Applied Mathematics News

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.

Students and faculty from the Department of Mathematics and Physics welcomed participants to the Mathstravaganza as part of Maryland STEM Festival. The event featured several interactive math exhibits and games accessible to all ages and mathematical backgrounds. Some of the interactive exhibits included a giant Tower of Hanoi mathematical puzzle, the Chaos Game fractal generator, a station to create minimal surfaces with soap bubbles, the Monty Hall Jellybeans probability game, and Buffon’s Needle experiment with Pixy Stix.

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.