STEVEN JANKE
of
Colorado College
named
2008 Distinguished Teacher

In 1991, the MAA Board of Governors established Section Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching to recognize excellence in mathematics teaching at the post-secondary level. The Rocky Mountain Section Award is named in honor of Burton W. Jones, a lifelong advocate of excellence in teaching and supporter of the members and programs of the MAA. In addition to receiving a certificate and a check, award recipients deliver the opening address at the following year’s spring meeting and become the Section Nominee for the Deborah and Franklin Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.

Criteria for the award require far more than effective teaching. Awardees are expected to be outstanding teachers, widely recognized both within and beyond their institution for extraordinary success in teaching mathematics.

The 2007 Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teaching Award was presented to Professor Steven Janke of Colorado College at the MAA Rocky Mountain Section meeting in April 2008 at Black Hills State University. Professor Janke undeniably meets and exceeds the criteria for this award. His dedication to teaching mathematics and computer science, his commitment to inspiring students, and his devotion to the field of mathematics all testify to the worthiness of Professor Janke as the Burton W. Jones Award recipient.

Dr. Janke’s teaching is praised and commended from supervisors, colleagues, and students. Mike Siddoway, Chair of Math and Computer Science at Colorado College, applauds Dr. Janke’s ability to “create a peaceful and challenging learning environment and to deduce discovery from within all his students.” Colleagues from across departments describe Steven as having an “amazing ability to explain complex ideas” and as someone who is “infinitely curious, thoughtful and engaged.” They also praise Dr. Janke for helping his students appreciate the beauty and applicability of mathematics. It is clear that Professor Janke creates a classroom that is engaging, challenging, and yet relaxed. Students have called him “consistently patient,” “the most exceptional teacher I have ever encountered,” and look up to him as a mentor.

Not only has Professor Janke demonstrated his merit in the classroom, but he has also made a difference through his dedication to working with and inspiring students. Dr. Janke has given 16 student-level lectures since 1996 which include topics such as “Iterated Function Systems: Drawing a Tree,” and “Saving Turtles with Linear Algebra.” Dr. Janke has taught 48 different courses at Colorado College and works to make math applicable to his students and his audience. For example, Professor Janke has been involved with the inter-departmental Environmental Studies Program and has developed and taught the course “Quantitative Methods in Environmental Science.” Currently, he is developing a new course for the program, titled “Human Impacts on Biogeochemical Cycles.” Professor Janke has also conducted research with his students in such areas as number theory and statistics.

Professor Janke has had a significant impact on students, faculty, and the mathematical community throughout the 32 years he has been teaching and involved in higher education. He has advised students from many different areas including computer science, mathematical biology, and psychology. Some of his advisees have gone on to accomplish master’s and doctorate degrees. Dr. Janke has also been involved with seminars on the history of mathematics, developing a Linear Models course and textbook, and has served as department chair.

Professor Janke is truly an amazing and inspirational teacher and member of the mathematical community. His dedication to teaching and to the study of mathematics cannot be denied. Perhaps his gift and ability can best be revealed in the following quote from Dr. Janke: “So the obligation is to know who you are and to foster those aspects of living with mathematics that have inspired you, have proved useful, and have opened doors. Doing mathematics is often thought to be a solitary enterprise where heavy thought leads to deep theorems. Teaching is doing that mathematics in a social setting in an egoless way. Teaching done right puts you in the trenches with the students smiling at every mathematical idea you uncover no matter how often you have seen it before.” Congratulations, Professor Janke.

Sarah Stanley, Western Wyoming Community College

Vice Chair, Rock Mountain Section

Past Burton W. Jones DTA Recipients

1992 John H. “Jack” Hodges

University of Colorado, Boulder

1993 Gerald Diaz

United States Air Force Academy

1994 A. Duane Porter

University of Wyoming

1995 William D. Emerson

Metropolitan State College of Denver

1996 Zenas Hartvigson

University of Colorado at Denver

1997 Thomas Kelley

Metropolitan State College of Denver

1998 Monte Zerger

Adams State College

1999 Bill Briggs

University of Colorado at Denver

2000 Barbara Bath

Colorado School of Mines

2001 Jim Loats

Metropolitan State College of Denver

2002 Gene Abrams

University of Colorado at Colorado

Springs

2003 Hugh King

Colorado School of Mines

2004 Don Teets

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

2005 Bryan Shader

University of Wyoming

2006 Barbara Moskal

Colorado School of Mines

2007 Lynne Ipiña

University of Wyoming

2008 Steven Janke

Colorado College

Distinguished Teaching Award to Increase

After careful deliberation and much scrutiny of the section budget, the Executive Committee voted to increase the monetary award for the Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teaching Award. For many years, the award was $50 and it seemed appropriate to increase the award (though we know our award winners don’t do it for the money!). Several amounts were suggested, but in keeping with the recent Euler celebrations the committee settled on $271.82 as the new amount. We just wonder if the bank will cash a check that says $100e on it?

2009 Distinguished Teaching Award Call for Nominations

Each year, the section recognizes one outstanding teacher of collegiate mathematics with an award named in honor of Burton W. Jones, a life long advocate of excellence in teaching at all levels. In addition to an honorarium, a certificate and an invitation to deliver the opening lecture at the next Section Meeting, the recipient becomes the section’s nominee for the Deborah and Franklin Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. These national awardees (at most three) are honored at the MAA winter meeting with a certificate and $1000 check. All nominators also receive a certificate of in recognition of their efforts to support the section mission of promoting excellence in teaching; nominators and nominees both receive free meeting registration at the next section meeting. To begin the nomination process for an outstanding teacher that you know, simply submit the one-page nomination form (available at our website: http://www-math.cudenver.edu/~maa-rm and in this newsletter) by 1 December 2008. Complete nomination materials (described on the website) are due 15 January 2009.

Chair’s Report

The latest poll of math majors shows abstract algebra 42%, topology 42%, with 8% undecided. In case you have not noticed, it is election season and the polls and statistics are a daily occurrence in the press and the media. Not to be out done, the Rocky Mountain section will hold its own special election for a new chair-elect this spring. It’s not just that we wanted in on all the voting action, but also because our current chair-elect has resigned from the position and we need to elect someone new. Our current chair-elect, Graeme Fairweather, has retired from Colorado School of Mines and has accepted a position with AMS Mathematical Reviews. He felt that he could not give the chair position the time it deserved while taking on this new and important challenge with the AMS. We will certainly miss Graeme’s leadership in the section, but we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Graeme will always have a home in the RMS and we hope to see him at future section meetings.

As a result of Graeme’s resignation, several decisions were made by the Executive committee in conjunction with guidance from the National MAA office. The first is that Sarah Stanley and I would stay on as vice-chair and chair for one more year. This decision was based on providing continuity for the section and giving the new chair-elect an opportunity to learn the position before taking over. There was also some shuffling of personnel among the Teaching Award committee and the Nominating committee. The current memberships and chairs of all section committees are listed in this newsletter and on the section website. Finally, please consider nominating someone for the position of chair (of course make sure they are willing to do it first). It is a rewarding position and an interesting way to serve the section and the MAA. You will find the Call for Nominations in this newsletter.

Speaking of serving the section, Barbara Moskal (Colorado School of Mines) is doing a phenomenal job of organizing the spring section meeting. It will be held April 17 – 18 at Mines. I am very excited to be going to Golden and expect this to be a very well-attended meeting. In addition, Barb was able to secure substantial funding from the Exxon-Mobil Education Foundation to help cover all the extensive meeting costs and to allow an additional emphasis on including math teachers from the K-12 community in the program. Please consider giving a talk at the meeting. There is a call for papers in this newsletter along with a preliminary announcement about the meeting. Barb and the program committee have some exciting new things in store for us in 2009, including the option of credit card online registration and some great invited speakers. I also expect our student program to continue to thrive. We are doing a very good job of including undergraduates and graduate students in our meetings. This is a great way to introduce future MAA members to the profession. If you have a student doing interesting independent study work, then please consider having the student give a talk this spring. Always remember: friends don’t let friends attend math meetings alone. Bring a friend and prepare to have a great time in Golden this spring!

