MAA Invited Paper Sessions Descriptions
Fractal Geometry and Dynamics, Michel L. Lapidus, University of California Riverside, and Robert G. Niemeyer, University of New Mexico; Saturday, morning and afternoon. This session brings together a number of researchers interested in the intricate relationship between fractal geometry and dynamics. It will highlight the many ways fractal geometry is present in a variety of subfields of dynamical systems, especially complex dynamics. The talks will be mostly of an expository nature and therefore be accessible to a broad cross-section of the participants in the Joint Mathematics Meetings. This session accompanies the MAA Retiring Presidential Address by Robert Devaney.
The Mathematics of Rogers and Ramanujan, organized by Ken Ono, Emory University; Monday morning. Over 100 years ago, Rogers and Ramanujan independently derived two strange power series identities. We now know that these identities are related to so much beautiful mathematics: golden ratio, partitions in number theory, representation theory, conformal field theory, and so on. This session will include lectures by world experts on the history of these identities, and the beautiful theories that have been inspired by their simplicity and deeper meaning. This MAA Invited Paper Session accompanies the MAA Invited Address by Ken Ono.
The Mathematics of Planet Earth, Hans Kaper, Georgetown University and Mathematics and Climate Research Network, and Christiane Rousseau, University of Montreal; Sunday morning and afternoon. This session will explore several topics related to Mathematics of Planet Earth (MPE). They are chosen from celestial mechanics, ecology, and geophysics to illustrate the wide range of challenging mathematical problems encountered in MPE.
Mathematics and Voting Theory, Michael Jones, Mathematical Reviews; Tommy Ratliff, Wheaton College; and Russel Caflisch, UCLA; Tuesday morning. Election procedures may be viewed as functions from voters' preferences to an ordering of the candidates and can be used to elect a single winner or a subset of the candidates. The study of the properties and behavior of election procedures applies ideas from combinatorics, algebra, and geometry. Recent work has also focused on issues related to computational complexity and probability. The talks in this session will highlight the application of mathematics to voting theory at an accessible level. This session accompanies the MAA-AMS-SIAM Gerald and Judith Porter Public Lecture by Donald Saari.
Mathematical Techniques for Signature Discovery, Emilie Hogan and Paul Bruillard, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Saturday afternoon. A signature is a distinguishing measurement, pattern, or collection of data that identifies a phenomenon of interest. Signatures are ubiquitous in the sciences, for example: acoustic signals distinguish types of boats, biomarkers identify diseases, and fingerprints distinguish individuals. In this invited paper session we will survey various approaches to the signature discovery process. For example, manifold learning techniques are being used to identify bone and brain abnormalities in humans to aid in the diagnostic process. Sparse data representations are used to analyze and decompose hyperspectral images. Tensor decomposition techniques are being applied to gain insight into protein function and phylogeny. And genetic algorithms are being coupled with abstract algebra to extract features from arbitrary discrete data.
Recent Advances in Mathematical Modeling of the Environment and Infectious Diseases, Linda J. S. Allen, Texas Tech University; Saturday morning. The impact of environmental variation that accurately reflects the impact of changes on an ecological or epidemiological system has always been a challenge in mathematical modeling. Heterogeneity and variability of the environment has been incorporated in models in a variety of ways, through differential and difference equations that account for spatial patterns or temporal variation or through stochastic differential equations that account for random variation. In this session, some recent advances in model formulations and analyses that study environmental effects in unique ways in either deterministic or stochastic settings will be presented. Speakers will discuss, for example, models that include the impact of the environment on disease outbreaks, link the environment to disease dynamics at multiple scales, relate population extinction to stage-structure and the environment, and incorporate both demographic and environmental variability.
Making the Case for Faculty Relevance: Case Studies in Best Practices for Classroom Teaching, Martha Abell, Georgia Southern University; Monday morning. The MAA Committee on the Teaching of Undergraduate Mathematics (CTUM) is creating the first ever pedagogy guide for mathematical instruction at the post-secondary level in an effort to address the “how to teach” questions encountered in the development process for the CUPM Curriculum Guide. The purpose of this session is to highlight several areas that will be included in the Pedagogy Guide.