Events
- Annual Convention
- Great Teaching Round-up
- Leading from the middle
- fall conference for faculty leaders
- Webinars
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Events: 2008 Math/TexMATYC Schedule
Math/TexMATYC Summary
Friday, 9:30-10:40 a.m.
“College Readiness Standards and A New Fourth Year of Mathematics Course”
Speakers: Linda Zientek,
Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Sam Houston State University, Vertical Teams Member for College Readiness Standards
and Jim Wohlgehagen,
President, Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics, Mathematics Curriculum Supervisor, Plano I.S.D.
Friday, 10:50 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
“Using Mathematics to Create Symmetry Patterns”
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Joseph Gallian,
Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Minnesota - Duluth
Meet Dr. Gallian on TCCTA Online!
Friday, 1:00-2:20 p.m. - TexMATYC Official Meeting
“What are the Odds? – 11 Years of Changing the Lotteries”
Speaker: Gerald Busald,
Professor of Mathematics, San Antonio College
Friday, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions:
Session I:
“Creating an Interview-Worthy Portfolio using Excel 2007 in Statistics”
Speaker: Linda Buchanan,
Professor of Mathematics, Howard College
Session II:
“Honey, I Shrunk The Dollar: Financial Survival with Mathematics”
Speaker: Ron Harshbarger,
Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, University of South Carolina
Friday, 3:40-4:40 p.m. Breakout Sessions:
Session I:
“Everyday Derivatives: Calculus Concepts in the Real World”
Speaker: Frank Wilson,
Technology in Mathematics Education Committee Chairperson, American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges
Session II:
“How and When to Use Games”
Speakers: Amy Young,
Developmental Mathematics Instructor, and Nan Strebeck,
Developmental Mathematics Instructor, Navarro College
Saturday, 9:00-10:15 a.m.
“The Eureka! Experience: Instructional Techniques that Encourage It”
Speaker: Alan Tussy,
Mathematics Department, Citrus Community College, Glendora, California
Saturday, 10:30-11:45 a.m.
“Public-Key Cryptography”
Speaker: Richard Aufmann,
Associate Professor of Mathematics, Palomar College California
Mathematics Section and TexMATYC Feature
Impressive Professional Development for Faculty
The TCCTA Mathematics Section will conduct combined meetings with the Texas Mathematical Association of the Two-Year College (TexMATYC).
Friday morning, from 9:30-10:40 a.m., the group will learn about "College Readiness Standards and A New Fourth Year of Mathematics Course," with Linda Zientek, assistant professor of mathematics at Sam Houston State University. Dr. Zientek is a Vertical Teams Member for the College Readiness Standards, mandated last year by the Texas Legislature. Also speaking will be and Jim Wohlgehagen, president of the Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics. He is presently the mathematics curriculum supervisor for the Plano Independent School District.
Later that morning, in a special presentation, attendees will be treated to "Using Mathematics to Create Symmetry Patterns," with keynote speaker Joseph Gallian, professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Dr. Gallian, in describing his presentation, says, "We will explain how to create symmetry patterns using Hamiltonian paths, spanning trees, exponential functions, logarithms, and modular arithmetic. These methods were used to create the image for the 2003 Mathematics Awareness Month poster."
Dr. Gallian took office as the president of the Mathematical Association of America in January 2007. He obtained a B.A. from Slippery Rock University in 1966, an M.A. from the University of Kansas in 1968, and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. After serving as a visiting assistant professor at Notre Dame for one year, he went to the University of Minnesota at Duluth, where he is a Morse alumni distinguished university professor of teaching.
Among his honors are the MAA's Haimo Award for distinguished teaching, the MAA Allendoerfer and Evans awards for exposition, an MAA Polya Lecturer, a term as MAA Second Vice President, co-director of the MAA's Project NExT, associate editor of the American Mathematical Monthly and the Mathematics Magazine, advisory board member for Math Horizons, and was the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Minnesota Professor of the Year in 2003.
Since 1977 over 100 research papers written under his supervision by undergraduates in his summer research program have been published in mainstream journals. He has given more than 250 invited lectures at conferences and colleges and universities and is the author or editor of five books and more than 100 articles.
Besides the traditional math courses, Dr. Gallian has taught a humanities course called the "The Lives and Music of the Beatles" for more than 25 years and a liberal arts course on math and sports. In 2000 a Duluth newspaper cited him as one of the "100 Great Duluthians of the 20th Century."
Friday afternoon, the mathematics group will discover "What are the Odds? 11 Years of Changing the Lotteries," presented by Gerald Busald, professor of mathematics at San Antonio College.
Professor Busald has been a mathematics educator for 40 years, the last 29 at SAC. His teaching has been recognized by his peers as a Piper Professor nominee from his school. For the last 11 years his statistics students, through various projects, have had several interactions with the Texas Lottery Commission that have resulted in changes in the Lottery's advertising and disclosure policies and practices. The first interaction was revealed at the TexMATYC meeting 11 years ago.
The history of this exchange can be found at their Web site, SACstat.org. Last semester's project, "Ranking the Lotteries - a Chance for Change," will hopefully, according to Dr. Busald, have the effect of spreading the positive changes made to the Texas Lottery to lotteries across the country.
Friday afternoon will feature a number of breakout sessions.
"Creating an Interview-Worthy Portfolio using Excel 2007 in Statistics," will be presented by Linda Buchanan, professor of mathematics at Howard College.
"Honey, I Shrunk The Dollar: Financial Survival with Mathematics," will be offered by Ron Harshbarger, professor Emeritus of mathematics at the University of South Carolina.
Later that afternoon, "Everyday Derivatives: Calculus Concepts in the Real World," will be presented by Frank Wilson, who serves as Technology in Mathematics Education Committee Chairperson of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.
Also at this time attendees may choose to learn "How and When to Use Games," with Amy Young and Nan Strebeck, developmental mathematics instructors at Navarro College.
Saturday morning's first session will feature "The Eureka! Experience: Instructional Techniques that Encourage It," with Alan Tussy, who teaches in the mathematics department at Citrus Community College, in Glendora, California.
Finally on Saturday, the group will learn about "Public-Key Cryptography," with speaker Richard Aufmann, associate professor of mathematics at Palomar College in California.
Math Section Chair: Philip Wayne Anderson, South PlainsCollege
TexMATYC President: Mel Griffin, Suddenlink