsto avoid learning to compute. Instead, hefocuses on a concrete, experiential ap-proach, “using computer projects to en-gage teams of students in investigatingconcrete applications of mathematics.”One of his projects, for example, asks stu-dents to investigate the question: “Whydid we eradicate polio by vaccination, butnot measles?” Since he uses teaching as-sistants in this course, Stroyan has alsotrained many graduate and undergradu-ate students in this style of teaching, thusextending the influence of his ideas.Stroyan was, of course, deeply involvedin the “calculus reform” movement, re-ceived grants to develop materials, andwritten textbooks, all of which empha-size the role of mathematics as “the lan-guage of science.” See also Stroyan’s ar-ticle in this issue, page 8.
Judy Walker joined the faculty at theUniversity of Nebraska – Lincoln in 1996;in a few short years has already had sig-nificant impact on both her institutionand the larger mathematical community.Students “testify that her courses areamong the most demanding they everhad, yet consistently praise her ability toguide the direction of a class throughquestions.” She created a first-year semi-nar for non-majors, The Joy of Numbers:Search for Big Primes, which was lateradapted for use with elementary andmiddle-school teachers also. The courseleads students to discover number theoryfor themselves; after class, Walker pro-duces a report on what has been achievedby the students that day. At the end ofthe semester, students receive a copy ofthe book they have helped write. Walkerhas also been deeply involved in the ALL
GIRLS/ALL MATH program aimed at highschool students, worked with under-graduate women mathematics students,and is currently working on a project fo-cused on mentoring graduate studentsthrough critical transitions.
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February 2006
Certificates of Meritorious Service
The Southwestern Section honoredWilliam Yslas Vélez of the University ofArizona for his long time service to theMAA and to the mathematics profession,noting in particular his “longstandingpassion” for “opening the doors to math-ematics and the sciences for under-rep-resented groups and attracting studentsto the mathematics major.” Vélez hasbeen tireless in this cause, and his workedhas been recognized nation-wide; forexample, in 1997 he received thePresident’s Award for Excellence in Sci-ence, Mathematics and EngineeringMentoring Program. As the citation says,his many contributions to the MAA andto mathematics as a whole “can be char-acterized as unselfish, generous, passion-ate, high quality and inspiring.”
The Iowa Section honored Cal VanNiewaal of Coe College, who has beenan active member of the section for al-most 25 years, serving as chair, newslet-ter editor, and liaison coordinator. Dur-ing much of this period he has been ei-ther a member of or an advisor to theExecutive Committee, providing strongleadership and valuable institutionalmemory.
Calvin (Cal) Van Niewaal
The Metropolitan New York Sectionrecognized Alan Tucker of the AppliedMathematics Department at SUNYStony Brook. Tucker has been involvedin all parts of the work of MAA since the1970s. He has served as both Chair andGovernor of his Section, but also as FirstVice-President of the Association and oncountless MAA committees. In his re-sponse, Tucker noted that both his fatherand his grandfather were presidents ofthe MAA, and that as he became involvedwith MAA committees he “learnedquickly why my father and grandfatherso enjoyed service with MAA.”
Alan Tucker
The Eastern Pennsylvania-DelawareSection (EPADEL) honored Kay Somersof Moravian College for her many yearsof service to the EPADEL section and tothe wider MAA community. Somers hasworked in both academia and industry,and this has given her a unique perspec-tive. She has held almost every office inthe section. Nationally, she has been onmany crucial committees, including theCommittee on Undergraduate StudentsActivities and Chapters and the Mem-bership Committee.
Kay Somers
Ivy Knoshaug
The North Central Section honored IvyKnoshaug of Bemidji State University,where she has played a leading role as ateacher and innovator. At the sectionlevel, she has held many different offices,and has become, as the citation says,“someone we all count on. She is one ofour stalwart members and personifiesour section at its best.”
Marjorie Enneking
The Pacific Northwest Section recog-nized Marjorie Enneking of PortlandState University. Enneking has held manydifferent offices in the section and hasbeen an active participant in sectionmeetings. After having spent some timeat NSF, she shared much valuable infor-mation with section members. She wasalso involved with the Section’s NExTprogram during its early years, servingas a consultant. “Her voluminous servicerecord and accomplishments are of thehighest order.”
William Yslas Vélez
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The Beckenbach Book Prize, established in 1986, is the successor to the MAA BookPrize which was established in 1982. This prize is awarded to an author of a distin-guished, innovative book published by the MAA. The winning book is an introduc-tion to combinatorial proofs and counting arguments. “Few mathematicians are im-mune to the limpid charms of a clever counting argument,” says the citation, notingthat such charms are in abundant display in the book by Benjamin and Quinn. “Thereis something here for every fan of counting. For example, do you know how manyodd numbers there are in the 76th row of Pascal’s Triangle? Do you know whathappens when you reverse the order of the terms in a finite continued fraction?Proofs That Really Count illustrates in a magical way the pervasiveness and power ofcounting techniques throughout mathematics. It is one of those rare books that willappeal to the mathematical professional and seduce the neophyte.”
Beckenbach Prize
Proofs That Really Count
Arthur Benjamin and Jennifer Quinn
The Yueh-Gin Gung and Dr. CharlesY. Hu Award for Distinguished Serviceto Mathematics is the most prestigiousaward made by the Association. Thisaward, consisting of a cash prize of$4000, a citation, and recognition by theAmerican mathematics community, wasfirst given in 1990. The Yueh-Gin Gungand Dr. Charles Y. Hu Award is the suc-cessor to the Award for DistinguishedService to Mathematics, awarded since1962, and has been made possible by thelate Dr. Hu and his wife, Yueh-Gin Gung.It is worth noting that Dr. Hu was not amathematician. He was a retired profes-sor of geology at the University of Mary-land. He had such strong feelings aboutthe basic nature of mathematics and itsimportance in all human endeavors thathe felt impelled to contribute generouslyto our discipline.This year’s award wentto Hyman Bass, who is currently theRoger Lyndon Collegiate Professor ofMathematics and Professor of Math-ematics Education at the University ofMichigan. A complete citation and biog-raphy will appear in the March issue ofthe American Mathematical Monthly.