Even though we are well into the fall semester, I would like to reflect back to last spring and to the great meeting we had at Black Hills State University. Daluss Siewert (BHSU) did a fantastic job as program chair and I would like to publicly thank him and all the folks in Spearfish that helped make the meeting a success. MAA President, Joe Gallian, commented that he has never been treated better at a section meeting, and that he was very impressed by the quality of the presentations he attended. It was also quite a treat to have Joe give two fascinating talks. Pulling together a section meeting in the middle of a busy school year is never easy, but Daluss and BHSU did a great job—many thanks to all involved.

The National meeting, MathFest, was also a great success. Madison was a terrific host city and the convention facilities were top notch. There was the usual assortment of keynote talks, mini-lectures, panels, and student presentations. A real highlight for me was the editor’s panel with all the current editors from the various MAA journals. As usual the RMS was well-represented at the meeting. I attended the section officers meeting along with our section Governor, Kyle Riley. The Governor’s report details the happenings at the National level. Currently there is focus on clarifying and refining the relationship between the National office and the sections. Many suggestions were made and it will be interesting to see what evolves in the future.

Since I did not give a talk in Madison, I still felt obligated to represent the RMS in some meaningful way. Well, it turns out this year was the first annual MathFest 5K run/walk. The course was flat and ran along beautiful Lake Monona. It was a lot of fun, but they shouldn’t allow students to declare math as a major and still be on their college cross country teams! There are some really fast math majors out there. Also, I’ll take the hills, altitude, and dry air of the Rockies over the heat and humidity any day. Nonetheless, it was a great event and I hope they plan another one for Mathfest 2009 in Portland, OR. Come out and run!

It was just about a year ago that I wrote my first newsletter as chair of the section. In that article I asked that anyone with suggestions to improve the section let me know. I would like to extend that invitation again. We are a diverse group of educators and mathematicians from an equally diverse set of colleges and universities. Yet, we all have a role to play in improving and advancing our profession. If you have an idea or would like to see the section engage in some activity please let me or anyone on the Executive Committee know about it. The MAA exists to serve its members—let us hear from you.

A new poll has just come out: it’s now topology 51%, abstract algebra 49%, with a margin of error of ±4%, whatever that means…

Respectfully submitted,

Mike Brilleslyper, USAFA

Chair, Rocky Mountain Section

Governor’s Report

My first MAA meeting as a section governor was the MathFest in Madison in early August. This conference had over 1,300 participants and the Rocky Mountain Section was well represented. A quick scan of the program revealed at least eight different presentations delivered by members of the Rocky Mountain Section and at least one section member organized a large contributed paper session. I also managed to see several other familiar faces whilst attending the conference.

The MAA Board of Governors Meeting was very informative, but I will try to boil things down to just a few items. The MAA is hard at work trying to provide resources that will be of use to the mathematics community.

The MAA website, http://www.maa.org, has a wealth of information: links to other sections, the combined membership list, professional development, student chapter newsletter, Mathematical Digital Library (MathDL), publications, book reviews, and so much more! Much of the Governors Meeting was focused on strategic planning. All members can review the strategic planning documents that have been filed at http://www.maa.org/subpage_5.html. One particular area of effort is growing the membership of the association. Please consider renewing your membership to the MAA, or becoming a new member, and encouraging your colleagues to join our professional organization. The major strength of the MAA is built on the dynamic professionals we have as members ... like you!

I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage you to participate in some the activities sponsored by the national organization. You can submit a paper to one of the periodicals: The American Mathematical Monthly, Mathematics Magazine, The College Mathematics Journal, Math Horizons, or the MAA Focus. Of course, the MAA has been very active in electronic publication and you could also contribute to MathDL, or the other online resources: LOCI, MAA Reviews, and the online version of Classroom Capsules and Notes. If you have much more material then maybe you want to step up to a manuscript submission for publication in one of the many book series that MAA offers, and this would also be a good time to draw your attention to the fact that the MAA has recently been developing book offerings that are meant to serve as textbooks for courses in upper level mathematics. The MAA also offers interest groups that are focused on specific items of interest that could be of interest to you. These interest groups are generically labeled as SIGMAAs and you can find a complete list at http://www.maa.org/SIGMAA/SIGMAA.html. As I recall, we have a history of math session at just about every section meeting, perhaps there is interest in the History of Mathematics interest group (http://www.homsigmaa.org/)? Another area that you could participate in the national community is by becoming involved in a national committee, which is something you can contact me about or you can use the contacts through your department liaison. Attending one of the MAA meetings is another great way to get involved:

Joint Mathematics Meetings, Washington, DC, January 5-8, 2009

Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Golden, CO, April 17-18, 2009

Mathfest, Portland, OR, August 6-8, 2009

I am really looking forward to our section meeting at the Colorado School of Mines and hope to see you there.

Respectfully submitted,

Kyle Riley, SDSMT

Governor, Rocky Mountain Section

Section News

Arapahoe Community College

Jeff Berg is serving as President of the Colorado Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges. The March conference will be at the Westminster campus of Front Range Community College.

Erica Hastert is serving her second year as both Faculty Senate President and advisor for Phi Theta Kappa, a national honor society

Colorado College

Steven Janke was awarded the 2008 Burton W. Jones Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics by the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Mathematical Association of America. Steven received his award at the regional MAA conference banquet at Black Hills State University on April 25^th, 2008.

David Brown received an NSF grant of $230,000 to support undergraduate research in mathematical biology. This past summer, pairs of students in mathematics and biology began work on projects including microbial evolution and the effect of habitat loss on migratory owls. These and other projects will continue over the next two summers.

Jane McDougall and David Brown co-directed the fifth annual PPRUMC (Pikes Peak Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conference), held at Colorado College on February 23^rd, 2008. A total of 77 students and faculty attended, from eight institutions and from three states. PPRUMC provides an opportunity for students from different institutions to meet one another to gain experience presenting at a conference. Only one of the students presenting had spoken before at a conference, and almost all of the students reported the conference to be a richly rewarding experience. The keynote address by mathematical biologist Dr. David Bortz from the University of Colorado, Boulder, was well received. A panel discussion about graduate school and other mathematical career paths took place during lunch. We look forward to continued participation from local as well as more distant institutions for the success of future conferences.

Stefan Erickson will be directing the 6^th annual Pikes Peak Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conference in 2009, although the conference will be hosted at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Stefan is a number theorist who obtained his PhD from the University of California at San Diego in 2005. Stefan was formerly visiting at Colorado College, but accepted the tenure-track position in the late spring at Colorado College after a nationwide search.

Graph theorist Molly Maxwell is visiting Colorado College for the academic year 2008-09. Molly obtained her undergraduate degree from MIT, and her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2007.

Robin Wilson will be once again visiting Colorado College from the Open University in England during block 6 (February – March). Robin is also a graph theorist, and is well known as a historian of mathematics and for his interest in music. Robin obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Colorado School of Mines

Graeme Fairweather has retired after fourteen years as Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines. A native of Scotland, he received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of St. Andrews. Before joining Mines, he held faculty positions at the University of St. Andrews, Rice University, and the University of Kentucky where he was instrumental in establishing the Center for Computational Sciences and served as its associate director for several years. He also held visiting appointments in several foreign countries as well as in the United States. His primary research interests are in numerical analysis and scientific computing, and he has published over 100 journal articles and a research monograph in these areas. In November, Dr. Fairweather will join the American Mathematical Society as Executive Editor of Mathematical Reviews. He has been a member of the Rocky Mountain Section since his arrival in Colorado in 1994.

Fort Lewis College

Our department has had quite a bit of change in the last year. Veronika Furst joined us last year. Most recently she held a post-doc position at the University of Arizona and completed her Ph.D. at CU, Boulder in Harmonic Analysis.

