Joint Mathematics Meetings heading, January 15-18-2003, Balt Conv Center
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MAA MINICOURSES
30-Dec-2002
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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. If you have not registered for a minicourse, you may still do so by going to the Joint Meetings Registration Desk in Baltimore which will be located in Hall A of the Baltimore Convention Center. Hours of operation will be:

Tuesday, January 14: 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday through Friday, January 15 - 17: 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 18: 7:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Minicourse #1: Teaching Introductory Statistics Using a Workshop Approach, organized by James H. Albert, Bowling Green State University; Part A: Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Part B: Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This minicourse will help instructors teach introductory statistics conforming to recent ASA/MAA recommendations to emphasize statistical thinking with an increased emphasis on data and concepts and with fewer recipes. A workshop approach will be illustrated where students explore topics in data analysis, probability, and inference by means of directed activities in the classroom. Traditional and Bayesian methods will be compared from the viewpoint of communicating basic tenants of statistical inference. The use of Fathom and web-based software will be illustrated, and a student survey project will be described as a useful method of assessing the student's learning of statistics. No previous computer experience is necessary to attend this minicourse. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

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SOLD OUTMinicourse #2: Java Applets in Teaching Mathematics, organized by Joe Yanik, Emporia State University, and David M. Strong, Pepperdine University; Part A: Wednesday, 2:15 p.m to 4:15 p.m.; Part B: Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This minicourse will introduce the participants to the Java Programming language and its use in creating mathematical activities. No previous experience in Java programming will be assumed. Through the use of a Visual Development Environment and a MathToolkit that was developed with the support of an NSF grant, this hands-on workshop will lead the participants through the creation of some sample applets and introduce them to the MathToolkit. In addition they will be provided with a more complete tutorial that they can take home that will teach them the Java Programming language and its use in creating mathematical applets. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

SOLD OUT

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Minicourse #3: Optimization of Technology in the Geometry Classroom, organized by Subhash C. Saxena, Coastal Carolina University; Part A: Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Part B: Friday, 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. The latest version of "Dynamic Geometry Software" empowers us to teach a lot more geometry in an enhanced pedagogical environment, especially topics like affine transformations. 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, equiareal transformations, inversions, and various custom tools; and time permitting, non-Euclidean models and fractals. An abbreviated guide will be available to participants. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

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SOLD OUTMinicourse #4: Visual Linear Algebra, organized by Eugene A. Herman, Grinnell College; Michael D. Pepe, Seattle Central Community College; and Eric P. Schulz, Walla Walla Community College; Part A: Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; Part B: Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This minicourse will introduce participants to a new, visual approach to teaching linear algebra. The primary objective is to create a dynamic learning environment in which students are actively engaged in learning the central concepts of linear algebra. Course materials cover the entire first course in linear algebra; they stress the development of visualization skills to acquire strong geometric intuition. Participants will have the option of working with the materials in Maple, Mathematica, or webMathematica. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

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Minicourse #5: Using and Adapting Online Materials, organized by David A. Smith and Lang Moore, Duke University; Douglas E. Ensley, Shippensburg University; and Franklin A. Wattenberg, U. S. Military Academy; Part A: Thursday, 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; Part B: Saturday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The minicourse will begin with a short survey of useful mathematical sites, with emphasis on materials available in the Mathematical Sciences Digital Library (MathDL). This will be followed by a brief introduction/review of the basics of HTML. Then we will show how to use and adapt a new set of tools developed by MathDL to create short online learning activities. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

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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: Thursday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Part B: Saturday, 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. This minicourse introduces participants to WeBWorK, a freely available web-based homework system that comes with an extensive library of problems. WeBWorK won the ICTCM Award for Excellence and Innovation with the Use of Technology in Collegiate Mathematics. Supported by grants from the NSF, WeBWorK has already been adopted by many colleges and universities. Participants will actively participate in using WeBWorK and writing WeBWorK problems. Readers can lean more about WeBWorK by connecting to http://www.math.rochester.edu/webwork. Cost is $90; enrollment limit is 30.

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Minicourse #7: The Mathematics of Presidential and Other Elections, organized by Steven J. Brams, New York University; Part A: Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Part B: Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This course will emphasize modeling presidential campaigns and elections and, more generally, the theoretical problems underlying voting and social choices. Topics will include modeling position-taking in two-candidate and multicandidate races, bandwagon and underdog effects in primaries, voting power in the Electoral College, and election reforms like approval voting. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 50.