Yueh-Gin Gung andDr. Charles Y. Hu
Award for DistinguishedService to Mathematics
Hyman Bass
Chauvenet Prize
Florian Pfender and Günter M. Ziegler
The Chauvenet Prize is awarded at the Annual Meeting of the Association to theauthor of an outstanding expository article on a mathematical topic by a member ofthe Association. This year’s winning article is Pfender and Ziegler’s paper on “Kiss-ing Numbers, Sphere Packings, and Some Unexpected Proofs” (Notices of the Ameri-can Mathematical Society, September 2004, pp. 873-883), which the citation describesas a “lucid and beautifully illustrated paper” that reports “on the history and progressof three classical packing problems in various dimensions: the kissing number prob-lem, the sphere packing problem, and the lattice packing problem.”
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February 2006
Frank and Brennie Morgan Prize for Outstanding Research inMathematics by an Undergraduate Student(Jointly awarded by MAA, AMS, and SIAM)
Jacob Fox
The winner of the 2005 Morgan Prize forOutstanding Research in Mathematics by anUndergraduate is Jacob Fox (previously JacobLicht). Fox is now in his fourth year of under-graduate studies at M.I.T. The award is basedon a most astounding collection of researchpapers by any undergraduate mathematician.Fox’s research is in three areas: Ramsey-typeproblems, rainbow patterns in colorings of theintegers or Z/mZ, and other problems in graphtheory (namely on discrepancy, clique num-ber, embedding, and diameter). Fox is an ex-cellent problem solver, passionately interestedin these subjects, driven by his love of math-ematics, his talents and his originality. He com-municates easily and frequently collaborateswith a variety of distinguished researchers. He
also frequently publishes alone. Fox’s research exhibits a formidable ability to get tothe heart of the issues in the problems at hand, and the ability to develop extremelyingenious and novel techniques. In addition to being able to solve problems posedby others, Fox has also excelled at finding topics all by himself, formulating novelconjectures and approaches to solutions. His accomplishments are shaping his areasof research, and are of extraordinary promise for the future.
Joint Policy Board for Mathematics Communications AwardSir Roger Penrose
The JPBM, whose members are MAA, AMS,SIAM, and ASA, created this award to honorthose who have made significant contribu-tions to public understanding of mathemat-ics. Sir Roger Penrose was honored “for thediscovery of Penrose tilings, which have cap-tured the public’s imagination, and for an ex-traordinary series of books that brought thesubject of consciousness to the public inmathematical terms.” Citing his books TheEmperor’s New Mind and The Road to Reality,JPBM noted that Penrose has made high-levelmathematical ideas accessible and relevant tothe general public. In his response, Penrosesaid, “Science in general, and mathematics inparticular, have grown to enormous propor-tions over the years, and over the centuries.Semi-popular expositions which give clear
and intuitive accounts of one area of work can be an invaluable aid to others whoseexpertise may lie in some area of science or mathematics which is far from that beingexplained. In my own experience, such accounts can have enormous value. If, as thisaward seems to imply, I have contributed, in some significant way, to the spreadingof scientific or mathematical knowledge and understanding, then I am indeed wellpleased.”
AMS Prizes
Award for DistinguishedPublic Service
Roger Howe
This award recognizes a research math-ematician who has made substantialcontributions to the mathematics pro-fession. Roger Howe was honored “forhis multifaceted contributions to math-ematics and to mathematics education.”Noting that Howe is a respected researchmathematician and professor at Yale, thecitation focuses on his leadership role inseveral national initiatives related to theteaching of mathematics and the math-ematical education of teachers. As the ci-tation notes, “Howe has worked dili-gently over the years to broaden and pro-fessionalize the involvement of a researchmathematician in educational reform.”Within the AMS, at the National Acad-emy of Science and the National Re-search Council, and in Connecticut,Howe has been involved and effective,earning the respect of mathematiciansand educators alike. Accepting the awardat the meeting, Howe remarked that helooks forward to the day in which work-ing on mathematics education would nolonger earn mathematicians an award for“public service,” but would instead beregarded as a normal part of a math-ematical career.
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This prize recognizes a paper or papers that made a significant or transformativeimpact on a whole area of research. Greene, Kruskal and Miura received the prize fortheir joint paper “Korteweg-deVries equation and generalizations. VI. Methods forexact solution,” (Comm. Pure Appl. Math. 27 (1974), 97–133), which the citationdescribes as “a fundamental paper in the theory of solitons, inverse scattering trans-forms, and nonlinear completely integrable systems. Before it, there was no generaltheory for the exact solution of any important class of nonlinear differential equa-tions,” but, as a result of the ideas in the paper, “nonlinearity has undergone a revolu-tion: from a nuisance to be eliminated, to a new tool to be exploited.” The photoabove shows, from left to right, Kruskal, Gardner, and Miura, who were present atthe meeting to accept the award. Emily A. Green accepted for John Green. Acceptingthe award, Kruskal noted that their paper was written in 1974, and asked “why did ittake thirty years?”
Leroy P. Steele Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research
Clifford S. Gardner, John M. Greene, Martin D. Kruskal,
and Robert M. Miura
George David Birkhoff Prize inApplied Mathematics
Cathleen Synge Morawetz
This prize, established in 1967 in honorof George David Birkhoff, is awarded bythe AMS and SIAM for an outstandingcontribution to “applied mathematics inthe highest and broadest sense.” Thisyear’s prize went to Cathleen SyngeMorawetz for her deep and influentialwork in partial differential equations,most notably in the study of shock waves,transonic flow, scattering theory, andconformally invariant estimates for thewave equation.
