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Welcome
These meetings are sponsored
by the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and the Mathematical
Association of America (MAA) and encompass the meetings
of these organizations as well as several others. We don't
want you to be overwhelmed by your first meeting experience,
so we list some tips here on how to get the most out of
your time at the meeting and at future meetings. A special
welcome is extended to students. After all, you are the
future and hopefully you will contribute to the success
of the Joint Meetings throughout your career.
It is best to
register in advance and take advantage of the lowest
registration rates (30% higher on site) and the best pick
of hotel rooms at specially negotiated low prices. Those
who register early enough also qualify for the room lottery;
the lucky winners get a free stay at selected hotels. Most
participants elect to receive their badge and program by
mail in advance so they can plan their time. All pertinent
information on advance registration appears on this
site
and in the October issues of the Notices and FOCUS.
The Mathematics
Meetings Service Bureau (MMSB) is the service
arm of the meetings. Your registration and room
reservation are handled there. Don't hesitate to
call (401-455-4143) when you have any questions or special
needs. Remember to be thorough, accurate, and legible when
filling out your form, and avoid delays by double-checking
your credit card number or be certain your check is enclosed.
Make sure your room guarantee is included.
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At
the Meeting
Look for the Directory
of Registrants located in or near the registration area
to see who's attending the meetings. There also will be
a message board in the same vicinity so you may leave personal
messages for other participants.
If you received your
badge, program, and social events tickets in the mail, you
may not need to come by the Registration Desk at all except
to say hello. Among the services offered at the Registration
Desk are:
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Registration for
the Joint Meetings and MAA Minicourses (where space is
available)
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Registration assistance,
hotel problem assistance, or replacement of lost badges,
programs, or timetables
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Banquet ticket sales
(if available)
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Audio-visual assistance
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Your copy of JointMeetingNews,
the daily newsletter containing up-to-the-minute program
changes and other important information
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Transparencies and
pens for sale
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Session packets
for those chairing a session
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Abstracts for all
talks
Past meetings have featured
a variety of banquets or social
events. Ticket prices, where applicable, can be found
in the program. It is recommended that you purchase tickets
through advance registration since many events sell out.
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Taming
the Program
Once you have your program
in hand (either by mail through advance registration or by
registering on site) put your name on the cover!
We have to charge $5 to cover the cost of replacing a lost
program; however, if yours is turned in to the Lost and Found
at the cashier station, you may be able to retrieve it if
you've written your name on it. Replacement copies of the
timetable are available at no charge.
Now check out the scientific
program. Go through the prose section and mark some
sessions and talks of general interest that you might attend.
Now repeat this process with the "Program of the Sessions".
Once at the meeting you can turn to either the prose section
or the Program of the Sessions for more details. If
you want to know when, or whether, a particular person will
be giving an invited lecture or presenting a talk, look at
the List Presenters of Papers section just before the
Program of the Sessions section. If you also want to
see the abstracts for talks, pick up a complimentary
copy of the abstracts booklet at the Transparencies section
of the Registration Desk. See the page in your program book
just before the "List of Presenters" for instructions
on how to navigate between the abstracts and program book.
Transfer your notes to
the separate timetable; then you can use the timetable as
your global guide that tells you where to be when. The timetable
also contains convenient floorplans for the session rooms
in the hotel or convention center.
Check out the
local information pages at the very back. They contain:
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Services available
in or near the registration area
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Information on restaurants,
other services, and places of interest in the city
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An alphabetical
listing of exhibitors and a floor plan showing their locations
Employment
Center
The Employment
Center provides a convenient meeting place for candidates
(most often holding a Ph.D.) seeking employment in mathematics
and those who are seeking to fill positions. Many of the jobs
being interviewed for are academic positions which begin the
following August, although there are a few representatives
from industry and government. Employers use the service in
two distinct ways; either by using the computer-scheduling
system to set brief appointments over a two-day period, or
by reserving a table for themselves and making their own schedule.
Appointments for these self-scheduled "Interview Center"
tables are made either in advance, or on site using the Employment
Message Center. Those who may want to participate in Employment
Center interviews are advised to register as early as possible,
either in advance or on Wednesday on site. A detailed description
of this service can be found here
or in the October issues of FOCUS and Notices.
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Giving
a Talk
Are you interested in
giving a 10-minute talk at an AMS contributed paper
session? The AMS requires that you submit an abstract
of your talk on the appropriate form well in advance of the
meeting. If accepted, your paper will be scheduled with others
on the same or a similar topic. Also review the list of Special
Sessions for the meeting. If you feel your paper would be
appropriate for one of them, please submit it by the early
deadline. See the January Notices for general information.
The MAA
accepts contributed papers on specific topics
which are announced in FOCUS and the Notices
several months before the meeting. MAA also offers a general
contributed paper session. Follow the instructions and submit
your paper on the appropriate form. The deadline for submitting
a paper is usually early September. See also the Deadlines
page. The session organizers may schedule these
presentations for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, but they
are often 10 or 15 minutes long because of the large numbers
of papers accepted. After review by the Associate Secretary,
and the session organizer when appropriate, your paper will
be scheduled.
Abstract submission
deadlines are rigorously enforced! All speakers will receive
a notice by mail giving the date and time the talk is scheduled
approximately eight weeks before the meeting.
The standard audio-visual
equipment available to you at meetings is one overhead
projector and screen. Blackboards are not available.
Should you have some other A-V request, please contact the
Audio-Visual Coordinator (for AMS sessions) or the MAA Associate
Secretary (for MAA sessions) in writing several weeks before
the meeting begins. All such requests are subject to budgetary
constraints and may not be granted.
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Exhibits
Don't miss the Exhibit
Area. There are many booths featuring commercial exhibits
of books and journals, computer hardware and software, and
various other products of interest, often available at special
discounts for meeting participants.
The AMS Book Sale offers
the newest AMS books. AMS staff members are available to answer
questions about journals, membership, and AMS electronic products.
The AMS Membership booth
offers free coffee plus free brochures, calendars and information
about a wide range of AMS programs. Stop by and pick up some
materials to bring home.
The MAA Book Sale features
new books for purchase, including mathematical biography,
history, hard-core mathematics, visualization in mathematics,
materials for the classroom, problems (solved and unsolved),
projects for students, and gift items.You can also renew your
MAA # membership, get your MAA membership pin, or receive
information on joining # the MAA. MAA staff will also be giving
away other math-related goodies.
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Networking
There are many opportunities
to network at the meeting: at the Exhibits, First-Timers
Reception, Joint Prize Session Reception, the many university/exhibitor
receptions and activities listed in Social
Events, and Special Interest Groups of the MAA (SIGMAAs)
on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education; Business,
Industry, and Government; Statistics Education; History of
Mathematics; Philosophy of Mathematics; Environmental Mathematics;
and Mathematics Instruction Using the Web. Days and times
of all events are listed in the program prose and timetable.
All students and others
interested in student activities
are encouraged to visit the Student Hospitality
and Information Center at the meeting for relaxation
and camaraderie. And you never know when some famous mathematician
will drop by for a chat!
There will also be a session
on "Negotiating the Joint Meetings" on Sunday. Read
about it here.
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General
Information
Comments on any aspect
of the meetings are always welcome and may be entered in the
log located at the Transparencies section of the Registration
Desk, or forwarded to the Director of Meetings, AMS, P. O.
Box 6887, Providence, RI 02940 or e-mailed to meet@ams.org.
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