Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
NEWSMAGAZINE OF THE MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA VOL. 32, NO. 5 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
MAA FOCUS
Joint Mathematics Meetings
San Diego, January 9–12, 2013
MAA FOCUS is published by the Mathematical Association of America in February/March, April/May, June/July, August/September, October/November, and December/January.
Editor: Ivars Peterson, [email protected]
Managing Editor: Lois M. Baron, [email protected]
Please address advertising inquiries to: [email protected]
President: Paul ZornFirst Vice President: Lloyd DouglasSecond Vice President: Jennifer QuinnSecretary: Barbara T. FairesTreasurer: Jim DanielExecutive Director: Michael PearsonDirector of Publications and Communications: Ivars Peterson
MAA FOCUS Editorial Board: Donald J. Albers, Janet L. Beery, David M. Bressoud, Susan J. Colley, Brie Finegold, Joseph A. Gal-lian, Jacqueline B. Giles, Fernando Q. Gouvêa, Jacqueline A. Jensen, Colm Mulcahy, Adriana J. Salerno, Amy Shell-Gellasch, Francis E. Su, Laura Taalman, Gerard A. Venema
Letters to the editor should be addressed to Ivars Peterson, Mathematical Association of America, 1529 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, or by email to [email protected] and membership questions should be directed to the MAA Customer Service Center, 800-331-1622; email: [email protected]; 301-617-7800(outside U.S. and Canada); fax: 301-206-9789. MAA Headquarters: 202-387-5200. Copyright ©2012 by the Mathematical Association of America (Incorporated).
Educational institutions may reproduce articles for their own use, but not for sale, provided the following citation is used: “Re-printed with permission of MAA FOCUS, the newsmagazine of the Mathematical Associa-tion of America.”
Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to MAA FOCUS, Math-ematical Association of America, P.O. Box 90973, Washington, DC 20090-0973. ISSN: 0731-2040 (print). ISSN 2161-704X (online). Printed in the United States of America.
MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA Mary P. Dolciani Award Inaugurated
William G. McCallum (University of Arizona) received the first Mary P. Dolciani Award during the MAA Prize Session on August 3 at the 2012
MAA MathFest in Madison, Wisconsin. Established this year, the Dolciani Award recognizes a research mathematician
in pure or applied mathematics who is making a distinguished contribution to the mathematical education of K-16 students. This $5,000 award is admin-istered by the MAA on behalf of the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation.
Mary P. Dolciani Halloran (1923–1985) was a gifted mathematician, educator, and author. She received her Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University in 1947 and devoted her life to developing excellence in mathemat-ics education through her own teach-ing, mentoring, and writing.
A Winning CombinationWilliam G. McCallum exemplifies the Mary P. Dolciani Award as a research mathematician who is making distinguished contributions to mathematical edu-cation across all levels from primary to secondary to college. McCallum’s Ph.D. from Harvard was followed by a year as a fellow at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute at Berkeley. He then joined the faculty at the University of Arizona, where he chairs the Department of Mathematics.
He served as one of three lead writers of the Common Core State Standards in mathematics. Through his writing and speaking, McCallum has been a champion in getting university faculty to help in solving problems of mathematics educa-tion. McCallum founded in 2006 the Institute for Mathematics and Education at the University of Arizona and remained its director until 2009; he continues as chair of the institute’s advisory board. The institute supports local, national, and international projects in mathematics education that focus on both the math-ematics and the students.
At the college level, he has been a forceful advocate for the calculus reform ef-
William McCallum won the first Mary P. Dolciani Award.
L. McH
UG
H
“Is Algebra Necessary?” Yes.
In a July 28 opinion piece in the New York Times titled “Is Algebra Necessary?” Andrew Hacker, author and professor emeritus of political science at Queens
College, describes algebra as “an onerous stumbling block for all kinds of stu-dents” and suggests removing algebra requirements from the curriculum. In response to this article and the 2011 Times op-ed “How to Fix Our Math Educa-tion,” a special joint session of the American Mathematics Society and the MAA took place during MAA MathFest 2012. “What Mathematics Should Every Citizen Know—And How Does K-16 Get Us There?” was organized by David Mumford and Solomon Garfunkel with speakers Lynn A. Steen, William McCallum, Hyman Bass, and Joseph Malkevitch. We invite you to read “Reflections on Mathematics and Democracy,” the paper Steen, a former MAA president, presented during that session: maa.org/pubs/FOCUSoct-nov12_Steen.html.