Frank Nelson Cole Prize in Algebra
János Kollár
The 2006 Cole Prize in Algebra was awarded to JánosKollár of Princeton University for his outstandingachievements in the theory of rationally connected va-rieties and for his illuminating work in which he foundcounter examples to a well-known conjecture of Nash.Accepting the award, Kollar noted that it was somewhatremarkable to receive a prize in algebra for work thatwas essentially in topology and geometry.
Leroy P. Steele Prize forMathematical Exposition
Lars V. Hörmander
The Leroy Steele Prize for Expositionwent to Lars V. Hörmander for his four-volume work on The Analysis of LinearPartial Differential Operators, “a compen-dium of practically all of the exciting de-velopments that occurred in the theoryof linear partial differential equationsand in the area of microlocal analysis inthe period 1960–1985.” Recently re-printed by Springer, this work is a shin-ing example of exposition that does notsimply recount known results, but ratherre-envisions the whole field in a “pro-found and masterful” way.
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February 2006
F. W. Gehring was honored for his fifty-year careerduring which he was a leader in the study of quasi-conformal mappings. The central theorem in the two-dimensional theory was proved by him, and his workis also the foundation of the higher-dimensionaltheory. Through his papers and his work with his 29doctoral students, he has had a deep influence on manyareas of mathematics. In his response, Gehring said thathe had learned a lot from his students and from post-doctoral fellows who had worked with him: “Indeed Iwould feel quite remiss in accepting this award with-out acknowledging how much I owe to them. So now Ithank you for this award which I accept in their namesalso.”
Dennis Sullivan received the lifetime achievementaward in honor of his many contributions to math-ematics. The citation notes that Sullivan “has rein-vented himself many times,” deeply influencing (evenshaping the development of) homotopy theory, low-dimensional topology, the study of Kleinian groups,and dynamical systems. The citation adds that “Thesebrief remarks do not do justice to the scope of Sullivan’sideas and influence. Beyond the specific theories he hasdeveloped and the problems he has solved — and thereare many significant ones not mentioned here — hisuniform vision of mathematics permeates his work andhas inspired those around him.”
Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime AchievementFrederick W. Gehring
Dennis P. Sullivan
Levi L. Conant Prize
Ronald M. Solomon
The Levi Conant Prize for the best ex-pository paper in either the Notices or theBulletin of the AMS went to RonaldSolomon for his paper “A Brief Historyof the Classification of the Finite SimpleGroups,” Bulletin of the AMS 38 (2001),no. 3, 315–352. The citation describes thepaper as “a remarkable overview of thework on the classification problem, fromits inception in an 1893 paper by OttoHölder to the recent two-volume proofof the final theorem by MichaelAshbacher and Stephen Smith.”
AWM Prizes
Alice T. Schafer Prize forExcellence in Mathematics by an Undergraduate Woman
Alexandra Ovetsky
Alexandra Ovetsky, a senior at Princeton Universityis also a Goldwater scholar and the recipient of thePrinceton mathematics department’s Andrew H.Brown Prize for outstanding research in mathematicsas a junior. Her coauthored paper “Surreal dimensions”has been published in Advances in Applied Mathemat-ics. Ovetsky was a participant in the REU program atthe University of Minnesota at Duluth, where she did“professional-level” work in graph theory. The citationquotes one of her recommenders as saying that “Shealready has the research capabilities of an advancedgraduate student or junior faculty member.”
The purpose of this award is to recog-nize outstanding achievements in anyarea of mathematics education. PatKenschaft received the award for her ex-tensive work on all aspects of mathemat-ics education, and especially for her workon equity and environmental issues.
Louise Hay Award for Contribu-tions to Mathematics Education
Patricia Clark Kenschaft
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Another Game Theorist Receives theNobel in Economics
We completely missed the fact thatone of the winners of the 2005 NobelPrize in Economics is Robert J. Aumann,a game theorist who received the award“for having enhanced our understandingof conflict and cooperation throughgame theory analysis.” Aumann receivedhis PhD from the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology in 1955, with a thesis inknot theory. He then went to Princeton,where he learned about game theory,which was just beginning to be developedand to which he made crucial contribu-tions over his fifty-year career. Aumannis now Professor of Mathematics and amember of the Interdisciplinary Centerfor Rationality at the Hebrew Universityof Jerusalem. See the January 2006 issueof the Notices of the AMS for an exten-sive profile.
One Hundred Top Theorems
Nathan W. Kahl, a graduate student inmathematics at Stevens Institute of Tech-nology, has created a web site about “TheHundred Greatest Theorems” as listed in1999 by Paul and Jack Abad. The site liststhe theorems and provides links to theirstatements and proofs (when available)and to historical information on theirfirst discoverers (when known). You cansee the site at http://personal.stevens.edu/~nkahl/Top100Theorems.html. Let thesecond-guessing begin.
NSF Funds Research on the Impactof Curricula
NSF is interested in funding projects thatassess the impact and effectiveness ofhigh school mathematics curricula. Onesuch project is COSMIC (which standsfor Comparing Options in SecondaryMathematics: Investigating Curriculum),at the University of Missouri, which com-pares two curricula: Core Plus and themore traditional Algebra I/Geometry/Algebra II sequence. “The study will beconducted in schools using both ap-proaches but with different groups of stu-
dents. Student learning over a two-yearperiod will be tracked using standardizedmeasures of achievement along with spe-cially designed measures to assess depthof knowledge, skills acquisition, concep-tual development, and disposition to-ward mathematics.” To read more aboutCOSMIC, visit their web site at http://cosmic.missouri.edu.
NRC to Assess Doctoral Programs
In November, the National ResearchCouncil launched its latest project to as-sess research doctoral programs in theUnited States. The NRC has made suchassessments before, in 1983 and 1995.The goals are: (1) to help universitiesimprove the quality of their programs byproviding benchmarks, and (2) to pro-vide potential students and the publicwith easily-accessible information on thequality of doctoral programs. The resultsof the assessment will be available in2007. See the project web site at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/resdoc formore information.