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Minicourse #8: Mathematical Finance, organized by Walter R. Stromquist; Part A: Wednesday, 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.; Part B: Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. We will examine market price statistics to test the validity of the "standard model" for stock prices (Geometric Brownian Motion). We will then cover two main ideas of modern finance: portfolio optimization and option valuation. Portfolio optimization means allocating a fixed investment fund among instruments (such as stocks) in order to maximize return and minimize risk. Option valuation includes the well-known Black-Scholes formula, and we will show how the technique is extended to oil field valuation. The presenter will draw on practical examples from his consulting experience. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 50.

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Minicourse #9: Fair Enough? Mathematics of Equity, organized by John C. Maceli and Stanley E. Seltzer, Ithaca College; Part A: Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Part B: Friday, 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Topics of fairness make terrific subject matter for a contemporary mathematics course. This minicourse introduces some fairness topics--apportionment, voting power, elections, fair allocation and equity, the Census--with the goals of helping participants learn about these topics, see and use activities that support a course in fairness, and prepare to teach such a course. We will provide sample activities, projects, and a list of resources, including original papers accessible to undergraduates. Active participation is expected. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 50.

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Minicourse #10: Turning a Nonscience or Developmental Course into a Capstone Mathematical Experience, organized by James T. Sandefur, Georgetown University, and Rosalie A. Dance, University of the Virgin Islands; Part A: Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Part B: Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Many college freshmen struggle with mathematics without realizing that the mathematics is either useful or important. In this minicourse, participants learn to introduce interesting applications with high algebraic content into precalculus and intermediate algebra courses and courses with titles like "Excursions in Mathematics". We will discuss how to 1) identify and revise appropriate investigations, 2) present investigations to students with a variety of needs, and 3) use technology appropriately. We will use investigations set in high interest contexts (e.g., protection of a local natural resource) or issues of social importance (e.g., teenage binge drinking). Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 50.

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Minicourse #11: Symmetry for All, organized by George Baloglou, SUNY at Oswego; Part A: Thursday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Part B: Saturday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. We offer an elementary, strictly geometrical approach to wallpaper patterns. Two-colored patterns provide opportunities for both mathematical exploration and artistic creativity, while compositions of isometries are investigated in the context of multicolored tilings. This low-tech minicourse parallels a general education course developed at SUNY at Oswego over the last ten years. Participants will actually go through the group-work labs that introduce new topics in class and will receive additional materials sufficient for creating a similar course. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 50.

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Minicourse #12: Getting Students Involved in Undergraduate Research, organized by Aparna W Higgins, The University of Dayton, and Joseph A. Gallian, University of Minnesota, Duluth; Part A: Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Part B: Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 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 will be presented of research in summer programs and research that can be conducted during the academic year. 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 50.

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Minicourse #13: Incorporating Discrete Mathematics in the Preparation of K­12 Mathematics Teachers, organized by Lolina Alvarez, New Mexico State University; Part A: Wednesday, 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.; Part B: Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. More than a fixed set of topics, discrete mathematics is 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, computer science, social psychology, 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 50.

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Minicourse #14: Teaching a Course in the History of Mathematics, organized by V. Frederick Rickey, U. S. Military Academy, and Victor J. Katz, University of the District of Columbia; Part A: Wednesday, 4:30 p.m to 6:30 p.m.; Part B: Friday, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Many schools are introducing courses in the history of mathematics and asking faculty who may never have taken such a course to teach them. This minicourse will assist those teaching history by introducing participants to numerous resources, discussing differing approaches and sample syllabi, providing suggestions for student projects and assessments, and giving those teaching such courses for the first time the confidence to master the subject themselves and to present the material to their students. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 50.

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Minicourse #15: Real Fun Exploring Basic Mathematics, organized by Shawnee L. McMurran and Robert G. Stein, California State University, San Bernardino; Part A: Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Part B: Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Intended for college instructors wishing to enhance math courses for preservice teachers, this course models teaching mathematical content using methods that carry over to schools. The course shows how to take discovery learning beyond isolated activities to build basic skills. Lessons, on topics central to the K­8 curriculum, are open ended, encouraging deep involvement. Participants will get new ideas and establish mathematical connections that make for a rich experience. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 50.

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Minicourse #16: Cwatsets: A Research Experience for Undergraduates, organized by Gary J. Sherman, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Part A: Thursday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Part B: Saturday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Cwatsets are group-like subsets of binary n-space with surprising algebraic and combinatorial properties whose applications range from statistics to graph theory. We will survey the evolving undergraduate-driven theory of cwatsets, present an extensive inventory of research questions suitable for undergraduates and their teachers, and discuss cwatsets as a capstone topic for a discrete mathematics or abstract algebra course. Participants will receive a packet of technical reports, papers, examples, and questions. See http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~sherman/Cwatsets for more details. Cost is $60; enrollment limit is 50.

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Mathematical Association of America