2 Mary P. Dolciani Award Inaugurated
2 “Is Algebra Necessary?” Yes.
4 USA Wins Gold, Silver, and Bronze at CGMO
5 Call for Suggestions for Gung and Hu Award
5 New Zip Code Search to Find Competitions
8 New MAA Membership and Marketing Director
17 MAA Becomes a MathJax Supporter
33 STaR Program Recruiting Fellows
15th Year of Bridges to the Creative World . . . 6KristÓf Fenyvesi
Our Man in Korea at the ICME . . . 9David M. Bressoud
Annual Appeal . . . 13
Math Students Go into the World. . . . 14 Tracy Bibelnieks, Mark Lester, John Zobitz
The AWARDS Project: Promoting Good Practices in Award Selection . . . 18
Betty Mayfield and Francis Edward Su
Gallian and LaRose Leave Project NExT Leadership Team . . . 20
Aparna Higgins and T. Christine Stevens
MAA MathFest 2012 Highlights 24; Section Teaching Awards 26Report of the Secretary 28
NSF Fellowship for Graduate Research . . . 31Meredith Berthelson
FeaturesNEWSMAGAZINE OF THE MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA VOL. 32, NO. 5 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
MAA FOCUS
DepartmentsAbout the Cover News
Nine Suns, by Tiffany C. Inglis, was part of the art exhibit at the International Conference Bridges: Math-ematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science.Above: San Diego harbor,by Joanne DiBona, SanDiego.org
11 Letters to the Editor
12 President’s Message | Paul ZornPlanning for and Investing in MAA’s Future
13 Annual Appeal
17 Dear MAA
33 Archives Spotlight | Carol MeadBenefactors Help Collections Go Digital
34 On Books | Fernando Q. GouvêaSlow Publishing
35 Book Review| Numerical Analysis Receives Integrated Treatmentby William J. Satzer
Joint Mathematics Meetings, San Diego, January 9–12, 2013 . . . 36
6 |
Conference Report
15th Year of Bridges to the Creative WorldBy KristÓf Fenyvesi
Anybody who has attended a Bridges Conference is well aware that by using mathematics we can dis-
cover amazing tools, invent games, and create wonderful artworks. And moreover, with mathematics we can build communities. As a proof of this statement, practicing mathematicians, scientists, artists, teachers, musicians, writers, computer scientists, sculptors, dancers, weavers, and model builders come together every year at the Bridges Conference in a lively and highly charged atmosphere of mutual exchange and encouragement.
At the fifteenth gathering, which took place in July in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, participants’ unique con-tributions, in addition to formal scientific presentations, included visual art, hands-on workshops designed for professional educators as well as for families and children, working sessions with artists and mathematicians who venture beyond their disciplinary boundaries, mathemati-cal poetry readings, music and theater performances, and movie screenings.
The conference organizing committee accepted 46 regular papers, 61 short papers, and 30 workshops. The juried art exhibition brought in work from 110 artists.
After the opening talk by Towson University President Maravene Loeschke, the Bridges President Reza Sarhangi, on behalf of the Bridges scientific organizing committee—George Hart, Craig Kaplan, Robert Bosch, Doug McKenna, and Carlo Séquin—welcomed the 400 participants from all over the world.
In his opening talk Nobel laureate John Mather gave a compelling introduction to the
James Webb Space Telescope, the most ambitious telescope ever built, and a progress report on its planned launch in 2018. In her plenary talk, Ingrid Daubechies, president of the International Mathematical Union, acquainted her audience with the history of investigating authenticity and forgery in Van Gogh paintings using mathematical tools based on wavelet transformations. Talks by renowned sculptors Helaman Ferguson and Brent Collins provided the audience with deep insights into the complexity of the mathematical challenges they face as part of creating their wonderful sculptures. Other keynote speakers were William Duffy, Javier Barrallo, Dorothy Washburn, Donald Crowe, and Rinus Roelofs.
