Programs and Activities of Interest to Students

Many opportunities and events of interest to students and young mathematicians are offered at this meeting. Please see the list below; however it is not exhaustive.

Lectures

• Eugenia Cheng, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Math, Art, Social Justice, (JPBM Communications Award Lecture), Saturday, 10:50 a.m.-11:55 a.m., Ballroom 6E, Arch at 705 Pike 
• Kristin E. Lauter, Meta AI, AI for Crypto (AMS Erdo ˝s Lecture for Students), Wednesday, 10:50 a.m.–11:55 a.m., Ballroom 6E, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike.
• Yann LeCun, Meta, Title to be announced (AMS Josiah Willard Gibbs Lecture), Thursday, 5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m., Ballroom 6E, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike.
• Victor H. Moll, Tulane University, Integral Tales: Some Unexpected Connections (MAA-SIAM-AMS Hrabowski-Gates-Tapia-McBay Lecture), Friday, 9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m., Ballroom 6E, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike.
• Ravi Vakil, Stanford University, The Mathematics of Doodling (MAA-AMS-SIAM Gerald and Judith Porter Public Lecture), Saturday, 2:15 p.m.–3:20 p.m., Ballroom 6E, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike.
• Daniela Witten, University of Washington, Selective Inference for Real-World Problems (PME J. Sutherland Frame Lecture);  Thursday, 9:40 a.m.–10:45 a.m, Ballroom 6E, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike.

Fairs

Career Fair, Thursday, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., Hall 4B, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike. The AMS Career Fair is an opportunity for mathematically trained job seekers at various phases of education and experience—undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and others—to interact in person with employers in Business, Entrepreneurship, Government, Industry, and Nonprofit (BEGIN). This event is job seekers’ chance to discover how their mathematical training makes them strong candidates for BEGIN jobs.  Learn more.

Graduate School Fair,  Friday, 8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m., Hall 4B, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike. This event is undergraduate and master’s students’ chance for one-stop shopping in the graduate school market. January is a great time for college juniors to learn more about applying to graduate school, and seniors may still be able to refine their search. Meet representatives from mathematical sciences graduate programs from universities all over the United States. At JMM 2024, over 300 students engaged with representatives from more than 60 graduate programs. Colleges and universities that offer graduate programs in the mathematical sciences are invited to exhibit at this event. Learn more.

Panel

PME Panel: What Every Student Should Know about the JMM, organized by Stephanie Edwards, Hope College.  Navigating a large conference can be overwhelming, even for those who have previously attended such an event. Common questions may include: How do I get the most out of the program? What sessions are especially for students? What other events should I be on the lookout for? How can I get some cool, free math stuff? Students and their faculty mentors are encouraged to attend.  The moderator will be Stephanie Edwards, Hope College. Panelists include Jennifer Beineke, Western New England University, Shannon Overbay, Gonzaga University, Eli Edwards-Parker, Hope College, Valen Feldmann, Hope College, and Yiting Shen, Hope College. This panel is held twice, first on Wednesday 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. and again on Thursday, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in Room 4C-4, Arch at 705 Pike, and is sponsored by Pi Mu Epsilon. 

Sessions

PME Contributed Paper Sessions on Research by Undergraduates, I-VIII, organized by Chad Awtrey, Samford University, and Thomas Philip Wakefield, Youngstown State University; Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, Rooms  615, 616, 618, and 619, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike

Research in Mathematics by Undergraduates and Students in Post-Baccalaureate Programs, organized by Darren A. Narayan, Rochester Institute of Technology, Mark Daniel Ward, Purdue University, Patricia Cahn, Smith College, and Khang Duc Tran, California State University, Fresno (AMS-MAA-SIAM). Thursday morning and afternoon, and Saturday morning and afternoon, Skagit 1, SCC, Arch at 800 Pike.

AMS–PME Undergraduate Student Poster Sessions, organized by Chad Awtrey, Samford University, Molly Moran, Colorado College, and Denise Reid, Valdosta State University; Saturday afternoon, Hall 4B, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike. The first session will be from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and the second session from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. These sessions feature 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.

Current Events Bulletin, Friday 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., Ballroom 6C, SCC, Arch at 705 Pike. organized by David Eisenbud, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute. Speakers in this session follow the model of the Bourbaki Seminars in that mathematicians with strong expository skills speak on work not their own. The lectures will be given by Jarod Alper,University of Washington,  Elena Fuchs, University of California, Davis, Sarah Peluse, Stanford University, and Daniel Pomerleano, University of Massachusetts, Boston. Written notes for the talks are available.

