MAA Sessions for Students

How to Think Brilliantly and Creatively in Mathematics: A Guide for K–12 Educators and Their Students, organized by Deanna Haunsperger, Carleton College; Saturday, 8:00 am–8:50 am. This lecture is a guide for thinking brilliantly and creatively in mathematics for K–12 educators, their students, and all seeking joyful mathematics doing. How do we model and practice uncluttered thinking and joyous doing in the classroom? Pursue deep understanding over rote practice and memorization? Develop the art of successful flailing? Our complex society demands of its next generation not only mastery of quantitative skills, but also the confidence to ask new questions, explore, wonder, flail, persevere, innovate, and succeed. Let’s not only send humans to Mars, let’s teach our next generation to solve problems and get those humans back if something goes wrong! In this talk, James Tanton, MAA, will explore five natural principles of mathematical thinking. We will all have fun seeing how school mathematical content is the vehicle for ingenuity and joy. All are so welcome to attend! The sponsor for this lecture is the MAA Council on Outreach.

High School Quadratics: How to Think About and Do Everything About Them Brilliantly and Creatively, organized by Deanna Haunsperger, Carleton College; Saturday, 9:15 am–10:45 am. Presenter, James Tanton, MAA, will now put brilliant and creative thinking practices into an actual high-school topic: the study of quadratics in algebra II. Let’s see how to bring the light and ease of joyful doing into this standard classroom unit. By letting go of a focus on jargon and memorization we can effectively help our students develop the confidence to “power their way” through questions and challenges; to engage in problem solving, and to develop the confidence to persevere. We can teach our students to be confident and agile thinkers and still master the curriculum they are required to know. This workshop will model the presentation of the entire standard quadratics content, illustrating how doing less leads to more! Sponsored by the MAA Council on Outreach.

Grad School Fair, Friday, 8:30 am–10:30 am. Here is the opportunity for undergrads to meet representatives from mathematical sciences graduate programs from universities all over the country. January is a great time for juniors to learn more, and college seniors may still be able to refine their search. This is your chance for one-stop shopping in the graduate school market. At last year’s meeting about 300 students met with representatives from 50 graduate programs. If your school has a graduate program and you are interested in participating, a table will be provided for your posters and printed materials for US\$75 (registration for this event must be made by a person already registered for the JMM), and you are welcome to personally speak to interested students. Complimentary coffee will be served. Co-sponsored by the the AMS and MAA.

MAA Lecture for Students, Friday, 1:00 pm– 1:50 pm, will be given by Robert Devaney, Boston University, on The Fractal Geometry of the Mandelbrot Set.

MAA Student Poster Session, organized by Joyati Debnath, Winona State University; Friday, 4:30 pm– 6:00 pm. This session features research done by undergraduate students. First-year graduate students are eligible to present if their research was completed while they were still undergraduates. Research by high school students can be accepted if the research was conducted under the supervision of a faculty member at a post-secondary institution.

Appropriate content for a poster includes, but is not limited to, a new result, a new proof of a known result, a new mathematical model, an innovative solution to a Putnam problem, or a method of solution to an applied problem. Purely expository material is not appropriate for this session.

Participants should submit an abstract describing their research in 250 words or less by midnight, Friday, October 9, 2015. Notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent by November 2, 2015. See www.maa.org/programs/students/undergraduate-research/jmm-student-poster-session for further information on what should be included in the abstract and a link to the abstract submission form.

Posters will be judged during the session and award certificates will be mailed to presenters with the highest scores. Trifold, self-standing 48" by 36" tabletop poster boards will be provided. Additional materials and equipment are the responsibility of the presenters. Participants must set up posters between 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm and must be available at their posters from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm. Judging will begin at 3:30 pm, and general viewing will begin at 4:30 pm. Judges results will be available at the MAA Pavilion in the Exhibit Hall the following day until the exhibits close.

Questions regarding this session should be directed to Joyati Debnath, jdebnath@winona.edu. Support for the 2016 Undergraduate Student Poster Session is provided by Tudor Investment Corporation and Two Sigma.

Radical Dash! The Radical Dash is a daily scavenger hunt filled with math challenges and creativity for teams of undergraduates. Every day up to five clues will be released via Instagram including a code to break, a mathematical brainteaser, a number of Instagram targets to find throughout the meeting, creative math artwork to fashion, and math to find in everyday objects. So, how quick are you on your feet at solving math problems? Can you picstitch? Would you like to create mathematical art? How about your brain being puzzled by a mathematician? If any of this sounds like fun to you, join us at the 2016 Joint Meetings of the MAA and AMS for the Radical Dash. Individuals are welcome and encouraged to participate; they will be formed into teams on site. Kickoff Meeting will be held on Wednesday, 5:15 pm-6:00 pm. The scavenger hunt will be on Thursday, 5:15 pm - 6:00 pm.

Other Sessions

More advanced students might be interested in these sessions listed elsewhere on this site: The Enjoyment of Employment: Finding the Right Organizational Culture, Wednesday, 2:15 pm–3:35 pm; YMN/Project NExT Poster Session, Wednesday at 2:15 pm; Finding a Thesis Topic and Advisor, Wednesday, 3:50 pm– 5:10 pm; Career Options for Undergraduates, Thursday, 10:35 am–11:55 am; Summer Research Programs, Thursday, 2:35 pm–3:55 pm. See the full descriptions in MAA Panels. You may also be interested in the CBMS–TPSE Math Panel Discussion: Recent Graduates, What we Wish we had Learned, Thursday, 9:00 am– 10:30 am; see the listing under Sessions of Other Organizations. Also see:

Joint Committee on Women Panel Discussion, Success in Graduate School (and the Rest of Your Life), organized by Patricia Hale, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Magnhild Lien, California State University, Northridge; and Bernd Sturmfels, University of California at Berkeley; Thursday, 1:00 pm–2:30 pm. There is anecdotal evidence that the rate of female participation in PhD programs in mathematics has been decreasing in recent years. This panel will explore a wide range of issues that may be relevant to the personal choices behind this trend. We focus on choosing a graduate program, and on life during and after graduate school. Specific topics, relevant for both women and men, include work/life balance, family planning, and career options. We especially welcome the participation of undergraduate students, who may be thinking about the pros and cons of going to graduate school: the panelists will be delighted to address your questions. Panelists will include Sara Billey, University of Washington, Seattle; Anastasia Chavez, University of California at Berkeley; Courtney Gibbons, Hamilton College; Abbe Herzig, SUNY at Albany; Candice Price, Sam Houston State University; and Ami Radunskaya, Pomona College. Sponsored by the Joint Committee on Women in the Mathematical Sciences.