Invited Speakers
Rob Poodiack
Norwich University
Friday June 3, 2022, 8:00 PM
Battles Lecture: A Primer on Squigonometry
Abstract: Generalization and abstraction have always been part of the fiber of mathematics. To take something we have known to be true for a long time, a canonical equation, for example, and disassemble it, thoroughly examine it, and then reassemble it with some different parts is often the key to discovering structure. Doing this can often act as a gateway to a new mathematical world. This talk is an introduction to generalizations of concepts that students learn early in their mathematical careers about the definitions of distance, the unit circle, and the sine and cosine functions. We will see how a seemingly cosmetic change of an exponent in the equation for the unit circle has wide-reaching ripple effects, turning a circle into a squircle, and eventually enveloping the hyperbolic, exponential, and logarithmic functions. We will also see that squigonometry is a field ripe for exploration by undergraduates.
Bio: Robert Poodiack is professor and chair of mathematics at Norwich University, the nation’s oldest private military college. Rob earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1988, his master’s degree from Western Connecticut State University in 1994, and his doctorate from the University of Vermont in 1999, when he was hired at Norwich. Rob is a former chair of the Northeastern Section (NES/MAA) and developed the annual Collegiate Mathematics Competition that takes place at NES/MAA fall meetings. He is the winner of the 2022 Certificate for Meritorious Service for the NES/MAA. His book, Squigonometry: The Study of Imperfect Circles (written with Bill Wood of the University of Northern Iowa) will be published by Springer later this year.
Dominic Klyve
Central Washington University
Friday June 3, 2022, 4:00 PM
Probability and Statistics in Number Theory
Abstract: Elementary number theory – the study of the positive integers and the primes – seems to many students to be a world in which there is no ambiguity. After all, the number 7653 is either a prime or it is not; no chance is involved. Nevertheless, probabilistic and statistical thinking have permeated many parts of the study of number theory. This talk will examine several of these, with a focus on projects with which the speakers has worked on with his students.
Saturday June 4, 2022, 9:00 AM
Teaching mathematics with Primary Historical Sources
Abstract: This talk will explore the use of Primary Source Projects to teach undergraduate mathematics. Over the last six years, the speaker has been deeply involved in the work of the NSF-funded project TRIUMPHS (TRansforming Instruction in Undergraduate Mathematics via Primary Historical Sources), which has worked to develop, test, and evaluate projects for students based on primary historical sources related to core topics in today’s mathematics curriculum. These projects take a “guided reading approach” by intertwining a series of student tasks with excerpts from primary source. We will examine the goals of this work, and introduce some of the speaker’s favorite projects.
Bio: Dominic Klyve (KLEE-vee) is a Professor of Mathematics at Central Washington University. He is the author of more than 60 papers in number theory, the history of mathematics and science, and applied statistics. His interdisciplinary works have appeared in journals ranging from Gastrointestinal Endoscopy to Shakespeare Quarterly. For the last six years, Klyve has served as a PI on $1.5 Million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop classroom materials to teach mathematics from Primary Historical Sources. During 2021, he took a leave of absence from his university to work in the role of “Lead Polymath” at Know Labs, a Seattle-based tech start-up. He was a 2014 winner of the MAA’s Alder Award, a national teaching award for young faculty who have a demonstrated impact within and beyond the classroom. He currently serves as Editor of the College Mathematics Journal.
Lorin Crawford
Microsoft Research
Saturday June 4, 2022, 2:30 PM
Statistical Frameworks for Discovering Biophysical Signatures in 3D Shapes and Images
Abstract: The recent curation of large-scale databases with 3D surface scans of shapes has motivated the development of tools that better detect global patterns in morphological variation. Studies which focus on identifying differences between shapes have been limited to simple pairwise comparisons and rely on pre-specified landmarks (that are often known). In this talk, we present SINATRA: a statistical pipeline for analyzing collections of shapes without requiring any correspondences. Our method takes in two classes of shapes and highlights the physical features that best describe the variation between them. We develop a rigorous simulation framework to assess our approach, which themselves are a novel contribution to 3D image and shape analyses. Lastly, as case studies with real data, we use SINATRA to (1) analyze mandibular molars from four different suborders of primates and (2) facilitate the visual identification of structural signatures differentiating between the trajectories of two protein ensembles resulting from molecular dynamics simulations.
Bio: I am a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research New England. I also maintain a faculty position in the School of Public Health as the RGSS Assistant Professor of Biostatistics with an affiliation in the Center for Computational Molecular Biology at Brown University. The central aim of my research program is to build machine learning algorithms and statistical tools that aid in the understanding of how nonlinear interactions between genetic features affect the architecture of complex traits and contribute to disease etiology. An overarching theme of the research done in the Crawford Lab group is to take modern computational approaches and develop theory that enable their interpretations to be related back to classical genomic principles. Some of my most recent work has landed me a place on Forbes 30 Under 30 list and recognition as a member of The Root 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2019. I have also been fortunate enough to be awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and a David & Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering.
