Information about our Fall 2023 Section Meeting at Simpson College is being added as it is available. Please continue to check back as we get closer to the meeting!
The Section meeting will use our standard format: Section NExT activities on Friday morning, parallel sessions Friday afternoon, plenary talks Friday night and Saturday morning, parallel sessions and the business meeting through the day on Saturday, and capped with a plenary talk by a Section teaching award winner.
Schedule and speakers
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Date: Friday, October 27 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Title: Mathematics and Community Engagement: A story about finding mathematical problems in the community and bringing mathematics into the community
Abstract: First-year seminars, learning communities, service-learning courses, undergraduate research projects, and capstone experiences are among a list of high-impact educational practices compiled by George Kuh (2008), which measurably influence students’ success in areas such as student engagement and retention. It is recommended that all college students participate in at least two of these HIPs to deepen their approaches to learning, as well as to increase the transference of knowledge (Gonyea, Kinzie, Kuh, & Laird, 2008). In Mathematics, if a student participates in service-learning, it is typically in the form of tutoring, in conjunction with a school or with an after-school program, or modeling work or statistical analysis for non-profits. Today, I will discuss a few service-learning projects developed for mathematics courses, which do not involve these traditional opportunities. I will also describe my current research project which has potential impact on my community and yours.
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Date: Saturday, October 28 from 8:30am to 9:30am
Title: Popular Culture and Mathematics: Broader Implications
Abstract: Mathematics is pervasive in modern society, and on some level we all use mathematics in our daily lives. Have you ever known anyone who asserted that they do not have the "math gene"? Where do those messages come from? Popular culture can reveal, reflect, and even shape how society views mathematics and mathematicians, and we'll analyze examples from a variety of shows and films. We'll also discuss the active role that students and faculty can take to put theory into practice in and out of the classroom in order to counter messages about who can do mathematics. There are also opportunities to contribute to scholarship in this area.
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Date: Saturday, October 28 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm
Title: The Upside of Down Syndrome
Abstract: My son Isaac has Down syndrome. He was born in 2015, within a year of me receiving tenure at Simpson College. The experience of being his mother has had a profound effect on me as a mathematician. Having been with him through dozens of hospitalizations and surgeries, I wanted to learn about his medical complexities and, more generally, about coordinated health care for those with chronic illness. To accomplish these goals, I've designed and implemented multiple courses and undergraduate research projects over the past several years. This talk will explore how mathematics and a healthy dose of imposter syndrome can be used to understand and improve health care outcomes for individuals with Down syndrome.
Call for Student and Faculty Papers
As usual, we hope for a wide variety of talks from our own members. If you have something interesting to say about mathematics or teaching, contribute a talk and share with the rest of the section. Students (both undergraduates and graduates) are encouraged to participate.
Proposals for talks are now closed.
Registration
Online registration is helpful for planning purposes, and it also allows you to pay using Venmo. Please register online by Wednesday, October 25, 2023.
Elections
Vice-Chair Elect
Joy Becker is in her 13th year at Wartburg College and currently serves as chair of the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics Department. Prior to coming to Wartburg, she was a mathematics faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Stout for nine years. Joy has been an active member of the MAA, including the Iowa and Wisconsin sections. In the Iowa Section, she served as the information director from 2013-18 and was on the Iowa Section-NExT steering committee, co-organizing a couple of the fall meetings. Joy was a national Project NExT Fellow in 2002-03 and has served as a mentor for a couple other Project NExT Fellows. Joy is passionate about undergraduate mathematics education and enjoys participating in music groups and spending time outdoors.
Business meeting agendas
Campus Information
Please consult the Simpson College map.
Parking is recommended in the McNeill/Hillman Hall parking lot, on the north side of Clinton Street between B and C streets. However, there will not be any parking enforcement in non-student lots for the days of the conference.
Lodging Near Simpson
For all hotels, the rooms will be released and the discount unavailable after October 13th.
Hotel Pommier
1215 N Jefferson, Indianola, IA 50125
Stay Dates: October 27th-28th
Rate: $104.72+tax (Two beds are a little more)
How to Book: Call the hotel directly at 515-961-0551
Promo Code: DMMO23
Quality Inn
1701 N Jefferson, Indianola, IA 50125
Stay Dates: October 27th-28th
Rate: $92.05+tax for a single king bed room
How to Book: Call the hotel directly at 515-961-0058
Group name: Iowa MAA
Country Inn and Suites
501 East Trail Ridge Ave, Indianola, IA 50125
Stay Dates: October 27th-28th
Rate: $125+tax
How to Book: Call the hotel directly at 515-808-4054
Group name: Iowa MAA