AWM at MathFest 2021

August 4 − August 7, 2021, Virtual

All times are Mountain Daylight Time

Friday, August 2, 1:30 p.m. − 2:20 p.m.

AWM − MAA Etta Z. Falconer Lecture: Complex Functions, Mesh Generation, and Hidden Figures in the NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions

Bonita V. Saunders, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Friday, August 6, 2:00p.m. – 2:50 p.m.

In 2010, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) launched the Digital Library of Mathematical Functions (DLMF), a free online compendium of definitions, recurrence relations, differential equations, and other crucial information about mathematical functions useful to researchers working in application areas in the mathematical and physical sciences. Although the DLMF replaces the widely cited National Bureau of Standards (NBS) Handbook of Mathematical Functions commonly known as Abramowitz and Stegun (A&S), it is far beyond a book on the web, incorporating web tools and technologies for accessing, rendering, and searching math and graphics content. I will discuss some interesting historical tidbits, but then focus on past and present technical research challenges being tackled to develop the DLMF’s graphics content. The DLMF currently contains more than 600 2D and 3D figures, and over 200 interactive 3D web visualizations of high level mathematical function surfaces that users can explore.

Women in Mathematics: Math in Action

CPS Part A: Wednesday, August 4, 11:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
CPS Part B: Friday, August 6, 10:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
IPS: Saturday, August 7, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Mathematics is in action within so many exciting non-mathematical settings, spanning from classical historical and cutting edge interplays between mathematics and physics, biology, and other sciences, to beautiful applications of mathematics to games, art, social justice, economics, and climate change, to name a few. Topics with possibly unexpected applications outside of mathematics include complexity classes, Ramsey colorings, tropical numbers, topology, hyperbolic surfaces, geodesics, and more.

In these sessions, we showcase current research done by women (and their students) of mathematics and statistics applied to a variety of non-mathematical settings.

AWM MathFest Committee Members:

  • Shanna Dobson, California State University, Los Angeles
  • Janet Fierson, La Salle University
  • Emelie Kenney, Siena College
  • Cassie Williams, James Madison University
  • Sarah Wolff, Denison University

Panel: Inspiring Women in Mathematics

CPS Part B: Friday, August 6, 10:00 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.

This panel will feature mathematicians who are founders and leaders of programs designed to encourage young women to engage in doing mathematics. Such programs offer high school students, undergraduate and graduate students with a strong interest in mathematics an opportunity to pursue more advanced mathematics while immersed in a community of other young women with similar interests.

The panel, which consists of Deanna Haunsperger (Carleton College), Raegan Higgins (Texas Tech University), Katherine Ott (Bates College), Julianna Tymoczko (Smith College), and Judy Walker (University of Nebraska at Lincoln) and moderator Lauren Rose (Bard College), will engage with the audience in a discussion about how math educators of any gender can support girls and women toward academic development at different critical stages.

AWM MathFest Panel Organizers:

  • Georgia Benkart, University of Wisconsin
  • Malena Español, Arizona State University
  • Magdalena Luca, MCPHS University

Visit the AWM Booth in the Exhibit Hall

Swing by the virtual AWM booth, buy a t-shirt, get some AWM swag, learn about the many programs AWM has to offer and meet other AWM’ers! Are you interested in volunteering your time at the booth? Email ed.admin@awm-math.org to volunteer.