Robin H. Lock and Patti Frazer Lock
St. Lawrence University
Friday June 3, 2022, 12:00 PM
Section NExT presentation:
Using Simulation Methods in Teaching Introductory Statistics
Using Simulation Methods in Teaching Introductory Statistics
Abstract: Modern simulation methods provide us with new ways to teach statistics that have been shown to increase both student comprehension and student success rates. This interactive workshop will discuss teaching with these techniques, including both bootstrap confidence intervals and randomization tests. We will provide multiple examples and activities to use in class, and explore free and student-friendly software that allows students to easily use these new methods. We hope the workshop will be fun and productive for those who are completely new to these ideas as well as those who just want a few new tips. Participants are encouraged (but not required) to bring a laptop if possible.
Bio: Patti Frazer Lock is Professor of Mathematics at St. Lawrence University. She has won the MAA Seaway Section’s Teaching Award, recently served as Chair of the MAA/ASA Joint Committee on Teaching Statistics, and helped write the CUPM Guidelines for Introductory Statistics courses. She is also an author on a variety of textbooks with the Calculus Consortium. Robin Lock is Professor of Statistics at St. Lawrence University and a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. He was the inaugural winner of the ASA’s Waller Distinguished Teaching Career Award, numerous other awards for presentations on statistics education, and a member of the groups that produced the ASA’s GAISE (Guidelines for Assessment and Teaching in Statistics Education) Reports. Together with their three statistician children (Kari, Eric, and Dennis), they have developed a textbook and software for using simulation-based inference in teaching introductory statistics. They have led many faculty workshops on using this approach to teach statistics, are long-time mentors in the NExT program, and look forward to discussing these ideas at the NESMAA meeting.
Kyle Evans
Trinity College
Friday June 3, 2022, 5:15 PM
A Math Circle Workshop
Math and Fairness: School Funding Formulas
Abstract: Most states distribute large sums of money to districts to support educational funding. In addition to dollars that are proportionally distributed, there are often dollars that are aimed at “equalizing funding” and providing the resources needed for a standard educational experience in that state. Different states approach this in different ways, but it often comes down to some formula. In this session, we examine what factors are and could be considered with such formulas. We also examine what is considered in some states and the resulting formula. In constituting these formulae, we must ask the questions: What is fair? And is this [the formula used] fair? The exploration provides us insight into an important way math is used to mathematize and shape our worlds, as well as a context in which to think about the connections between mathematics and fairness.
Bio: Kyle Evans is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Along with Megan Staples at UConn, he is the co-founder of the Math Teachers’ Circle 4 Social Justice (MTC4SJ). Founded in 2020, the group brings together mathematics educators to build capacity and community around teaching mathematics for social justice. In early 2022, MTC4SJ self-published their first book, Connecting Mathematics & Social Justice: Lessons and Resources for Secondary Math Teachers, an open-access resource guide for teachers. In the undergraduate classroom, Kyle is deeply committed to humanizing mathematics and making positive impacts on student experiences. This includes authentic uses of mathematics through courses he has created on Redistricting and Sports Analytics.
Braxton Carrigan
Southern Connecticut State University
Friday June 3, 2022, 2:00 PM
MaPP - Mathematical Puzzle Program
Abstract: Here is your chance to try out a fun event! If you aren’t familiar with the world of puzzle hunts, think of a cross between an escape room and scavenger hunt. MaPP challenge is typically designed as an outreach program for grades 9-12 students to explore contemporary mathematics concepts. We have set up a version of the 2022 Challenge for you to play throughout the weekend. Gather a team or compete by yourself and enjoy working on a mathematics puzzle hunt on the SCSU campus.
Mathematical Puzzle Programs (MaPP) is an organization which designs quality events that get players moving around, engaging in problems, and having fun learning mathematics by solving a series of problems based on contemporary mathematics. Since 2017, but tracing its roots to designing games as early as 2012, MaPP designs a yearly puzzle hunt incorporating current (published within the last decade) mathematical research for students. Most games are organized at college campuses, where the challenge contains aspects that can be tailored to highlight local aspects serving as an outreach program for your local campus.
Bio: I have been a member of NES/MAA as a faculty of the Mathematics Department of Southern Connecticut State University since 2012. My research lies in the broad area of Discrete Mathematics, where I enjoy collaborating with students and other colleagues on problems in number theory, graph theory, geometry, and design theory. I often use these areas of mathematics to develop puzzles that motivate interest in many fields of discrete mathematics. I have a passion for encouraging excitement for mathematics through interactive games and puzzles.
If you would like more information on how to become a host campus for MaPP, please feel free to contact me (carriganb1@southernct.edu)