Tulane Mathematics DepartmentWill Survive
Tulane University, which is located inNew Orleans, was forced to close downfor a while and to undertake a drasticrestructuring before reopening for theSpring 2006 semester. Tulane’s president,Scott S. Cowen, announced that the uni-versity would cut down on the numberof its programs and that in particularseveral PhD programs would be closeddown. This, said Cowen, would allow theuniversity to recover financially and toinvest in specific areas of strength. Thegood news for mathematics is that theTulane Mathematics Department waschosen as one of those areas of strengthand will retain all of its faculty. In a let-ter posted on the AMS web site, MorrisKalka, the chair of the department, saidthat the department expects to have ac-cess to added resources for the next fewyears and asked for the support of themathematical community. See the letterat http://www.ams.org/ams/Tulane-
update.pdf. For more information on theTulane recovery plan, check http://renewal.tulane.edu/.
Post-Doc Offers to Be Coordinated
A group of American mathematics de-partments have adopted an agreementto coordinate their deadlines forpostdoctoral job offers. The agreementspecifically excludes tenure-track offers,applying only to postdoctoral positionsfor candidates who are up to two yearspast their PhD. The agreement also in-cludes NSF, which has agreed to notifyrecipients of NSF Postdoctoral Fellow-ships in Mathematics no later than Feb-ruary 8, 2006. Departments have agreednot to require responses to their post-doc offers before February 13, 2006. Alist of departments that have signed onto the agreement can be found at http://www.ams.org/employment/postdoc-offers.html. It is not clear whether theagreement will be renewed in followingyears.
Sources. Nobel Prize: Notices of the AMS.Top 100 Theorems: Ryan Adams. COS-MIC: press release from University ofMissouri. NRC: NAS “What’s New”email circular. Tulane: AMS “Headlinesand Deadlines,” Tulane web site. Post-docs: AMS “Headlines and Deadlines.”
Short Takes
Compiled by Fernando Q. Gouvêa
Looking for Math in
All the Wrong Places
FOCUS is looking for contributions forour “Found Math” series, which featuresinteresting, creative, unusual, or just plainwrong appearances of mathematics in themedia. If you see something that mightfit, send it to us, with or without yourwitty comments.
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February 2006
The American Mathematical Society(AMS) has created two new awards thatseek to recognize particularly effectivemathematics programs and depart-ments. The first of these, established in2004 but awarded this year for the firsttime, is the Award for an Exemplary Pro-gram or Achievement in a MathematicsDepartment. Harvey Mudd College wasselected for this award. The citation, re-printed below, notes the extraordinarysuccess that the Harvey Mudd Math-ematics Department has had over manyyears.
The second award, called MathematicsPrograms that Make a Difference, was alsogiven for the first time this year. It seeksto recognize programs that “(1) aim tobring more persons from under-repre-sented minority backgrounds into someportion of the pipeline beginning at theundergraduate level and leading to anadvanced degree in mathematics, or re-tain them in the pipeline; (2) haveachieved documentable success in doingso; and (3) are replicable models.” Twosuch programs will be recognized eachyear. This year’s awards went to the Sum-mer Institute in Mathematics for Under-graduates (SIMU), an REU programconducted at the Universidad de PuertoRico, Humacao, from 1998 to 2002, andto the graduate program in the Depart-ment of Mathematics at the Universityof Iowa. Both programs were recognizedfor their effective work in bringing un-der-represented groups into the math-ematics community. The full citation isreproduced below.
Despite being listed in the official awardsbooklet, neither award was actuallyawarded at the Joint Meetings. Some ofus in attendance, who were looking for-ward to applauding the winning pro-gram and departments, were a littlepuzzle by this decision. Nevertheless wecongratulate our colleagues at HarveyMudd, the Puerto Rico REU Program,and the University of Iowa.
Citation for Harvey Mudd College
The first Award for an Exemplary Pro-gram or Achievement in a MathematicsDepartment is presented to HarveyMudd College in Claremont, California.The Mathematics Department at HarveyMudd College excels in numerous di-mensions. Its exciting programs have ledto a doubling of the number of mathmajors over the last decade. Currentlymore than one out of every six graduat-ing seniors at Harvey Mudd College ma-jors in mathematics or in new joint ma-jors of mathematics with computer sci-ence or mathematical biology. Further-more, about 60% of these math majorscontinue their education at the graduatelevel.
The Harvey Mudd College MathematicsClinic has served as a trailblazer and amodel for other programs for more thanthirty years. This innovative programconnects teams of math majors with real-world problems, giving students a terrificresearch experience as well as a glimpseat possible future careers. Undergradu-ate research is a theme throughout themathematics program at Harvey MuddCollege, as exemplified by the overtwenty papers published in the last threeyears by Harvey Mudd College math-ematics faculty with student co-authors.
The Harvey Mudd College MathematicsDepartment promotes the pleasures ofmathematics to non-majors so well thatmany non-majors participate in theweekly Putnam Seminar on problemsolving, leading to an unusually largenumber of Harvey Mudd students tak-ing the Putnam Exam each year. ThePutnam Seminar’s work has producedconsistently outstanding performancesin the Putnam Exam, with Harvey Muddranking in the top ten nationwide in2001, 2002, and 2003 (and just missingin 2004 with an eleventh-place finish).Amazingly, Harvey Mudd mathematicsstudents have won 19 NSF fellowshipsover the last six years.
The Harvey Mudd College MathematicsDepartment also devotes serious efforttoward outreach to low-income andunderrepresented minority communi-ties. This work includes programs aimedat stimulating interest in mathematicsand science in a local high school in alow-income area. The department alsoruns a workshop in Jamaica for Jamai-can high school mathematics teachers,focusing on creative methods for teach-ing mathematics.
The mathematics community is fortu-nate to have Harvey Mudd Collegepresent such an outstanding example ofan exemplary program in a mathemat-ics department.