Also, last year, but in no way related to Dr. Furst’s arrival, Deb Berrier retired and Vesta Coufal left us to move closer to home. She is currently at Gonzaga University.

Anne McCarthy joins us this Fall. She spent 2 years at Temple and completed her Ph.D. at Northwestern. Her area is Dynamical Systems. Laura Scull will also join us this year in January. She is currently at the University of British Columbia and completed her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. She is an Algebraic Topologist.

Metropolitan State College of Denver

The Department welcomes Haiyun Bian who finished her Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Cincinnati and comes to us from Wright State University; Clark Dollard who recently finished his Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Northern Colorado; Mona Mocanasu who completed her Ph.D. in algebraic geometry from UCLA and comes to us from Northwestern; and Jeremy Muskat who recently finished his Ph.D. in algebra and number theory from Colorado State University and comes to us from Western State College.

Ted Worosz retired at the end of last year.

Regis College

The Regis College Mathematics Department is enjoying new accommodations in the newly remodeled Felix Pomponio Family Science Center. The new environment comes along with other changes. We offer great thanks to Linda Duchrow who has completed her term as department chair. Under Linda's leadership the mathematics department saw two new hires, improvement and development of the curriculum, and strong support of a vibrant and student friendly environment. She will be again participating in the State review of the PLACE exam this year. Jim Seibert has returned from sabbatical to step up as our new chair.

Other major happenings over the last year include the publication by our own Suzanne Caulk (along with L.H. Walling), “Hecke Operators on Hilber-Siegel Modular Forms” in the International Journal of Number Theory. Diane Wagner attended the RMMC Summer Conference on Parallel Processing Methods for Partial Differential Equations. The U.S. patent “Efficient Scaling in the Transform Domain” was issued to Tim Trenary, and a non-trivial Putnam score was achieved in last year’s exam by one of our sophomore math majors.

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Karen Braman was accepted to the Householder Symposium last June. The Householder Symposium is an international gathering of the outstanding researchers in matrix computations and linear algebra, plus the symposium is only held once every three years. We have also been very fortunate in hiring two new additions to the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science with Patrick Fleming (local alumnus and PhD graduate from the University of Wyoming) and Ziliang Zong (PhD graduate in Computer Science from Auburn University).

University of Colorado at Boulder

This past year, Professors Richard Laver and Walter Taylor retired. This year we have a new assistant professor, Sebastian Casalaina-Martin; his field is algebraic geometry.

University of Colorado at Denver

Our department has officially been renamed the Department of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences, which is more reflective of the department interests.
We had two retirements over the past academic year -- William Briggs and Harvey Greenberg - both of whom joined the department in 1982.

We hired four new tenure/tenure track full time faculty including: Stephanie Santorico -- Who was hired as a tenured Associate Professor -- Dr. Santorico’s research interests are in the area of statistical genetics, specifically in the development of statistical methods and study designs for gene discovery through the use of pedigree and population-based data. Through the use of complementary information gained by applying statistical genetics principles to gene expression studies, Dr. Santorico’s current research is aimed at enhancing the ability to dissect complex interacting pathways that lead to disease susceptibility. Dr. Santorico has developed algorithms, software and advanced experimental designs that incorporate genetic variation, patterns of genetic inheritance, measures of relevant environmental influences and gene expression components, all facilitated by the latest in microarray technology. She has a track record of conducting research in a collaborative setting among federal, state, private and corporate institutions.

Steven Culpepper -- Who was hired as tenure track Assistant Professor. Steve Culpepper received his doctorate in quantitative methods in 2006 from the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on applied statistics in the social sciences with specific interest in developing nonlinear profile analysis methods and assessing the impact of methodological artifacts on statistical inferences. He also conducts educational research and in the past has worked with researchers from the Educational Testing Service in addition to serving as a member of a technical review panel for the U.S. Department of Education's longstanding National Assessment of Education Progress assessment.

Alexander Engau, a Ph.D. graduate in Mathematical Sciences from Clemson University, will join the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at University of Colorado Denver as Assistant Professor in the fall of 2009. "This is an exciting opportunity to engage in two of my favorite research subjects: math and stats, as well as to start teaching and working with dedicated students on both the graduate and undergraduate levels," says Alexander, who also holds a masters degree in Management Mathematics (with specialization in Optimization and Statistics) from Kaiserslautern University, Germany, and is currently in the second year of a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Faculty of Engineering at University of Waterloo in Canada. He completed his dissertation on domination concepts and decomposition techniques for optimization problems with multiple objectives in May 2007, when he also received the Outstanding Graduate Researcher Award from the College of Engineering and Science at Clemson University, and actively maintains many other interests in theory and methodology of mathematical programming, optimization, and decision making within the broad field of operations research and its applications in the engineering, management, and life sciences.

Diana White -- Who was hired as tenure track Assistant Professor. Diana White joins the department after a post-doc at the University of South Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in pure mathematics (commutative algebra) from the University of Nebraska, where she developed a strong interest in the mathematical education of teachers. She wants to help increase communication and collaboration between mathematicians, mathematics educators, and teachers. She is part of our on-going effort to develop a departmental focus on mathematics education.

University of Northern Colorado

We have several changes to report in the UNC School of Mathematical Sciences over the summer. Robert Powers and Hortensia “Tensia” Soto-Johnson were each awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor. Terry Scott was promoted to professor. Robert Powers was named the Scholar in Residence by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at UNC for the 08/09 academic year. He is taking advantage of this opportunity to develop the notion of Lesson Experiments as a tool to mentor graduate teaching assistants at UNC in their teaching and professional development as teacher/scholars.

Three undergraduates at UNC, Tyler Takeshita, Heather Thompson, and Bryan Shourd attended NSF- sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates this past summer. The School’s first Las Chicas de Matematicas, a residential Summer Math Camp for mathematically-talented young women successfully ran from June 15 to June 20. The one-week residential camp introduced thirty mathematically talented low-income high school girls to the topics of applied analysis and number theory through problem-solving and collaborative learning. We are making plans to hold the camp again next summer. Finally, we are conducting a search for a tenure-track position in mathematics education to start Fall 09.

University of Wyoming

Craig Douglas has joined the UW Math Department this year, as a full professor who is affiliated with the School of Energy Resources. Craig was previously at the University of Kentucky and Yale University. He is interested in dynamic data-driven techniques and uses them in a wide range of applications, including simulating contaminant transport, wildland fires, and ocean circulation.

We have a distinguished visitor from Purdue this year. Professor Jim Douglas is a visiting School of Energy Resources Professor for the 2008-2009 academic year, and will be working with UW's CO_2 Sequestration Research team.

Along with the additions, we have had two subtractions. Benito Chen has left for Texas, where he is now a professor at the University of Texas, Arlington. The other departure is Sivaguru S. Sritharan, who is now dean of Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at the Naval Postgraduate School.

We are proud of one of our undergraduate majors, Daniel Peterson, who is in Hungary for the Budapest Semester in Math program this fall. Daniel is very enthusiastic about the program, and says "Everyone else here also loves math, so it's an incredible thing to be a part of."

The Summer Mathematics Institute for Wyoming High School and Middle School Teachers continued this summer, with a two week program entitled Financial Literacy. This popular institute has been run by Professor Terry Jenkins since 1989. This year for the first time, Terry was unable to run the institute due to illness. Rather than cancel the program and disappoint the thirty-five participants, Bernie Schnorenberg from Sundance and Paul Street from Laramie took over and ran the program based on Terry's prepared materials. The institute was a successful experience with the help of everyone involved. We are happy to report that Terry is on the mend and looks forward to next year's institute.

Michelle Chamberlin was part of two programs providing professional development for Wyoming high school and middle school teachers. These programs included topics such as data analysis, probability, and the teaching method "Understanding by Design". Lynne Ipina is also involved in projects with middle school math projects, and has secured a grant to establish Math Teacher's Circles throughout Wyoming. The goal of theses circles is to foster enjoyment of math and problem solving.

