Applied Mathematics News

The Stevenson chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) gathered to play the AWM game EvenQuads (a game similar to Set) that features a female mathematician on each card with a short biography.  After playing the game, participants each picked a random card from the deck and shared the story of the mathematician featured on it.

Stevenson students and faculty attended the 10th Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Research Conference at Towson University. Applied Math major Guiliana Datnoff gave a talk titled “Student Perspectives on Three Recommendations Improving High School Mathematics” based on work she did during her senior capstone research experience. Dr. Benjamin Wilson gave a talk titled “Would Wheel of Fortune be Easier in Dothraki or Klingon?” based on research in information theory he has done with Stevenson Applied Mathematics majors. The conference also included math talks by undergraduates from other regional universities and a panel on career opportunities in government, industry, and academia.

AWM hosted our very first event – a movie night to watch Hidden Figures (2016) followed by a discussion of the movie. The event was well attended and enjoyed by all! To-go snacks ended a great event!

National Pi Day not only commemorates a very special number, but also celebrates the birthday of the great scientist and mathematician Albert Einstein. Pi was first calculated by Archimedes of Syracuse (287–212 BC), one of the greatest mathematicians of the ancient world. National Pi Day has become a day to celebrate numbers and math. Although this day is during a much needed Spring Break, math lovers everywhere celebrated the day by eating all kinds of pies!

To make a difference during Stevenson’s Weekend of Women, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) Student Chapter held a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon. Fewer than 20 percent of the 1.5 million biographies on English Wikipedia are about women. So, the group researched and improved the pages for female mathematicians. Good work, good conversation, and good snacks made for a good time by all!