AMS :: 2002 Joint Math Meetings - MAA Minicourses

MAA Minicourses

#16
CANCELLED

Minicourses are open only to persons who register for the Joint Meetings and pay the Joint Meetings registration fee in addition to the appropriate minicourse fee. If the only reason for registering for the Joint Meetings is to gain admission to a minicourse, please make a notation on your registration form. If the minicourse is fully subscribed or cancelled, a full refund of the Joint Meetings advance registration fee (otherwise subject to the 50% rule) will be made. The MAA reserves the right to cancel any minicourse that is undersubscribed. Minicourses #1 and #2 are scheduled before the Joint Mathematics Meetings actually begin, so those interested must register in advance; there will be no on-site registration for #1 and #2. Click here for Registration and Housing Form.

Minicourse #1:Using interactive labs to explore abstract algebra topics, organized by Allen C. Hibbard, Central College, and Kenneth M. Levasseur, University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Part A: Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; Part B: Saturday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Using Mathematica, participants will become engaged in examining interactive laboratory activities focusing on groups, rings, and morphisms. The notebooks, designed for exploration and investigation of these structures, are intended to expand upon or motivate classroom discussions. No programming with Mathematica is necessary, since packages are read in that define the required functionality. (Minimal familiarity using the software is helpful, however.) A CD with our packages and notes will be distributed. For more information, go to http://www.central.edu/eaam.html. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30. N.B. Those interested must register in advance; there is no on-site registration for this minicourse.

Minicourse #2: Mathematical algorithms, models, and graphic representations using spreadsheets, organized by Robert S. Smith, Miami University, Deane E. Arganbright, University of Tennessee at Martin, and Erich Neuwirth, University of Vienna. Part A: Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Part B: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. This minicourse will draw on examples from calculus, precalculus, finite mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, geometry, number theory, and discrete dynamical systems to illustrate a variety of mathematical concepts. We will use the spreadsheet's graphical power to design interactive mathematical displays that illustrate algorithms and to create classical curves, tessellations, and elementary fractal patterns. The course will also briefly demonstrate how other mathematical packages can be integrated into spreadsheets. Spreadsheet experience is desirable but not necessary. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30. N.B. Those interested must register in advance; there is no on-site registration for this minicourse.

Minicourse #3: Optimal use of technology in teaching geometry at the college-university level, organized by Subhash C. Saxena, Coastal Carolina University, and Nick Jackiw, Key Curriculum Press. Part A: Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Part B: Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The latest version of Dynamic Geometry software empowers us to teach a lot more geometry in an enhanced pedagogical environment. This minicourse will provide hands-on experience to participants in the optimal use of technology in diverse college geometry classrooms. We will discuss plane isometries, dilations, affine transformations, inversions, non-Euclidean models, fractals, and various custom tools with this technology. An abbreviated guide for its Windows version with emphasis on specific topics will be available to participants. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

Minicourse #4: Environmental mathematics, organized by Ben Fusaro, Florida State University. Part A: Sunday, 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.; Part B: Tuesday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The goal of this Web-assisted minicourse is to acquaint teachers with a method for modeling environmental problems suitable for a liberal arts course. The prerequisite is Algebra II, yet nonlinear flow problems (such as the logistic) can be solved. A five-model solution pattern starts with a simple visual. This is used to construct a qualitative graphical model and a flow equation (a DE in disguise). The equation is solved computationally with a calculator or spreadsheet. These numerical results are used to plot a graph on a coordinate system. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

Minicourse #5: Using physical and computerized puzzles as models of permutation groups in teaching abstract algebra, organized by John O. Kiltinen, Northern Michigan University. Part A: Sunday, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Part B: Tuesday, 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Concrete models are helpful for students learning abstract algebra. This minicourse offers ideas on using physical models (an egg carton with numbered compartments and numbered markers or the familiar "15" puzzle) and computerized puzzles for learning permutation groups. The computerized puzzles are developed by the presenter. Participants will explore using models to illuminate the concepts of parity, cycle structure, conjugates and commutators. They will learn to use Maple's group theory package for exploring puzzles. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

Minicourse #6: WeBWorK, an Internet-based system for generating and delivering homework problems to students, organized by Arnold K. Pizer, Michael E. Gage, and Vicki Roth, University of Rochester. Part A: Monday, 8:00 am. to 10:00 a.m.; Part B: Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. This minicourse introduces participants to WeBWorK, a freely available system that comes with an extensive library of problems. WeBWorK won the 1999 ICTCM Award for Excellence and Innovation with the Use of Technology in Collegiate Mathematics. Supported by a grant from NSF, WeBWorK has already been adopted by a number of colleges and universities. Participants will actively participate in using WeBWorK and writing WeBWorK problems. Readers can learn more about WeBWorK by connecting to http://www.math.rochester.edu/webwork/. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

Minicourse #7: Creating and exporting computer animations to the Web, organized by William D. Emerson, Louis A. Talman, and Bradford Kline, Metropolitan State College of Denver. Part A: Monday, 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; Part B: Wednesday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Minicourse participants will use Mathematica to develop animations that illustrate concepts from the undergraduate curriculum and will learn to export these animations to the Web via QuickTime. A modest familiarity with Mathematica or other computer algebra systems is assumed. We will conduct this minicourse in a computer laboratory, but participants are welcome to supply their own laptops equipped with Mathematica (). Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

Minicourse #8: Real-world problem solving using technology and student projects, organized by Bruce Pollack-Johnson and Audrey Borchardt, Villanova University. Part A: Monday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Part B: Wednesday, 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Looking for a better way to teach business calculus? Want to learn how to use math modeling and technology to teach real-world problem solving and motivate your students using projects from their own lives? Participants will acquire technological, pedagogical, and organizational skills to implement these ideas. They will participate in the project experience and receive hands-on technology training. Experience with TI-83/82 or Excel helpful, but not necessary. Participants will receive Excel templates and technology booklets. Cost is $90;
enrollment limit is 30.