The Rocky Mountain Mathematics Consortium Summer School program this year was entitled Parallel Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations. The two week program included five distinguished speakers, and was partially funded by the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications. This annual program is an excellent opportunity for both faculty and graduate students; watch for information in the spring about the 2009 Summer School.

The UW Math Department will host a three-year REU program starting in 2009 for sophomores and juniors in engineering, science, and mathematics. This program that will create a stimulating environment for in-depth exploration of significant mathematical problems, and will encourage students to pursue graduate education and/or careers in mathematically oriented fields. Activities include an extended field trip to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, discussions with graduate students and faculty, and involvement in the RMMC Summer School each year.

Each REU-participant will engage a significant mathematical problem in depth, practice communicating technical ideas orally amongst team members and in formal presentations, and produce a well-written report. It is expected that in some cases the student teams will produced refereed journal articles as a result of their summer projects. Watch for more information in the spring newsletter, or contact Greg Lyng (glyng@uwyo.edu) or Bryan Shader (bshader@uwyo.edu) for more information.

Is news from your school missing?

Send your news to your department liaison now with a request to forward it to the Linda Sundbye, Newsletter Editor for inclusion in the next issue.

Student Activities

Students are invited to participate in the MAA Sectional meeting at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO, April 17-18, 2009. There will be student sessions in which you can give a talk, as well as a student poster session. If you would like to give a talk, please submit your proposal as described in the general announcement for the meeting.

You may also present a poster, even if you’re also giving a talk. Bring a poster relating to your independent study, senior seminar, modeling contest, etc. Anything with mathematical content will be appropriate. Prizes will be awarded in categories to be determined.

Ask a faculty member at your institution about the meeting and/or contact me at lienert_c@fortlewis.edu.

Carl Lienert

Section Student Activity Coordinator

MAA Launches Math Classifieds

The MAA has unveiled its new tool for both job seekers and prospective employers, mathclassifieds.org. The already popular “Math Jobs” section of MAA Online has added a number of features that make it easier for job seekers to find that perfect fit, and likewise for institutions and companies seeking candidates for their mathematical positions. At Math Classifieds you can:

· Create an Employer Account- Employers can post jobs, update and edit job announcements, search for candidates, and contact potential candidates.

· View Résumés - Employers can check out résumés and pay only for the ones that interest them.

· Create a Job Seeker Account- A personal job seeker account allows members to find jobs, manage résumés, and set up job alerts.

· Post a Résumé - Job seekers now have the ability to post their résumé online. Whether actively or passively seeking work, an online resume is your ticket to great job offers.

· Sign up for personal job alerts- Job Alerts allow new jobs that match a seeker’s search criteria to be emailed directly to them.

MAA Math Classifieds provides a unique service that pairs job seekers with degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. levels with potential employers eager to hire candidates with a math background.

To access Math Classifieds, simply click on the link at the top-right portion of the MAA Homepage, or just type:

www.mathclassifieds.org

into your browser. Take a look around, and remember that Math Classifieds is the new home for all of your mathematical employment needs.

Nominees Sought

This year we are seeking nominations for the chairperson-elect. The elections for the chairperson-elect will be held at the Spring 2009 meeting to be held at Colorado School of Mines. The chairperson-elect serves a 1-year term then serves a 2-year term as chair of the section. In the fourth year, this person will serve as past-chair. Please send your nominations to Amelia Taylor (Amelia.taylor@coloradocollege.edu), the chair of the nominating committee or one of the committee members: Michael Jacobson (michael.jacobson@ucdenver.edu) and Kyle Riley (kyle.riley@sdsmt.edu). Please include contact information and a brief bio of the candidate along with your nomination.

5^th Annual Pikes Peak Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conference Report

6^th Annual Pikes Peak Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conference

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Stefan Erickson from Colorado College will be directing the 6^th Annual Pikes Peak Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conference in 2009, although the conference will be hosted at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Pending funding, the conference will be held Saturday, February 28, 2009.

Colorado School of Mines to Host 2009 Meeting

Sponsored by the Exxon Mobile Corporation

 The Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines is pleased to announce the 2009 Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, to be held at the Colorado School of Mines on April 17 and 18, 2009. The breaks and reception for this meeting are sponsored by the ExxonMobil Corporation. Opening remarks will begin at 12:45 on April 17, 2009, at the Colorado School of Mines Student Center, Ballroom A.

 In keeping with tradition, the meeting will open with a special address by the 2008 Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teaching Award Recipient, Dr. Steven Janke, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Colorado College. Dr. Janke was appointed as Verner Z. Reed Professor of Natural Science from 1997 – 2000 and he coauthored the text “Introduction to Linear Models and Statistical Inference” (published by Wiley) with his colleague, Fred Tinsley, in 2005. Currently, he is interested in complex system behaviors as applied to environmental problems. Dr. Janke’s talk, “The Traveling Salesperson Problem: A cross-disciplinary example within the mathematical sciences,” will outline the Traveling Salesperson Problem including history, graph theory, computer science, and recent progress.

This year’s MAA National Invited Banquet and Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Elizabeth Mayfield, Hood College, Fredrick, Maryland. Dr. Mayfield is the First Vice President of the MAA and a professor of Mathematics at Hood College. Her research areas include underwater acoustics, mathematics pedagogy, and the history of mathematics. She has received numerous awards for both teaching and research. The title of Dr. Mayfield’s talk at the Friday night banquet is, “A Locally Compact REU: Involving students in research in the history of mathematics.” Her keynote address on Saturday is “Women and Mathematics in the Time of Euler.” Both of these talks will address the important historical role that women have played in mathematics with an emphasis on the time of Euler.

An ExxonMobil Sponsored featured address on Friday afternoon will be presented by Dr. Gil Strang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Strang is a professor of mathematics at MIT and an Honorary Fellow of Balliol College. He has received numerous awards for both teaching and scholarship and is widely published with authorship on seven textbooks. The title of his talk is “The Beauty of Linear Algebra.” This talk will address the importance of matrices in teaching and research, including the "graph Laplacian matrix" and circulants.

The overriding theme of this conference is “Increasing Diversity in the Mathematics Pipeline”. Consistent with this theme, we are inviting mathematics teachers at all levels to contribute and attend, middle school, high school and college. Abstracts for talks are invited in the following areas: i. History of Mathematics, ii. Programs for Middle School and High School Students and Preservice and Inservice Teachers, iii. K-16+ Challenges and Connections, iv. Mathematics Education Research, v. Graduate and Undergraduate Student Research, and vi. Pure, Applied Mathematics, Number Theory and Geometry. There will also be an open session for talks outside of these areas. For more information about these sessions, or to submit a talk for consideration, please see Call for Papers.

The Colorado School of Mines Mathematical and Computer Sciences Department is pleased to host the section meeting in the Spring of 2009. Many of you have not yet visited our beautiful campus, which is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Golden, Colorado. We invite you and your students to attend the 2009 Rocky Mountain Section Meeting at the Colorado School of Mines and to contribute an abstract and presentation to this special event. We conclude by thanking the ExxonMobil Corporation for sponsoring the session breaks, reception, and the registration of pre-college mathematics teachers and for sponsoring the ExxonMobil Corporation sponsored address by Dr. Strang.

About Our Featured Speakers

2008 Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teaching Award Recipient

Steven Janke earned his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1982 after spending his undergraduate years at University of California at Santa Barbara and at the University of Sussex in England. He currently is a professor at Colorado College, a liberal arts institution, where he teaches a range of courses from probability and statistics (his graduate work) to computer science and environmental science. He was appointed as Verner Z. Reed Professor of Natural Science from 1997 – 2000 and has served as chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department for two terms during his time at Colorado College. In 2005, he coauthored the text “Introduction to Linear Models and Statistical Inference” (published by Wiley) with his colleague, Fred Tinsley. Currently, he is interested in complex system behaviors as applied to environmental problems.

