Applied Mathematics News

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.

The Department of Mathematics and Physics continued its annual tradition of running a charity bake sale and raised over $350 for the charity Direct Relief. Great job everyone! The math charity bake sale first after Hurricane Maria devastated the Caribbean in 2017 directly impacting the families of one our Applied Math majors at the time as well as the family of one of the math faculty.

Jay Whitmon (Applied Mathematics ’24) was recognized as one of the 2023 MAA MathFest Undergraduate Student Poster Session Outstanding Posters. Jay’s poster was titled “Information Theory Through Games: Optimizing Shut the Box” and was based on research he completed at Stevenson with Dr. Benjamin Wilson during the Summer Science Scholars Research Program (S3RP). MAA MathFest is a mathematics conference hosted annually in late summer by the Mathematical Association of America.

Applied Mathematics major Jay Whitmon and math faculty Dr. Mark Branson and Dr. Ben Wilson attended MAA MathFest 2023 in Tampa, FL. Every summer, MAA MathFest presents the latest in mathematical research and education to diverse audiences across the nation. Jay presented his summer research project titled “Information Theory Through Games: Optimizing Shut the Box”. Dr. Branson participated in a panel and Dr. Wilson presented a talk on his uses of mastery-based grading in Calculus.