Minicourse #9: The Fibonacci and Catalan numbers, organized by Ralph P. Grimaldi, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Part A: Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; Part B: Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. In introductory courses in discrete or combinatorial mathematics one encounters the Fibonacci numbers--and sometimes the Catalan numbers. This minicourse will review and then extend this first encounter as it examines some of the properties these numbers exhibit as well as applications where these sequences arise. A survey of applications dealing with chemistry, physics, computer science, linear algebra, set theory, graph theory, and number theory will show why these sequences are of interest and importance. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 60.

Minicourse #10: A dynamical systems approach to the differential equations course, organized by Paul A. Blanchard and Robert L. Devaney, Boston University. Part A: Sunday, 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.; Part B: Tuesday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This minicourse will give an overview of the Boston University Differential Equations Project, originally funded by the National Science Foundation. The BU project involves a complete redesign of the sophomore-level ODE course. It includes more emphasis on qualitative and geometric methods as well as the incorporation of technology and numerical methods throughout. This minicourse will be useful to college instructors wishing to restructure their ODE courses. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 60.

Minicourse #11: Incorporating discrete mathematics in the preparation of K12 mathematics teachers, organized by Lolina Alvarez, New Mexico State University. Part A: Monday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; Part B: Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. More than a fixed set of topics, discrete mathematics is really a way of thinking that deals with important and interesting problems in contemporary mathematics. We will start by picking up some simple situations from art, biology, social psychology, and computer science, just to name a few. We will expose, at different levels of sophistication, the mathematics related to each situation. We will emphasize the interplay between mathematical content and methods of teaching and learning. Each course participant will receive a collection of materials, including an extensive list of resources. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 60.

Minicourse #12: Introduction to mathematical card tricks, organized by Colm K. Mulcahy and Jeffrey A. Ehme, Spelman College. Part A: Monday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Part B: Wednesday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Card tricks liven up any gathering--including mathematics classes--and can help to convince people that math is fun and that there is a rational explanation for some seemingly impossible events. This interactive introduction to mathematical card tricks will survey applications of permutations, binary and ternary numbers, probability, and more and will feature classic tricks based on the Gilbreath principle and faro shuffle. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 60.

Minicourse #13: Getting students involved in undergraduate research, organized by Aparna W. Higgins, University of Dayton, Joseph A. Gallian, University of Minnesota, Duluth, and Stephen G. Hartke, Rutgers University. Part A: Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; Part B: Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. This course will cover many aspects of facilitating research by undergraduates, such as finding appropriate problems, deciding how much help to provide, and presenting and publishing the results. Examples of research in summer programs and research that can be conducted during the academic year will be presented. Although the examples used will be primarily in the area of discrete mathematics, the strategies discussed can be applied to any area of mathematics. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 40.

Minicourse #14: Viewing mathematics via interrelations, for undergraduate courses, organized by Simon R. Quint, Stockton College of New Jersey. Part A: Sunday, 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.; Part B: Tuesday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Generally unknown to undergraduates, interrelations are a wondrous, prevalent and powerful feature of contemporary mathematics. This minicourse interactively presents material from a manuscript for a capstone course Mathematical Interrelations and for interrelational companion pieces to courses. Minicourse aspects: via calculus and linear algebra, introductions to multifaceted elliptic curves, Lie algebras and groups as interconnectors among algebra, analysis, number theory, geometry; MSC2000 scheme; relations with Mathematical Challenges of the 21st Century conference; Why view mathematics via interrelations? Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 60.

Minicourse #15: Mathematical finance, organized by Walter R. Stromquist, Berwyn, PA. Part A: Monday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; Part B: Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. We will examine market price statistics to test the validity of the "standard model" for stock prices (Geometric Brownian Motion). Then we will cover two main ideas of modern finance: portfolio optimization and option valuation. Portfolio optimization uses matrix algebra and quadratic programming to balance risk and reward. We will extend option valuation from stock options (Black-Scholes) to oil field valuation. The presenter will draw on practical examples from his consulting work. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 60.

**CANCELLED** Minicourse #16: Developing the ability to write proofs in high school students and college mathematics majors, organized by Daniel M. Fendel, San Francisco State University. Part A: Monday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Part B: Wednesday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The focus of this minicourse is on ways to help both high school students and college mathematics majors develop the ability to write meaningful proofs, that is, convincing arguments. A key element of the approach is to have students work from their own conjectures, gradually attaining greater rigor. Participants will work with activities from the presenter's high school and college texts, will see student work, and will discuss the controversies that arise from this approach. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 60.

11/19/01 9:43 POP