MAA National Featured Speaker

Elizabeth Mayfield (Betty) is the current First Vice President of the MAA. She earned a B.A. in mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island. Between undergraduate and graduate school, she taught high school mathematics. Since 1979, Dr. Mayfield has served on the faculty of Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, where she has chaired the mathematics department since 1999. She has been awarded the College's Mortar Board Excellence in Teaching Award and its Laughlin Award for Professional Achievement, and was inducted into the campus Ionic Society in recognition of outstanding service. She has enjoyed doing research, often with students or colleagues in other disciplines, in underwater acoustics, mathematics pedagogy, and the history of mathematics. She became involved in the MAA first in the Maryland-DC-Virginia Section, where she served as newsletter editor, chair, and governor, and was the 2001 recipient of its Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. She has served on the Committee on Sections, the Centennial Planning Committee, and as chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Student Activities and Chapters and of the Search Committee for Associate Secretary. She is also proud to be a consultant for Project NExT.

ExxonMobil Sponsored Speaker

Gilbert Strang (Gil) was an undergraduate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford. His Ph.D. was from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and since then he has taught at MIT. He has been a Sloan Fellow and a Fairchild Scholar and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a Professor of Mathematics at MIT and an Honorary Fellow of Balliol College. Professor Strang has published a monograph with George Fix, "An Analysis of the Finite Element Method", and 7 textbooks: 1) Introduction to Linear Algebra (1993, 1998, 2003), 2) Linear Algebra and Its Applications (1976, 1980, 1988, 2005), 3) Introduction to Applied Mathematics (1986), 4) Calculus (1991), 5) Wavelets and Filter Banks, with Truong Nguyen (1996), 6) Linear Algebra, Geodesy, and GPS, with Kai Borre (1997) and 7) Computational Science and Engineering (2007). He was the President of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) during 1999 and 2000, and Chair of the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics. He received the von Neumann Medal of the US Association for Computational Mechanics, and the Henrici Prize for applied analysis. The first Su Buchin Prize from the International Congress of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and the Haimo Prize from the Mathematical Association of America were awarded for his contributions to teaching around the world. His home page is math.mit.edu/~gs/ and his linear algebra lectures are available at ocw.mit.edu (mathematics/18.06).

The Traveling Salesperson Problem:

A cross-disciplinary example within the mathematical sciences

2008 Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teaching Award Recipient

Friday

1:00-1:45

Ballroom A

Steven Janke, Colorado College

The Traveling Salesperson Problem (TSP) is a well-known, simply stated problem which asks for the shortest “tour” through all the vertices of a graph. Its relevance in many undergraduate courses highlights the need in many problems for perspectives from several areas of the mathematical sciences. This talk will outline the TSP including some history, some graph theory, some computer science, and some glimpses of recent progress with the problem. Apart from being an interesting and enduring problem, it perhaps argues for the blurring of lines between the mathematical disciplines.

The Beauty of Linear Algebra

ExxonMobil Sponsored Speaker

Friday 5:00-6:00

Ballroom A

Gilbert Strang, MIT

Linear algebra is full of interesting problems. Where calculus is all about one operator and its inverse (the derivative and the integral), linear algebra offers a great variety of matrices: symmetric, orthogonal, triangular, Markov, positive definite, Hadamard, and (very important) tridiagonal. All of us could add to that list. I will speak about particular matrices in teaching and research — including the "graph Laplacian matrix" and circulants.

A Locally Compact REU: Involving students in research in the history of mathematics

Friday Banquet Featured Speaker

Elizabeth Mayfield, Hood College

In the Summer of 2007 (the Year of Euler), a colleague and I spent eight weeks working with four of our undergraduate students, exploring the topic of women and mathematics in the time of Euler. Our summer included field trips and invited speakers as well as trips to the library and working math problems together. It culminated with a trip to MathFest, where all of the students gave talks in the undergraduate paper sessions. I hope to convince you that involving students in this kind of research is fun, exciting, and absolutely doable.

Women and Mathematics in the Time of Euler

MAA National Speaker

Saturday 9:00- 9:45

Ballroom A

Elizabeth Mayfield, Hood College

We will examine some female contemporaries of Leonhard Euler (1707 - 1783) —some famous, some not so famous. We will also look at mathematics that was written both by and for women in the time of Euler.

First Call for Papers

The deadline for submission of abstracts for the 2009 Spring Section Meeting is February 2, 2009. Submissions can be completed online at:

http://www.mines.edu/Academic/macs/About_Us/MAAMeeting.html . Online submissions will not be permitted after February 2, 2009. Additionally, proposals received from students and MAA members after this date will be scheduled on a first-come, first-scheduled, space-available basis. Proposals from non-members sponsored by MAA members must be received by the deadline.

Although talks on all mathematical topics are welcome, special sessions are being organized around the following themes:

History of Mathematics – Organized by Janet Barnett, Colorado State University, and George Heine, Bureau of Land Management, Pueblo. Throughout its history, mathematics has been studied and taught by individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds, but for a variety of purposes and effects on those who were included in or excluded from its practice. This session invites talks on all topics related to the history of mathematics and its use in teaching, especially those which examine diversity from a historical perspective and the use of history to promote (directly or indirectly) equitable practice in today’s classroom.
Programs for Middle School and High School Students and Preservice and Inservice Teachers—Organized by Sara Dallman and Alex Probst, Colorado Christian University. Many colleges and universities contribute to the mathematical development of middle and high school teachers and students. For this session, we invite submissions that showcase these activities.
K-16+ Connections and Challenges—Organized by Bernadine Sherman and Catherine Barkley, Mesa State College. Mathematics learning consists of a pipeline that begins in elementary school and continues through college and beyond. This session invites talks that address the connections and challenges of that pipeline.
Mathematics Education Research—Organized by Robert Powers, University of Northern Colorado. Educational research holds the promise of improving mathematical learning across the U.S. and internationally. For this session, we invite talks that address recent developments within mathematics education.
Graduate and Undergraduate Student Research—Organized by Hortensia Soto-Johnson, University of Northern Colorado, and Carl Lienert, Fort Lewis College. Undergraduates and graduates hold the key to our mathematical future. This session invites talks from undergraduate and graduate students that highlight their research. Please encourage your REU, senior projects, independent study, master’s and Ph.D.’s students to present. Students participating in this event are encouraged to also share their research as part of our poster competition.
Pure and Applied Mathematics, Number Theory and Geometry—Organized by Robert Tubbs, University of Colorado, Boulder. This session will be a collection of mathematical research topics. Sessions are invited in pure and applied mathematics with special interest for topics that address number theory and geometry.

The default talk length will be 15-20 minutes, with every effort made (within the constraints of the schedule) to accommodate requests for longer talks and other scheduling preferences. Please submit special requests early.

Online abstract submission is encouraged. For non-electronic submissions, please use the Speaker Response Form located on the following page. You may also submit an e-mail equivalent of this form. Please be sure to include all requested information if using e-mail.

For more information:

http://www.mines.edu/Academic/macs/About_Us/MAAMeeting.html

Or contact: Barbara Moskal at: bmoskal@mines.edu

Speaker Response Form – Due February 2, 2009

Online submissions strongly preferred, see

http://www.mines.edu/Academic/macs/About_Us/Call%20for%20Papers.html#Abstract_Submission

Speaker Name _________________________________________________

Affiliation _

Circle one: Middle School Teacher High School Teacher College Instructor

Undergraduate Student Graduate Student

Are you a member of the MAA? Yes No

What is the highest degree offered by your institution?

Associates (or equivalent) Bachelors Masters Doctorate

Mailing Address (Please include affiliation if needed for U.S. mail)

__________________________________________

Email Address Phone Number _

Faculty Sponsor (if student) __

MAA Member Sponsor (for nonmembers) ______________________________________

Title: ___________________________ ______

Abstract (100 words or less): (attach to this page)

Is this talk intended for any of the following special sessions?