Films

JRMF Presents a Film: Counted Out: Math as Foundation for Life, organized by Vicki Abeles, Counted Out Film Director, and Daniel Kline, Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival, Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Room 4C-2, SCC Arch at 705 Pike. Counted Out explores today’s most pressing crises—political polarization, racial biases, social injustice, economic inequity, climate change, and a global pandemic—through the lens of math. This documentary reveals how systemic inequities use math as a gatekeeper, while also highlighting its role as a foundation for democracy and opportunity. Dedicated to civil rights leader Bob Moses, it features some of his final interviews, illustrating his belief in math access as a civil rights issue. The film will be followed by a panel discussion.  Panelists include Dan Finkel, Math For Love, Vicki Abeles, Counted Out Film Director, Karen Saxe, American Mathematical Society, Jordan S Ellenberg, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Talithia Williams, Harvey Mudd College

SLMath (MSRI)–NAM Film Presentation: World Premiere of George Csicsery’s film Journeys of Black Mathematicians: Part II, organized by Tatiana Toro, MSRI/SLMath, and Asamoah Nkwanta, Morgan State University, with Jennifer Murawski, MSRI/SLMath, Uta Lorenzen, MSRI/SLMath, and George Csicsery, Zala Films; Saturday, 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Room 4C-3, Arch at 705 Pike.  This documentary film, which concludes the "Journeys of Black Mathematicians" series, features interviews with contemporary Black American researchers and educators and surveys innovative educational programs in math at every level from grade school through undergraduate and postdocs. At the conclusion of the screening there will be a panel discussion. (For information on the film series, visit jbmfilm.com.)

Social Events

Here are a few other events that may be of interest to students. See the full listing under Social Events.

Grand Opening Reception, Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Hall 4A, Seattle Convention Center Arch at 705 Pike. The JMM officially opens with festivities to celebrate our vibrant mathematical community. After a brief ribbon-cutting, the mathematical art display, vendor, and exhibitor booths will all be available to you, along with hors d'oeuvres, beverages, and entertainment. ALL are Welcome! FREE! Meet up with friends or explore on your own, but be sure to take in all the fun, refreshments, and special offerings. Travel each aisle – many exhibitors are planning special offerings just for this evening.

Yearly Gather: Collaborative Puzzle Time!, Wednesday, 8:45 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., Ravenna BC, Sheraton Grand Seattle. All are invited to enjoy a brand new mathematical puzzle created specially for this year's JMM in this session hosted by {MathILy, MathILy-Er, MathILy-EST} staff. We can also answer your questions about the {MathILy, MathILy-Er} summer programs for high-school students and the MathILy-EST REU for early college students.

Estimathon, Thursday, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., Grand Ballroom C, Sheraton Grand Seattle. The Estimathon® is a mind bending mixture of logic and trivia. In teams, you'll attempt 13 Fermi problems in 30 minutes. Be prepared to come up with the best set of confidence intervals! Sample problems include: How many breaths does the average U.S adult take in a lifetime? What is the mass of the earth in tons? How many paper bags are made from 14 million trees?

ACMS Reception, Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Issaquah, Sheraton Grand Seattle. The Association for Christians in the Mathematical Sciences warmly invites you to a free reception with light hors d'oeuvres and fellowship. Students are particularly encouraged to attend.

Mathematical Institutes Open House, Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Metropolitan Ballroom A, Sheraton Grand Seattle. Please join us at the Mathematical Institutes Open House reception to learn about the latest programs and workshops being held by a number of institutions. Hope to see you there!

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Reception on Industrial Math Modeling, Thursday, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Redwood, Sheraton Grand Seattle. Learn more about SIAM’s commitment to training a workforce in the application of mathematical modeling, analysis, scientific computation, and machine/deep learning to real-world problems. Mingle with leaders and participants in SIAM programs and collaborations including the MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge, SIAM-Simons Undergraduate Summer Research Program, Graduate Student Mathematical Modeling Camp, Mathematical Problems in Industry Workshop, Math Modeling Hub, and BIG Math Network.

Mathematically Bent Theater, Friday, 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., Ballroom 6E, Seattle Convention Center Arch at 705 Pike. Why did the Bernoulli brothers switch from comedy to math? What’s the funniest joke involving an asymtote? Do algebraists eat their PB & J sandwich with the peanut butter up or down? These are just a few of the questions we will not answer during this theatrical presentation of several short humorous mathematically inclined pieces.

Undergraduate Student Reception, Friday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Metropolitan Ballroom, Sheraton Grand Seattle. A community-building event open to all undergraduate students and their supporters. Join us for activities, games, food, and fun. Organized by AMS and Pi Mu Epsilon, with funding from an anonymous donor.

Interviews

The AMS strongly encourages use of the Employment Center venues for all interviews of prospective employees at society meetings. The use of hotel guest rooms for interviews violates the AMS Welcoming Environment Policy. Interviews must be conducted in public meeting spaces.