Citation for Mathematics ProgramsThat Make a Difference
This year the AMS recognizes the Sum-mer Institute in Mathematics for Under-graduates (SIMU) REU program con-ducted at the Universidad de Puerto Rico,Humacao, from 1998 to 2002, and thegraduate program in the Department ofMathematics at the University of Iowa.Both of these programs have made sig-nificant, successful efforts to encourageunderrepresented minorities to continuein the study of mathematics.
Summer Institute in Mathematics forUndergraduatesUniversidad de Puerto Rico, Humacao
The goal of SIMU was to increase thenumber of Latinos/as and Native Ameri-cans earning graduate degrees and pur-suing careers in the mathematical sci-ences. Junior and senior undergraduatestudents who were Hispanic/Latino/aand Native American U.S. citizens or per-manent residents spent six weeks on thecampus of the Universidad de PuertoRico, Humacao. During the program,students were able to participate in amathematics seminar and to attend a se-ries of colloquium talks, complete anundergraduate research project, and
Harvey Mudd College, Puerto Rico REU Program, and University of
Iowa Win AMS Awards
By Fernando Q. Gouvêa
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learn about the skills and techniquesneeded for research careers. Later, stu-dents had opportunities to present theirwork at a SACNAS conference and theJoint Mathematics Meetings and to con-tinue the mentoring relationships devel-oped during the summer experience.
The program has been highly successfulin meeting its goal. During five summers,107 students participated in the program.Polls conducted after the program wasover indicated that 92% of the studentsnow wished to pursue a graduate degreein mathematics or science. Forty-four ofthese students have been accepted intomathematics Ph.D. programs; three havecompleted Ph.D.s in mathematics andone student has completed a Ph.D. inphysics. Twenty-one participants havecompleted masters degrees in mathemat-ics.
The AMS commends the high level of com-mitment that the two program codirectors,Hebert A. Medina (Loyola MarymountUniversity) and Ivelisse Rubio(Universidad de Puerto Rico, Humacao),have made to produce these remarkableresults.
Graduate ProgramDepartment of MathematicsUniversity of Iowa
In 1995, the Department of Mathemat-ics at the University of Iowa made a longterm commitment to substantially in-crease the number of its U.S. graduatestudents from underrepresented minor-ity groups (African American, Latino/a,and Native American U.S. citizens andpermanent residents). Specific aspects ofthe ongoing program include a three-week intensive Summer Institute for in-coming students, faculty mentoring forall students, peer mentoring at key pointsin the graduate career, and a new course,“Introduction to the graduate program.”In addition, the department has built tieswith several institutions, including agroup of Historically Black Colleges andUniversities, the Mathematics and Theo-retical Biology Institute for undergradu-ates at Arizona State University, and aconsortium of mathematics departmentsat 12 area colleges and universities.
The department’s underrepresented mi-nority graduate student population hasgrown from zero students in 1995 to
twenty-four students currently. The de-partment has done this while maintain-ing high average GRE scores and GPAsfor entering students. Eight of thedepartment’s U.S. minority students havebeen awarded Ph.D.s since 1998; in2004–2005, roughly 10% of the totalnumber of doctoral degrees awarded toU.S. minority students nationally inmathematics have been at the Universityof Iowa. The department projects that,out of an average of 12 Ph.D.s awardedeach year, three will be awarded to U.S.minority students for the foreseeable fu-ture. Creating a more supportive envi-ronment has helped other groups of stu-dents; for example, 41% of the graduatestudents in the department are nowwomen. Retention rates have increasedfor all students since the program hasbeen implemented.
Such impressive results occur only when anentire department makes a strong commit-ment to a program. The AMS commendsthe Department of Mathematics at theUniversity of Iowa for its successful effortsto improve the diversity of the professionof mathematics in the United States.
James G. Glimm of Stony Brook Uni-versity has been chosen as the President-Elect of the American Mathematical So-ciety (AMS). He will serve as President-Elect for one year, beginning February 1,2006, then become president of the AMSfor the following two years. Also electedwere Ruth M. Charney of Brandeis Uni-versity, as Vice-President, and John B.Conway of the University of Tennessee,as AMS Trustee. New members of theAMS Council, of the AMS EditorialBoards Committee, and the AMS Nomi-nating Committee were also chosen. Seehttp://www.ams.org/secretary/ams-elec-tion-results.html for the full election re-sults.
The Society for Industrial and AppliedMathematics (SIAM) elected new offic-ers. Cleve Moler, author of the originalversion of MATLAB and co-founder ofThe MathWorks, Inc., was elected to re-place current president MartinGolubitsky of the University of Houston.He will serve as President-Elect for oneyear beginning in January 2006, and thenbecome President in January 2007.Moler’s work has had enormous impacton applied and computational sciencethrough such software packages asMATLAB, LINPACK, and EISPACK. In1997, he was elected to the NationalAcademy of Engineering “for conceivingand developing widely used mathemati-cal software.” He has served on the SIAMCouncil, as SIAM Vice President at Large,on the SIAM Board of Trustees, and on
SIAM Elects New Officers
n u m e r o u sSIAM com-mittees. Alsoelected wereVice Presidentat Large DavidE. Keyes, Sec-retary L.Pamela Cook,and TrusteesTony F. Chan,Iain S. Duff,and NicholasJohn Higham. Ian Duff was then electedChair of the SIAM Board of Trustees. Seeht tp : / /www.s iam.org /about /news-siam.php for more about the SIAM elec-tions; for more information about Moler,see http://www.siam.org/about/news-siam.php?id=171.
AMS Elects New
Officers
Cleve Moler
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The Mathematical Association ofAmerica will hold its annual MathFest,Thursday, August 10, through Saturday,August 12, 2006 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The complete meetings program willappear in the April 2006 issue of FOCUS.This announcement is designed to alertparticipants about the contributed papersessions and their deadlines. Please notethat the days scheduled for these sessionsremains tentative.