_____ History of Mathematics

_____ K – 16+ Challenges and Connections

_____ Mathematics Education Research

_____ Programs for Middle School and High School Students,

Preservice and Inservice Teachers

_____ Pure and Applied Mathematics, Number Theory and Geometry

_____ Research Completed by Students (Undergrad and Grad)

Audio visual needs: (please circle) LCD projector Overhead projector

Special Equipment Needs: _

Schedule Preference Request: __

Special Talk Length Request: _

Students: Will you be submitting a poster to the poster competition? Yes No

Title of poster: ____________________________________________________________

(Note: Students who give a talk are welcome to present a poster on the same work. However, a talk is not required to present a poster.)

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM OR AN ONLINE EQUIVALENT TO:

Barbara Moskal, Conference Chair

Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences

Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO 80401

303-273-3867; bmoskal@mines.edu

MAA Rocky Mountain Section
Suggestions for Speakers

The Section offers the following suggestions which might be of assistance, especially to first-timers, during preparation of a talk for a Section Meeting.

The default talk length is 20 minutes, but longer times can be requested. Program organizers will attempt to provide the amount of time requested for your presentation, within the limitations of the program. Once you have been notified of the amount of time allotted, carefully prepare your presentation accordingly. If possible, plan to leave a few minutes at the end of your presentation for questions.
A presider will be assigned to facilitate each session of presentations. The presider will introduce the speaker, assist in distribution of any handouts, signal the end of the presentation, and ask for questions from the audience.
If handouts are to be provided, give them to the presider prior to the beginning of the session including your talk. Plan to bring about 30 handouts and be prepared to give attendees your address in case the supply runs out. It may also be possible to arrange for posting of electronic materials from your talk on the section website; check with program organizers concerning this possibility.
Do not plan to present so much detailed material that your presentation becomes rushed. Focus on providing the audience with insight into your topic and its key notion during the presentation. Remember that very few members of the audience will be experts in the field you are discussing and that the audience will include some students.
The use of transparencies on an overhead projector greatly enhances the pace of a presentation. But make sure that notes on transparencies are written or typed in a font big enough and with spacing adequate to be seen clearly 50 to 100 feet away. Simply copying ordinary typewritten pages will not produce readable transparencies. Power Point or PDF presentations can serve a similar purpose in providing pacing for a talk, but be sure to check with program organizers concerning available technology and means of transferring data.

2008 Section Meeting Report

Black Hills State University hosted the 2008 Annual Spring Section Meeting on April 25^th and 26^th. Besides enjoying an informative and entertaining meeting in the Black Hills of South Dakota, many of the nearly 140 participants visited Mount Rushmore and other area attractions. The participants included 55 students as well as several members of the business, government, and industry sector and several K-12 teachers. Innovation in teaching was an area of emphasis at this year’s meeting and a pre-conference workshop on ALEKS launched this theme. This hands-on workshop, conducted by Gary Hagerty of Black Hills State University, discussed what ALEKS is, how it works, and how it has been used in the college algebra courses at BSHU.

The meeting officially opened on Friday afternoon with a welcoming message from Black Hills State University President Kay Schallenkamp. Our 2007 Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teacher Award Recipient Lynne Ipiña (University of Wyoming) then spoke about her work with middle-level teachers through UW's Middle Level Mathematics Program. Dr. Ipiña’s inspiring talk differed slightly from what was stated in her abstract since many of her family members were in attendance and she wanted them, in particular, her mother, to know what she does and what she has been doing over the past years.

For those of you familiar with Joe Gallian’s talks, it will come as no surprise that he gave two interesting invited keynote addresses at this year’s sectional meetings. On Friday evening, Dr. Gallian, President of the Mathematical Association of America, spoke about a sequence of results obtained over the course of several years by his REU students concerning the existence of Hamiltonian (and “Hamiltonian-like”) circuits on rectangular graphs on the torus. He followed this on Saturday morning by describing surprising applications of some of these results to the algorithmic generation of coverings of the projective plane, along with a few interesting sidebars about the politics of the Math Year theme and the writing of the Beatles’ song “A Day in the Life”.

Ben Sayler (BHSU), Director of the South Dakota Center for the Advancement of Mathematics and Science Education (CAMSE), spoke about project Prime, an NSF funded project focusing on improving K-12 mathematics in the Rapid City school district during his Friday afternoon invited address. He talked about the progress that has been made and the challenges that lie ahead as they continue to partner to improve K-12 Mathematics in the Rapid City School District and beyond. Dr. Sayler’s talk motivated the audience to continue to improve K-12 Mathematics through partnerships with K-12 schools districts and teachers.

The contributed paper program on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning included 62 speakers, including 26 undergraduate and graduate students. The program included special sessions on the Interplay between Geometry Algebra and Combinatorics, Partnering to Improve K-12 Mathematics, Innovations in Teaching, and Ideas and Applications in Ordinary Differential Equations as well as an undergraduate paper session and graduate research session. A panel discussion on the Placement Process organized by Stan Smith (BHSU) closed out the program. During this discussion, panelists shared how their institution places students into the mathematics curriculum and discussed the pros and cons of the process. Another feature at this year’s meeting was two commercial presentations. Representatives from MyMathLab (Pearson Education) and Content on Demand (Key College Publishing) presented their instructional technology products during commercial presentations. A drawing for an Ipod Shuffle and a $50 gift certificate were a part of the informative presentations.

Other meeting features included a successful undergraduate poster contest organized by Kyle Riley (SDSM&T), MAA book sales, a department chair and MAA liaison luncheon hosted by Curtis Card (BHSU), and the usual Saturday morning business meeting.

Thanks go to all speakers, panelists, and session organizers for the success of the meeting program. The Section also wishes to acknowledge the following exhibitors and publishers for their support of the meeting and the section:

· Key College Publishing (Content on Demand), Representatives Ken Rethmeier and Nori Zellmer.

· Pearson Education (MyMathLab, MyStatLab, MathXL), Representatives Sarah Korbut and Jim Stamegna.

· John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Representative Lisa Berry.

The program committee would also like to express appreciation to the following for their support of the meeting and their help in making it possible.

· South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

· BHSU Math Club

· Black Hills State University Bookstore

Finally, many thanks go to the Black Hills State University mathematics faculty and students for their many hours of volunteer work preparing for the meeting and their hospitality throughout the meeting.

Daluss Siewert, Program Chair

Contributed Papers

Undergraduate Student Paper Session

Organized by Carl Lienert, Fort Lewis College and Kyle Riley, SDSMT

Cody Alsaker, Christopher Cody, and James Haiston, SDSMT

The Sudoku Math Modeling Problem

Faculty Sponsor: Kyle Riley

Kaycee Carson, SDSMT

Orbit Determination from Observations

Faculty Sponsor: Donald Teets

Melody Dodd, SDSMT

A Cosmic Crash Calculator: Computing Collisions and Close Encounters in the Solar System

Faculty Sponsor: Donald Teets

Adam Grajkowske, SDSMT

Using Binary Logistic Regression to Predict Baseball Hall of Fame Admittance

Faculty Sponsor: Roger Johnson

Darren Harrell, SDSMT

Producing Pythagorean Prisms

Faculty Sponsor: Travis Kowalski

Aaron Lessin, U.S. Air Force Academy

Predicting GPS Receiver Accuracy based on the Geometric Configuration of the Satellites

Faculty Sponsor: Mike Brilleslyper

Luke Pendo, SDSMT

A Formula for Local Inverses

Faculty Sponsor: Travis Kowalski

Mariah Tooley, SDSMT

Understanding “The QR algorithm revisited”

