AWM at MathFest 2018

August 1 – 4, 2018, Denver, CO

Thursday, August 2, 3:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m., Plaza Ballroom F, Plaza Building

Town Hall Session: Mathematical Mamas – Being Both Beautifully

  • Organizers:
    • Jacqueline Jensen-Vallin, Lamar University
    • Emille Davie Lawrence, University of San Francisco
    • Erin Militzer, Ferris State University

Women have always been involved in mathematics and science. Even though we are past the days when women had to deny their self-identity to pursue mathematics, we still have work to do. With more mothers (and fathers) bridging the gap between academia and parenthood, this town hall will celebrate victories and discuss solutions to challenges that arise from this intersection.

Friday, August 3, 8:00 a.m. – 8:25 a.m., outside Plaza Ballroom A, B, & C, Plaza Building

AWM – MAA Morning Coffee

The Association for Women in Mathematics and the Mathematical Association of America invite you to enjoy coffee and light refreshments before the Eta Z. Falconer Lecture.

Friday, August 3, 8:30 a.m. – 9:20 a.m., Plaza Ballroom A, B, & C, Plaza Building

AWM – MAA Etta Z. Falconer Lecture: Finding Ellipses

Pamela Gorkin, Bucknell University

Friday, August 3, 1:30 p.m. – 4:20 p.m., Plaza Ballroom D, Plaza Building

Ellipses make frequent appearances in our lives: Kepler’s laws of planetary motion involve ellipses and a medical procedure involving kidney stones known as lithotripsy uses them as well. We see ellipses in architecture and in President’s Park South we find a park called simply “The Ellipse.” What properties of the ellipse make it so important? How can we construct an ellipse? We begin with questions like these, providing some unfamiliar answers. Then we study three seemingly unrelated problems in mathematics, chosen from linear algebra, complex analysis, and projective geometry, and we show how the solution to each of these problems relies on finding ellipses.

AWM-MAA Invited Paper Session: : Geometric Ideas and Where to Find Them

  • Abstracts
  • Organizers:
    • Ulrich Daepp
    • Pamela Gorkin
    • Karl Voss

Results from geometry have long captivated the attention of mathematicians because of the surprising beauty, wide utility, and intriguing proofs behind the results. Geometric concepts are often a thread connecting areas of mathematics as well as a link between mathematics and other fields. In this session, we focus on new ways of looking at geometric theorems as well as applications to various fields of mathematics, including linear algebra, complex analysis, and dynamics.

  • 1:30 – 1:50 p.m. String Art and Calculus
  • Greg Quenell, SUNY Plattsburgh
  • 2:00 – 2:20 p.m. From Benford’s Law to Poncelet’s Theorem
  • Karl Voss, Bucknell University
  • 2:30 – 2:50 p.m. Ellipses …
  • Dan Kalman, American University
  • 3:00 – 3:20 p.m. Geometry of the Earth and Universe
  • Sarah Greenwald, Appalachian State University
  • 3:30 – 3:50 p.m. The Graphic Nature of Gaussian Periods
  • Stephan Ramon Garcia, Pomona College
  • 4:00 – 4:20 p.m. Gaining Perspective on Homographies
  • Annalisa Crannell, Franklin & Marshall College

Friday, August 3, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m., North Convention Lobby, Tower Building

MAA Ice Cream Social/AWM Student Chapter Awards Presentations

Besides cake and ice cream, we will recognize all students who gave talks in the MAA Student Paper Sessions. Prizes will be awarded for the best of these talks, and the AWM Student Chapter Awards will also be presented. All are invited.

Saturday, August 4, 3:00 – 4:20 p.m., Plaza Ballroom F, Plaza Building

Town Hall Session: Shaping and Fostering an Equitable Community in our Departments

  • Organizers:
    • Alejandra Alvarado, Eastern Illinois University
    • Candice Price, University of San Diego
    • Alissa Crans, Loyola Marymount University
    • Jackie Jensen-Vallin, Lamar University

The goal of this session is to compile a list of best practices for creating and sustaining an equitable department community. Small groups of participants, each led by a moderator, will brainstorm creative solutions to address a variety of questions and concerns regarding department habits and in all types of departments. The outcomes of the Town Hall will be published in the AWM Newsletter, MAA Focus, and the Notices.

Please visit the AWM Booth (#210) in the Plaza Exhibit Hall during the exhibit hours. Starting August 2, the exhibit area is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm, Thursday and Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.