An exhibition of mathematical art has been an annual feature of Bridges since 2001, and it has grown steadily over the years under the dedicated leadership of Robert Fathauer. This year, due to the availability of the large, high-quality gallery spaces at Towson University, the Bridges’s jury assembled what must have been the largest exhibition of mathematical art ever from 110 artists. A selection of the artworks were shown as a one-month exhibition in Towson’s College of Fine Arts Gallery, curated by Towson University Art Professor Christopher Bartlett.
This year, as a new element, conference participants voted for the best artworks in four categories. Best of Show was given to Mitered Fractal Tree I by Koos Verhoeff, Tom Verhoeff, and Anton Bakker; Most Innovative Artwork was given to Untiled Faces by Nathan Selikoff, Best
Craftsmanship was given to The Platonic Solidsby Bob Rollings, and the award for
(From left) © Mitered Fractal Tree I, by Koos Verhoeff, Tom Verhoeff, and Anton Bakker. © Untiled Faces, by Nathan Selikoff. © The Platonic Solids, by Bob Rollings. © Dual Half 120- and 600-Cells, by Henry Segerman.
| 7
Best Use of Mathematics was given to Dual Half 120- and 600-Cells by Henry Segerman.
Members of the Bridges community know well that in the context of education it is never too early to start exploring the rich connections between mathematics and the arts. For Family Day, residents of the Baltimore area was invited to join conference participants in a celebration of mathematical ideas with a special emphasis on topics appropriate for a younger audience.
Among the dozens of workshops, community events, and a children’s art exhibition, the day included the Third Annual Bridges Short Movie Festival curated by Amy and Nathan Selikoff, which featured a variety of juried videos and short films. Scholars and children could study and try together for the first time Zometool’s new, ambitious, and gigantic development, the BigZome.
Family Day also included an Afternoon of Mathematical Poetry, coordinated by Sarah Glaz, which featured works from traditional to multimedia and from lyrical to visual, in which ten poets read selections from their work.
The spirited and engaging Experimental Theater perfor-mance of Albert’s Bridge by Tom Stoppard was directed by Steve Abbott; it was as rewarding to the audience as it was to the conference participants who volunteered as actors. Family Day concluded with a special Mime-Matics Night in which Tim and Tanya Chartier presented a brilliant mime performance conveying mathematical ideas hav-ing equal appeal to the youngest and the oldest members of the audience. An informal music night, organized by the inspirational Vi Hart, gave conference participants an opportunity to display their musical talents and provided a fitting end to a day of mathematical fun.
As always, the conference included an Excursion Day, with a trip to local sites of interest. Baltimore, established in 1634, has
an interesting history and provided a rich backdrop for this diverse, interdisciplinary conference. The excursion featured a visit to the Walters Art Museum, which houses the Archimedes Palimpsest. Will Noel, Archimedes Project Director and Walters Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, gave a special lecture on this unique mathemati-cal document. Many chose to visit the Maryland Science Center to see the Math Midway exhibit that George Hart helped put together through the Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) in New York City.
A concert, organized by Princeton University Music Professor Dmitri Tymoczko, featuring a combination of new and old music, served as the conference finale. Older pieces included Bach’s “Puzzle Canons” from the Musical Offering (1747), and Tom Johnson’s “Narayana’s Cows” (1989, almost a mathematics proof set to music). Three pieces composed in 2012 were premiered: “Insulin” by Steven Andrew Taylor, “Edge Flips” by Fernando Benadon, and “Deploration for Six Instruments” by Dmitri Tymoczko, which was a memorial piece for Milton Babbitt, one of the world’s greatest mathematical musicians.
Can all the successes of Bridges Towson be surpassed? Let us find out in the last week of July 2013, when participants from all over the world again come together for the 16th Bridges Conference, taking place in the beautiful town of Enschede in the Netherlands. I hope to see you there!
Kristóf Fenyvesi serves as community events director of the Bridges Organization and researcher with the Department of Arts and Culture Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland; [email protected]. Online Resources: ▶ http://
bridgesmathart.org/ ▶ youtube.com/watch?v=eMyTS1x6W1k&feature=youtu.be ▶ familyday.hu
(From left) Winner of the Jardin Galerie & Experience Workshop’s children’s and youth art exhibit, Boglárka Nemes (9 years old). Theater performance of Albert’s Bridge © Photo: Javier Barrallo. Steve’s Hypar, a BigZome sculpture, was designed by Zometool cofounder Steve Rogers; photo courtesy of Zometool.