Faculty Sponsor: Karen Braman

Jessica Weidenbach, SDSMT

The Kelly Gambling System

Faculty Sponsor: Roger Johnson

Graduate Research Session

Organized by Hortensia Soto-Johnson , UNC

Joe Champion and Nathan Wakefield, University of Northern Colorado

Modeling Marital Interactions with Coupled Difference Equations

Erin Griggs, Colorado School of Mines

Revision of Assessment Plan for the Colorado School of Mines Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences

Sooran Kang, University of Colorado

Yang Mills for a Deformed Heisenberg C* algebra

Brian Rogers, University of Northern Colorado

Mathematically Damaged? Student Perceptions of K-12 Mathematics Teachers' Impact on their Relationship with Mathematics

Timothy Schumacher, University of Colorado

Removable Boundary Singularities

Nissa Yestness, University of Northern Colorado

Students’ Use of Diagrams in Abstract Algebra

Innovations in Teaching Session

Organized by Gary Hagerty, BHSU

Mike Brilleslyper, Chris Cullenbine, Scott Williams, and Jim Rolf, USAFA

Teaching Differential Calculus using Discovery Modules

Janet Burgoyne and Travis Kowalski, SDSMT

Presenting Calculus Through Visualization and Experimentation

Benito Chen-Charpentier, University of Wyoming

On Using Student Response Systems in College Algebra

Chris Cullenbine, Leann Ferguson, Scott Williams, and Jim Rolf, USAFA

USAFA Fundamental Skills Exams – Experiences and Observations

Stephan DeLong, Colorado Mountain College

Podcasting a Wider Net: Casting into a Sea of Mobile Learners

Alexandre Probst, Colorado School of Mines/Colorado Christian University

A Multi-Tasking, Tablet PC-based Approach to Teaching Introductory Statistics

Kyle Riley, SDSMT

Does this Compute?

Interplay Between Geometry, Algebra and Combinatorics Session

Organized by Stan Payne and Bill Cherowitzo, CU -Denver

Bill Cherowitzo, University of Colorado Denver

Algebra and Geometry: Uncomfortable Allies

Ed Corwin and Toni Logar, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

An Improved Algorithm for Finding the Closest Pair of Points

Ed Corwin and Toni Logar, SDSMT

Some Observations on the Euler Brick / Perfect Cuboid Problem

Daniel Daly, University of Denver

Connections Between Reduced Decompositions and Permutation Patterns

John Fuelberth, Wayne State College

On Incidence Structures of Nonsingular Points and Hyperbolic Lines of Ovoids in Finite Orthogonal Spaces

Travis Kowalski, SDSMT

Computing the Sine of a Single Degree

Dan May, University of Wyoming

Mutually Unbiased Bases and The Affine Plane of Order 3

Ryan Pedersen, University of Colorado Denver

Searching for Hyperovals

Kyle Pula, University of Denver

Transversals in Multiplication Tables of Loops

Morgan Rodgers, University of Colorado Denver

Double k-sets in W(q)

Timothy Vis, University of Colorado Denver

Classifying Hyperovals: Bit by Bit by Bit

Petr Vojtěchovský, University of Denver

Nilpotent Loops, Inner Mapping Groups, and Multiplication Groups

Ideas and Applications in Ordinary Differential Equations Session

Organized by Parthasarathi Nag, BHSU

Peter Lemke, BHSU

Schwarzschild Like Solution to the Einstein Manifold

Faculty Sponsor: Parthasarathi Nag

Parthasarathi Nag, BHSU

Computing the Critical Point in a Simple Power System Using Gröbner Bases

Lindsay Packer, Metro State College of Denver

ID Control in Mathematical Models of Glucose Dynamics

Travis Walker, SDSMT

Taylor Series Technique for Solving First Order Differential Equations

Faculty Sponsor: Travis Kowalski

Partnering to Improve K-12 Mathematics Session

Organized by Ben Sayler, BHSU; Michelle Chamberlin, UW; and Robert Powers, UNC

Bill Blubaugh, University of Northern Colorado

Mathematic, Technology and Teacher Preparation: Where Do They Connect?

Scott Chamberlin, University of Wyoming

What is Affect and How Does it Relate to Mathematical Problem Solving Tasks?

Michelle Chamberlin, University of Wyoming

Meeting the Needs of Diverse Students in Mathematics Classes

Michelle Chamberlin, University of Wyoming and Rob Powers, University of Northern Colorado

A Regional Affiliation of Mathematics Teacher Educators

Carol Den Otter, University of Sioux Falls; Jeffery Palmer, South Dakota State University; and Anne Thompson, South Dakota State University

Why College Teachers Should Care How Elementary Teachers Understand Algebra - Three Perspectives

Micheline Hickenbotham, BHSU

Systemic Change: Moving a School District into Inquiry-Based Mathematics Learning

Larry Johnson, Metro State College of Denver

Summer Camps as a Partner in Partnering to Improve K-12 Education

Stacy Krumpus, Sharon Rendon, Rapid City School District and Jamalee Stone, Black Hills State University

Strengthening Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Rapid City Area Schools

Jennifer Miller, Custer School District and Marcia Torgrude, Technology and Innovation in Education

Using Manipulatives to Build Multiplication and Division Understanding

Rob Powers, University of Northern Colorado

Doing Mathematics with Preservice and Inservice Teachers

Mathematics General Session

Karen Braman, SDSMT

Middle Deflations in the QR Algorithm

Mike Brilleslyper, USAFA

Mapping the World with Elevation Angles

George Donovan, Metro State College of Denver

Random Numbers: The Good, The Bad, & Their Uses

Roger Johnson, SDSMT

The Journal “Teaching Statistics”

Mike Siddoway, Colorado College

The Representation of Semi-Hereditary Bezout Semigroups

Donald Teets, SDSMT

Greatest (American) Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of

Don Vestal, South Dakota State University

Some Two-Color Rado Numbers for a Two-Parameter Class of Equations

Placement Process Panel Discussion

Organized by Stan Smith, BHSU

Dean Allison, University of Northern Colorado

David Anton, University of Wyoming

George Donovan, Metro State College of Denver

Leann Ferguson, USAFA

Stan Smith, BHSU

2008 Section Business Meeting Minutes
Saturday, April 26, 2008

1. Mike brought the meeting to order and thanked everyone for attending. He asked to approve the minutes, Kyle motioned and Graeme 2^nd. All were in favor so motion passed

2. Reports:

a. Nominating Committee Report: Graeme informed us the candidates for governor were Robb Tubbs from CU and Kyle Riley from SDSMT. This nomination is handled by national and Kyle Riley was elected as our new Governor. Graeme informed us that Hortensia Soto-Johnson is the candidate for secretary/treasurer and Sarah Stanley informed us that Graeme Fairweather is the candidate for chair elect. Each candidate was allowed to say a few words as to why he & she were interested in the position. Sarah distributed the ballots

b. Financial Report: I gave financial report as of April 22, 2008. Overall, we are doing well.

Balance 12/31/07	Money Market	9788.89	12830.69
	Checking Account	3041.80
Expenses	BHSU	2000.00	2221.47
	Newsletter	206.03
	Office Supplies	15.44
Income	BHSU	500.00	3457.00
	Registration	2957.00^a
Balance 4/22/08			14066.22

Commitments:

$900.00 for Graduate Session^b

$100.00 for Undergraduate Activities^b

$250.00 for Colorado Math Awards

$271.82 for DTA

^aThis will go towards banquet.