The organizers listed below, solicit con-tributed papers pertinent to their ses-sions. Sessions generally limit presenta-tions to ten or fifteen minutes. Each ses-sion room contains an overhead projec-tor and screen. Persons needing addi-tional equipment should contact the or-ganizer of their session as soon as pos-sible, but no later than Tuesday, May 23,
2006.
Submission Procedures for Con-tributed Paper Proposals
To submit an abstract for MathFest 2006,go to http://abstracts.maa.org. The in-structions should be straightforward.You will have the option to save a draftof your abstract and return later to edit/complete and submit it, or submit it im-mediately. Once the abstract has beensubmitted, you will not be able to edit itlater, but you will be able to log into thesite at any time to preview your submit-ted abstract. The MAA will publish ab-stracts for the talks in the contributed
paper sessions.
An abstract should not be submitted tomore than one session. If your paper can-not be accommodated in the session forwhich it was submitted, unless you indi-cate otherwise, it will be automaticallyconsidered for the general contributedpaper session. In scheduling talks in thegeneral contributed paper session, pref-erence will be given to authors who havenot had a paper accepted in another ses-sion. Speakers will be limited to at mostone presentation in any given session and
to at most two contributed paper presen-tations over all. Abstracts must reach theMAA by Tuesday, May 23, 2006. Earlysubmissions are encouraged.
Contributed Paper Sessions
Current Issues inMathematics EducationThursday afternoonThis session invites papers exploringmathematics education courses for pre-service or in-service teachers. Topics ofinterest might include: novel deliverystyles or the use of new technology;online activities; courses aligned to na-tional or state standards; interactionswith local universities and/or school dis-tricts. Verification of techniques cited inthe MAA Study “Common Ground in K-12 Math Education” would also be of in-terest. Additionally, we welcome reportson assessment and the use of grants tosupport teacher training. It is hoped thata wide variety of presentations will pro-vide interest in topics related to math-ematics education.
Carol VobachUniversity of Houston-DowntownNancy LeveilleUniversity of Houston-Downtown
Examples that Use Abstract Algebra inOther Disciplines in MathematicsThursday afternoonThe interplay between the variousbranches of mathematics is arguably oneof the most appealing aspects of the pro-fession, and can also serve as a powerfulteaching tool. The history of mathemat-ics is replete with examples of this inter-play, each of which has helped mathema-ticians achieve a deeper perspective ontheir work. This session invites papers inwhich ideas from group theory, or moregenerally abstract algebra, are used toestablish results that do not necessarilybelong to the subject of algebra itself.Presentations may be on a new twist of afamiliar example such as the use of el-ementary properties of finite cyclicgroups to prove Fermat’s little theoremand Euler’s generalization of it, or some-
thing new. The examples should be pre-sented in such a way that they can be usedto supplement lectures and exercises inabstract algebra or related undergradu-ate courses for the purpose of giving stu-dents the opportunity to strengthen theirappreciation for the interconnectednessof mathematics.
Tyler J. EvansHumboldt State University
Promoting Integrative Learning inMathematics throughLearning CommunitiesThursday afternoonThis session invites presenters to contrib-ute to the scholarship of teaching andlearning in mathematics by sharing theirexperiences in initiating a learning com-munity (LC) during the last three years.Presenters should identify the theme, thepartner disciplines, and the course clus-ters in their LC, plus briefly address theadministrative structuring of the stu-dents time and credit, as well as the fac-ulty member’s time and workload. Pre-senters should describe the cohort of stu-dents who participated in the LC, andaddress these questions: What math-ematics learning outcomes were stated inthe course syllabus? What educationalexperiences or tasks were used to pro-mote each of these learning outcomes?What methods of assessment were usedto measure student achievement of themathematics learning outcomes andwhy? How do you interpret the resultsof the assessment? What changes in theLC design or assessment would you liketo make for the future?
Donna Beers, Simmons College
Gödel’s Contributions to the Founda-tions of Mathematics – A 100th Anni-versary CommemorationThursday afternoonSince 2006 marks the 100th anniversaryof the birth of Kurt Gödel, this sessioninvites papers on his contributions to thefoundations of mathematics. Possibletopics might include: an outline of thesituation before Gödel’s results; Gödel’sresults, and their interpretations and ap-plications in mathematics; their impli-cations in computer science and otherareas; consideration of what questions in
Call for Papers
Contributed Paper Sessions at MathFest 2006
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the foundations of mathematics have notyet been resolved; or any other topics re-lated to Kurt Gödel.
Linda BecerraUniversity of Houston-DowntownRon BarnesUniversity of Houston-Downtown
Mathematics and Sports and GamesThursday afternoonMathematics has long been used to studyvarious sports. Likewise, various gamessuch as Bridge, Chess and Poker makeextensive use of mathematics. In turn,applications from these fields presentinteresting examples that can be used inteaching Calculus, Probability, Statistics,Differential Equations and other courses.
Howard Penn, U.S. Naval AcademyE. Lee May, Salisbury University
What Can We Do to Help Our Fresh-men See That There is More to Math-ematics Than Calculus?Friday afternoonA large part of any new college freshmanclass has been calculused to death. Muchof their time in high school mathemat-ics classes has been devoted to coveringcertain material “because it is needed incalculus.” As a result, when they finallyencounter calculus as high school seniorsor as college freshmen – or perhaps both– they feel they have reached the end ofa long journey. And they may feel slightlylet down by what they have seen. Theydo not realize that they are not at the endbut only at the beginning of the real jour-ney. We have to let our incoming studentsknow as soon as possible what is outthere and why the study of mathematicscan in fact be exciting. This session pro-vides faculty whose departments havehad success in presenting “somethingdifferent” to first year students with anopportunity to share what they havedone with their colleagues. Papers pre-sented at this session should discuss whatis being done, how long it has been go-ing on, what has worked and what hasnot worked, and how successful the ap-proach has been.
