Applied Mathematics News

The Department of Mathematics and Physics proudly hosted the much-anticipated Escape Room 2023. This was the fifth Escape Room created and run by faculty in the department and the second room designed by Professors Amy Tucker and Ben Wilson.

Open to all Stevenson students, faculty, and staff, the Escape Room provided an exciting opportunity for the community to partake in a thrilling game in which participants found themselves “locked” in a room, challenged to unravel a series of puzzles and riddles using elements within the space to make their “escape” within a designated time limit.

This year’s theme transported participants to the undersea lab of Dr. Gustav Fechner. A total of 85 participants on 20 teams attempted the room. This included 58 students on 13 teams and 27 faculty/staff on 7 teams. The winning student team, comprised of Alyssa O’Kelley, D’annccie Thurston, Cedar Brown, Miriam Walton, and Clare Oshman (pictured above from left to right) will have their names added to the Escape Room Champions plaque which hangs outside of MAC S150.

Prof. Amy Tucker presented a poster titled, “Implementing Mastery-Based Grading in a Foundational Math Class,” at the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMAYTC). The poster was the culmination of a 2-year fellowship with AMATYC’s Project ACCCESS (Advancing Community College Careers: Education, Scholarship, and Service) Cohort 18. For the fellowship, Prof. Tucker had to complete a project and attended two AMATYC conferences and one regional conference for the purpose of professional development and networking with her peers around the US.

Applied Mathematics major, Jay Whitmon, presented research at the Fall 2023 MAA MD-DC-VA Section conference. His talked was titled Optimizing Shut the Box and was based on his S3RP research he completed with Dr. Ben Wilson over the summer.

The Fall 2023 meeting of the Mathematical Association of America MD-DC-VA section hosted at Stevenson was a huge success! The meeting featured a workshop on Alternative Grading in math classes, several inspiring and informative invited talks, and a variety of contributed paper sessions. Stevenson faculty and students participated in many ways including attending the conference, speaking during one of the contributed paper sessions, and volunteering to help during registration. Everyone had a great time and it was an honor to host the conference at Stevenson. See more information about the conference including links for talk abstracts and slides on the Fall 2023 Meeting website.

Math faculty Amy Tucker and Shradha Maheshwari have been accepted into the Section NExT (New Experiences in Teaching) program through The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Maryland-District of Columbia-Virginia Section. Section NExT is an MAA professional development program that provides support for those beginning an academic career in the mathematical sciences. The formal program consists of a series of workshops and panel discussions in conjunction with the semi-annual MD/DC/VA Section MAA meetings. One of the primary strengths of the program is the establishment of a peer support group, providing important contacts for beginning faculty. Participants will explore key aspects of life in academia while building lasting relationships with other participants and senior faculty mentors from around the region. Learn more here.