^bBHSU Math Club contributed $500.00 to these activities.

c. Student Competition report: Dick Gibbs thanked us for contributing to the CMA, it will be held on May 13^th, 2008; it starts at 4:30. He gave a report on the number of students and schools who participated in the various mathematics competitions. This included the AIME, AMC, PUTNAM and the Modeling Competitions. He explained it is difficult to get scores for the various exams – he either needs to filter out information from the websites or the information is non-existent. The top 3 scores for the PUTNAM from Colorado were (CU) 23, CC (15), CSM (12); from WY UW (10): from SD (2 non zero) (median is 1) 3753 students took the PUTNAM: Score of 12 will get you in the top 500. Modeling Contest: SD had one team, WY didn’t participate, CO had 5 teams from CU who participated and CUD had one team.

d. Chair’s Report: Mike relayed the information from the executive committee meeting. He informed everyone that

i. RMS will buy a brick to support the Carriage House for $303.

ii. We will solicit nominations for the vice-chair in the next academic year.

iii. We want students to attend the meeting and not put obstacles, but it is difficult to budget for the meeting. Thus, we will keep registration fee of 0, but $10.00 late fee to ensure that they are attending the meeting.

iv. We will support the CMA with $250.00.

v. The new prize for the DTA is 100e.

e. Kyle gave the report for the student activities report: There were 5 posters – the most so far, since we started the poster session. Best in show Elizabeth Brothers & Michael Carver. Best use of mathematics, Kathy Peterson, Ashley Arp, and most creative: Dana O’Bryan & Kyle Benson

f. Newsletter Report: Linda not here

g. National Report: Joe Gallian (president of the MAA) informed us of the news from national. This included:

i. The up and coming Beautiful women’s poster,

ii. David Bressoud will work on calculus articulation,

iii. Mathfest will be in Madison and MAA has funds for undergrads and graduates to present ($600) – this will be a 5-year grant. Joe’s goal is to have 1000 undergrads at the 2015 Mathfest .

iv. Robert Vales is the target person to help students present and prepare a talk. He will be ½ time at the MAA – he is a student resource. He has info on the Jeopardy game held at MathFest

v. MAA is going to do a fund drive for Project NeXT.

vi. Joe delineated importance of the governance the MAA, executive director, treasurer, secretary. Joe promoted the movie “Hard Problems” as prizes for the CMA recipients.

h. Governor’s report: Jane is not here, but we will link her PowerPoint presentation to the section webpage.

3. Announcements

a. Steven Janke is the 2008 Distinguished Teaching Award

b. Kyle Riley new governor

c. 2009 meeting will be at Colorado School of Mines on April 17-18, and 2010 meeting will be at CSU. Mike gave dates for upcoming meetings (shown on the agenda).

d. RMAMTE: Michelle Chamberlin informed us of the Rocky Mountain Association of Mathematics Teacher Education; this group consisting of members from CO, WY, MT, & SD will have a session at the CCTM fall meeting.

e. Election results: Sarah gave the election results; Hortensia is the secretary/ treasurer and Graeme is the chair-elect

f. Other: Pikes Peak Undergraduate Conference is doing well and growing. Not certain of upcoming venue but will apply for funding from MAA.

g. Also: Dick Gibbs:

CMA.COLORADOMATH.ORG website

to learn about math circle

4. Discussion Items: We are out of time to discuss Nancy’s questions, but we will have an e-mail discussion on this. Tensia will e-mail the executive committee’s first attempt to the liaisons. Mike will try to get more info about putting a team together for the MathFest Jeopardy.

5. Don Teets made a motion to thank BHSU for the meeting and Graeme 2^nd, and Daluss passed the banner to Graeme

6. Motion to adjourn by Kyle and 2^nd by Roger.

Respectfully Submitted –

Hortensia Soto-Johnson,

Secretary/Treasurer

2008 Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
Thursday, April 24, 2008

Attendance: Daluss Siewert, Jeff Berg, Mike Brilleslyper, Graeme Fairweather, Sarah Stanley, Kyle Riley, Lynne Ipina, Hortensia Soto-Johnson

1. Mike called meeting to order. Kyle made a motion to approve minutes from 2007 executive meeting, Mike approved, and all present were in favor. Motion passed

2. Banquet and business meeting

a. We reviewed agenda for opening ceremonies. Daluss will introduce BHSU president. Daluss will introduce Sylvia who will introduce Lynne. Daluss will make comments about parallel sessions and any notes about program and about technical issues

b. Banquet: Sarah and Tensia will pass out tickets: Order of activities: Door prizes, undergrad anniversary certificate, membership anniversary certificates, announcement of 2008 DTA, Joe Gallian – banquet speaker

c. Business Meeting is scheduled for Saturday Morning. We went through process and order of events.

d. Saturday Keynote: Introduce Joe Gallian

3. Reports

a. I informed everyone about our finances. Jeff made a motion to buy a brick for carriage house and Mike seconded the motion, all present were in favor. Daluss discussed how we are running the finances of the meeting. He informed us that we might be in the red this year.

b. Graeme provided details about this year’s elections and upcoming elections. Graeme is the nominee for the chair-elect and Hortensia is the nominee for the secretary/treasurer.

c. Awards committee report: Jeff informed us that we had a great pool of nominees and Steven Janke from CC was selected. We will continue with the process of giving a free registration to all those who nominate someone for the DTA.

4. Discussion and action items: Jeff is working on centennial activities. Mike suggested a committee to organize archives from the section. Tensia moved that we give $250 to CMA, Kyle 2^nd, all were in in favor. Kyle moved we spend $500.00 on graduate students as we have been doing, and Graeme 2^nd, all in favor. Hortensia will continue to contact universities with graduate students and encourage them to send their students to our section meeting. We will continue to support 5 graduate students at $100.00 each.

5. Nancy Hagelgans the chair of the committee on sections wants to know what National MAA can do for our section and what we can do for National. Kyle was well equipped with ideas. Mike will share the following ideas at the section officers meeting at MathFest.

a. Five things the national association can expect from our section include:

i. Our section should be active in the MAA with participation and support of the national meetings and remain engaged with the national MAA activities.

ii. Our section should continue to maintain our mission: “To promote excellence in mathematics education, especially at the collegiate level.”

iii. Our section should foster a professional community at the section level. (continue to sponsor meetings and to encourage local support for mathematics education and research in mathematics)

iv. Our section should strive to maintain and upgrade the infrastructure for the profession. (One responsibility is to keep feeding the pipeline with professional development opportunities for current faculty, opportunities for graduate students, and foster undergraduates to pursue the study of mathematics.)

v. Our section should provide opportunities for communication between members at the local level and encourage section members to participate at the national level.

b. Our section should expect the following from the National MAA.

i. Support with section activities (examples include references or candidates for people to bring in speakers from the section meeting, assistance or advice on organization of the section, leadership on fostering a professional community, etc.)

ii. Provide leadership and promote the professional community at the national level.

iii. Assist with communication across sections and promote communication with other professional organizations such as SIAM, AMS, ASA, NCTM, AMATYC, etc.)

iv. Maintain and upgrade infrastructure for profession at the national level. (PREP workshops, conferences, publications, professional development, etc.)

v. Maintain the national mission, “to advance the mathematical sciences, especially at the collegiate level.”

6. Mike will be at Mathfest and will be at section officer’s meeting. Either Kyle or Hortensia will be at the DC meeting.

7. Future Section meetings: It is difficult to plan properly for the meeting b/c some students don’t register even though they get a free registration. Daluss proposed an incentive for students to register. He made a motion to have a $5.00 fee for student registration and $10.00 late fee as an incentive to get them to register. Graeme 2^nd. We discussed how we pay for their snacks, their folders, etc., so it is difficult to estimate the cost of the meeting. Kyle doesn’t feel like it will solve problem. Kyle suggested $0 for early and $10 late as a friendly amendment. Daluss and Graeme approved the friendly amendment. All present were in favor so it passed.

8. Tensia made a motion that we adjourn – we all voted yes.

Respectfully Submitted,

Hortensia Soto-Johnson

Secretary/Treasurer

Past Burton W. Jones DTA Recipients

Arapahoe Community College

University of Colorado at Boulder

University of Northern Colorado

6th Annual Pikes Peak Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conference

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Colorado School of Mines to Host 2009 Meeting

Undergraduate Student Paper Session

Burton W. Jones Award Nomination Form

MAA Rocky Mountain Section Mission Statement

6^th Annual Pikes Peak Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conference

MAA Rocky Mountain Section
Mission Statement