Richard J. MaherLoyola University Chicago
Fun and Innovative Teaching Tech-niques for an Abstract Algebra ClassFriday afternoonAbstract Algebra is, in many cases, oneof the first “rigorous proofs” courses thatan undergraduate student will take. Asits name suggests, Abstract Algebra isalso one of the most abstract mathclasses that an undergraduate studentwill take. Consequently, students cometo the class fearful and stressed. They fearthat they will not be able to make thetransition from computation to proof.At the same time, the professor is anx-ious about not reaching the students andabout not being able to teach the coursein a way that grabs their attention. In thissession, we invite colleagues that willpresent fun and innovative ways ofteaching some of the topics in an Ab-stract Algebra course. The presenter mayeither introduce one teaching method heor she uses for an Abstract Algebracourse and then do a brief mock classsession with the audience serving as thestudents, or he or she may present a sum-mary of several innovative techniques heor she has used over one semester. Wehope that this session will provide theaudience with valuable tools that theycan then use in their Abstract Algebracourse.
Sharon M. ClarkePepperdine UniversityAndrew HetzelTennessee Technological University
Mathematics and Popular CultureFriday afternoonReferences to mathematics in popularculture can reveal, reflect, and even shapehow society views mathematics. One waythat mathematics and popular cultureinteract is through Hollywood. Com-puter animators for blockbuster film-makers like Pixar use mathematical al-gorithms in their work. In addition, tele-vision series such as Numb3rs and Me-dium, and movies like A Beautiful Mind,Ice Princess, and Proof offer varied por-trayals of people with mathematical tal-ent. In the classroom, using popular cul-ture can be a powerful technique for en-gaging diverse audiences. Capitalizing onstudent enjoyment of popular culturecan alleviate math anxiety, energize shyand quiet students, and provide a cre-
ative introduction to an in-depth studyof the related mathematics. This sessioninvites presentations on all aspects relatedto mathematics and popular culture, in-cluding music, movies, television, art-work, and other media. Presentationscould focus on how mathematics ischanging Hollywood and movies, or howpopular culture can be used to under-stand the way society views mathemati-cians and their mathematics. Conversely,presentations could focus on how ap-pearances of and references to math-ematics in popular culture have beenused creatively and effectively in math-ematics courses to reduce math anxietyand motivate students to explore signifi-cant mathematics.
Sarah J. GreenwaldAppalachian State UniversityChristopher GoffUniversity of the Pacific
Attracting and Retaining Students toMathematics Programs via OutreachFriday afternoonThe migration away from the science,technology, engineering and mathemat-ics (STEM) fields starts in middle schooland continues until the undergraduateyears. We risk our nation’s leadership rolein the high technology society we havedeveloped if the declining college enroll-ments in STEM subjects remain un-checked. This session seeks to highlightinnovative outreach programs from thehigher education institutes to stir inter-est in mathematics as well as STEM fieldsand innovative programs to retain stu-dents in mathematics programs. The pre-senters may illustrate: Summer or yeararound programs with middle schools,Summer or year around programs forhigh schools, Bridge programs, Retentionprograms in the higher education forcurrently enrolled students. It is hopedthat presenters will include the impact ofthe programs measured by the statisticaldata.
Sangeeta GadUniversity of Houston-Downtown
Advances in Recreational MathematicsSaturday afternoonThere have been many recent advancesin recreational mathematics, some of
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which have involved the use of comput-ers. This session is designed to give youan opportunity to explain your recentwork in the field. While the organizersencourage submissions that involve com-puters, that is not at all essential for con-sideration. For the purposes of this ses-sion, the definition of recreational math-ematics will be a broad one. The primaryguideline used to determine suitability ofsubject will be the understandability ofthe mathematics. For example, if themathematics in the paper is commonlyfound in graduate programs, then itwould probably be considered unaccept-able. Novel applications as well as newapproaches to old problems are welcome.Examples of use of the material in theundergraduate classroom are encour-aged.
Paul R. CoeDominican UniversityWilliam T. ButterworthDePaul University
The Best Approximation of a Good Nu-merical Methods CourseSaturday afternoonA good numerical methods course walksa fine line in covering numerical meth-ods in enough detail to give students anappreciation of the strengths and weak-nesses associated with a numericalmethod without a formal treatment ofnumerical analysis. A well chosen ex-ample, or application, will often providea wonderful insight on a numericalmethod. This session seeks materials andmodules that illustrate the grand ben-efits, or the serious pitfalls, when oneemploys numerical methods. Preferencewill be given to materials that are gearedfor students at the junior or senior level,however all levels are welcome.
Kyle RileySouth Dakota School ofMines & Technology
Research into Practice: TheTeaching and Learning ofUndergraduate MathematicsSaturday afternoonThe SIGMAA on RUME invites contri-butions that address research issues con-cerning the teaching and learning of un-
dergraduate mathematics. This sessionwill be devoted to expositions of researchresults and uses of research (RUME) inteaching. Priority will be given to pro-posals that include summaries of re-search results together with implicationsfor the classroom, or specific examplesdescribing how research results have in-formed instruction in actual collegeclassrooms. Proposals should clearly de-scribe the research and the classroomaspects of the presentation, as well as therelationship between them.
William MartinNorth Dakota State UniversityChris RasmussenSan Diego State UniversityMichael OehrtmanArizona State University
Mathematical Modeling, Projects, andDemonstrations that Enhance a Differ-ential Equations CourseSaturday afternoonDifferential equations is a diverse math-ematical field that affords educators agreat deal of flexibility in terms of con-tent. The course can be highly theoreti-cal, applied, or a combination of each.This session invites novel projects, labs,or class demonstrations that enhance adifferential equations course eitherthrough the facilitation of mathematicaltheory or exposure to interdisciplinaryfields. New and interesting applications,mathematical modeling projects, or casestudies are encouraged, especially thosethat require computational or qualitativetechniques. Demonstrations may be vir-tual, physical or mathematical and couldinclude, but are not limited to, novelproofs, mathlets, or physical demonstra-tions.
William P. FoxFrancis Marion University
General Contributed Paper SessionThursday, Friday,and Saturday afternoonPapers may be presented on any math-ematically related topic. This session isdesigned for papers that do not fit intoone of the other sessions. Papers that fitin into one of the other sessions should
be sent to that organizer, not to this ses-sion.
Charles AshbacherKirkwood Community CollegeSarah J. MabroukFramingham State College
CALL FOR STUDENT
PAPERS
Students who wish to present at theMAA Student Paper Sessions at MathFest2006 in Knoxville, Tennessee must beMAA members and must be sponsoredby a faculty advisor familiar with thework to be presented.
Some funding to cover transportationcosts (up to $600) for student presentersis available, with at most one studentfunded from each institution. Travelfunds are limited, and will be allocatedas papers are accepted, so early applica-tion is encouraged. The deadline for re-ceipt of applications is Friday, June 23,2006. Students who receive funding forthe Knoxville meeting are expected totake full part in the meeting and attendactivities sponsored for students on allthree days of the conference.
Nomination forms and more detailedinformation for the MAA Student PaperSessions will be available atwww.maa.org/students/undergrad/ byMarch 1, 2006.
Pi Mu Epsilon student speakers must benominated by their chapter advisors.Application forms for PME studentspeakers can be found on the PME website www.pme-math.org or can be ob-tained from PME Secretary-Treasurer,Dr. Leo Schneider [email protected]. A PMEstudent speaker who attends all the Pi MuEpsilon activities is eligible for transpor-tation reimbursement up to $600, and upto five speakers per Chapter may be eli-gible for full or partial reimbursement.The deadline for receipt of abstracts isFriday, June 23, 2006.
Students may not apply for funding fromboth MAA and PME.
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Mathematics AdvancedStudy Semesters (MASS)
Department of Mathematics of thePenn State University runs a yearlysemester-long intensive program forundergraduate students seriously in-terested in pursuing career in mathe-matics. MASS is held during the fallsemester of each year. For most ofits participants, the program is as aspring board to graduate schools inmathematics. The participants areusually juniors and seniors.
The MASS program consists of threecore courses (4 credits each), Seminar(3 credits) and Colloquium (1 credit),fully transferable to the participants’home schools. The core courses of-fered in 2006 are:
• Finite fields and applications
(G. Mullen),
• Aspects of symmetry: from rep-
resentations to Quantum Field
Theory (A. Ocneanu),
• Mathematical theory of waves
(A. Bressan).
Applications for fall semester of2006 are accepted now.
Financial arrangements:
Successful applicants are awardedPenn State MASS Fellowship whichreduces their tuition to the in-statelevel. Applicants who are US citi-zens or permanent residents receiveNSF MASS Fellowship which cov-ers the balance of tuition, room andboard and travel to and from PennState. Applicants with outstandingprevious record are awarded addi-tional MASS Merit Fellowship. Par-ticipants who significantly exceed ex-pectations during the program will beawarded MASS Performance Fellow-
ships at the end of the semester.
For complete information, see
http://www/math/psu.edu/masse-mail to [email protected] call (814)865-8462
The University of Mary WashingtonMathematics SearchLecturer of MathematicsThe University of Mary Washington in-vites applications for a renewable termappointment position as a Lecturer tobegin fall 2006. Candidates must have aMasters in Mathematics in hand by Au-gust 15, 2006. The department seeks anindividual to teach lower level courses inmathematics and statistics, who is alsointerested in coordinating instruction inour general education courses. The nor-mal teaching load is 12 hours per semes-ter. Participation in departmental anduniversity-wide service is expected.Please send letter of application, vita, let-ters of reference, and graduate transcripts
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
VIRGINIA
The Chief of Staff will serve as direc-tor of human resources and managerof the Executive Office. Duties includemanagement and support of staff of 40,benefits administration, oversight andcoordination of the administrativefunctions of the Executive Director,drafting policy statements and organi-zational reports, and managing otherprojects as needed. S/he will often rep-resent the Executive Director to vari-ous constituencies and committees andwill advise the Executive Director onpolicy, procedural and operational is-sues.
Candidates should hold a graduate de-gree in a relevant field (e.g., mathemat-ics, management, or public administra-tion) and at least three years of experi-
OPEN POSITION AT MAA HEADQUARTERS
CHIEF OF STAFF
ence in college/university or associa-tion administration. Excellent benefits,salary commensurate with credentialsand experience.
The Mathematical Association ofAmerica is the largest professional so-ciety that focuses on mathematics ac-cessible at the undergraduate level.Send cover letter, resume, and salaryhistory to:
Julie KramanAdministrative Services ManagerMathematical Association of America1529 18th Street NWWashington, DC [email protected]: 202-319-8466Fx: 202-387-5948
by 5 p.m. February 17, 2006 to Math-ematics Search Chair, Department ofMathematics, University of Mary Wash-ington, 1301 College Avenue,Fredericksburg, VA 22401-5358. Post-marks will not be honored. The Univer-sity of Mary Washington is a public, co-educational, liberal arts institution inFredericksburg, Virginia, fifty milessouth of Washington, D.C. Visit ourwebsite at www.umw.edu. In a continu-ing effort to enrich its academic environ-ment and provide equal educational andemployment opportunities, the Univer-sity of Mary Washington actively encour-ages women and minorities to apply.
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February 2006
AUGUST 10-12KNOXVILLE, TN
Date!Save
the
MathFest 2006MathFest 2006
The Mathematical Association of Americaw w w. m a a . o rg • 8 0 0 . 7 4 1 . 9 4 1 5
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The Mathematical Association of America1529 Eighteenth St., NWWashington, DC 20036
Periodicals Postage paid atWashington, DC and
additional mailing offices
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