Current Headlines
- HARD PROBLEMS AIRING ON PBS
Hard Problems: The Road to the Toughest Math Contest, a film by George Paul Csicsery, is airing on PBS television stations around the U.S. from October 2009 through October 2013. The documentary follows the six exceptional high school students who represented the United States in 2006 at the world's toughest math competition--the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). "Each year, the grueling and exhilarating contest pits the top teams from 90 countries against one another. In their quest to solve some of the most challenging problems, these dedicated and talented young men and women—-some immigrants, others U.S.-born—-shatter many stereotypes and clichés about the mathematically gifted. Hard Problems provides an insightful and thoughtful look at the process that produces and nurtures successful Olympiad teams, and ultimately, the great mathematicians of the future." Learn more about the film, read the synopsis, and track the schedule of the film's airdates.
Between the Folds, a film by Vanessa Gould, will premiere December 8 on PBS's Independent Lens and will be shown starting in November at special events throughout the U.S. "Think origami is just paper planes and cranes? Meet a determined group of theoretical scientists and fine artists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at graduate degrees to forge new lives as modern-day paper folders. Together they reinterpret the world in paper, creating a wild mix of sensibilities towards art, science, creativity and meaning." See information on Independent Lens and the schedule of showings at special events, and link to your local PBS station to see airing dates. [Item posted 10/27/09]
- FEATURE COLUMN and MATH IN THE MEDIA - NOVEMBER ISSUES
This month's Feature Column is "Marian Rejewski and the First Break into Enigma,"
by Bill Casselman. The November Math in the Media includes Tony Phillips' Take: "Israel Gelfand, Math Giant;" Too much math in French
schools?; "The Sophisticated Side of Elementary Mathematics;" Martin Gardner
celebrated in the New York Times; and "Massively collaborative mathematics."
See also Math Digest, summaries of recent media coverage of math and the
brain, applications, origami, Math for America, Martin Gardner's 95th
birthday, and much more, plus Reviews of recent books, including Logicomix.
Image: "Stallion," courtesy of Robert J. Lang, www.langorigami.com.
- NOTICES OF THE AMS--NOVEMBER ISSUE
 In this month's issue read the feature articles:
*"Andrew M. Gleason (1921-2008)," by Ethan D. Bolker, coordinating editor; colleagues, friends, and family recall the life and work of the eminent American mathematician;
*"We Do Not Choose Mathematics as Our Profession, It Chooses Us: Interview with Yuri Manin," by Mikhail Gelfand; reflections on mathematics and the mathematical life by the prominent algebraic geometer; and
*"Book Review: The Princeton Companion to Mathematics," reviewed by Bryan Birch, Simon Donaldson, Gil Kalai, Richard Kenyon, and Angus Macintyre; The Princeton Companion intends to survey most of active contemporary pure mathematics. The authors review, from their individual perspectives as specialists, and as generalists, how it performs this task.
Also in the issue you'll find the opinion piece, "The Employment Market for Early Career Mathematicians," by
Linda Keen and Donald E. McClure.
- BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY GRADUATE CONFERENCE IN ALGEBRA AND TOPOLOGY (BUGCAT)
Now in its second year, the BUGCAT is a venue for algebra and topology graduate students in all stages of their research to present their work and meet other mathematicians with related research interests. Kim Ruane from Tufts University and Louis Kauffman from the University of Illinois at Chicago will serve as keynote speakers at the conference, which takes place November 14 and 15. There is no registration fee, and funding is available. Underrepresented minorities and women are encouraged to apply.
- ASA 2009 POSTER AND PROJECT WINNERS
 Each year the ASA/NCTM Joint Committee on the Curriculum in Statistics and Probability and the American Statistical Association's Center for Statistics Education invite students and their advisors to participate in its annual Poster Competition and Project Competition. The Poster Competition, now in its 20th year, encourages students to discover the usefulness of displaying data in creative ways. Students work individually or in teams to create a poster that tells a
statistical story visually and to illustrate conclusions that can be drawn from data. The statistical projects answer a research question using statistical techniques and present the work in a written report. Committees of distinguished statisticians and dedicated teachers of statistics meet each year to evaluate the entries. The first-place winner of the Poster Competition for Grades 10-12, pictured here, is "What Makes a Senator Successful?" by George Lu, Crystal Springs Uplands School, Millbrae, CA. There was a tie for first place in the Project Competition for Grades 10-12: "Examining the Accuracy of the Windows XP Installation Time Prediction and How to Improve It," by Samuel L. Carson, Scripps Ranch High School, San Diego, CA, and "The Wikipedia Game Experiment," by Matthew Adelman, Daniel Hemmendinger, and Brian Stellingwerf, West Morris Mendham High School, Mendham, NJ. Learn more about the program and see all the 2009 poster and project winners.
- MAHADEVAN NAMED 2009 MACARTHUR FELLOW
 L. Mahadevan, De Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics at Harvard
University, has been named a 2009 MacArthur Fellow. Mahadevan uses
mathematics to investigate simple-sounding, but complex, questions across
the physical and biological sciences, such as how skin wrinkles and how
Venus flytraps snap closed. The MacArthur Foundation has posted more
information about Mahadevan's work, including a video of him discussing his research. You can also hear
Mahadevan on NPR's All Things Considered (broadcast 9/22/09). He is one
of twenty-four 2009 MacArthur Fellows, each of whom will receive US$500,000
over the next five years. Commonly referred to as the "MacArthur genius
award," the unrestricted fellowships are given "to talented individuals who
have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative
pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction." See all the 2009 fellows.
- MATH HELPING TO FIGHT THE FLU
 Read how math is used to fight disease and listen to Mac Hyman (Los Alamos
National Laboratory and Tulane University) talk about "Resisting the Spread
of Disease"--specifically how math is used to help deal with the H1N1 virus.
The topic is one in the recent Mathematical Moment series of small posters.
- MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
 As you start a new academic year, here are some ways to take advantage of your experience: join a math club or a student math chapter; find and use a mentor; present a poster at a math conference (pictured here are undergraduate poster presenters with other participants and judges at the 2008 national SACNAS conference); attend local or national meetings of the professional societies (AMS, ASA, AWM, MAA, SIAM, SACNAS); write a math paper for an undergraduate journal (e.g. SIAM Undergraduate Research Online, Involve, Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Math Journal, Harvard College Mathematics Review); think about applying to a summer REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates program); ask the math department chair or a faculty member about resources available in the department and library; collaborate with your fellow math students on a problem; rent a math film; and consider graduate school -- compare mathematics graduate programs all over the U.S. and attend the annual Grad School Fair at the Joint Mathematics Meetings. See more resources to help you on your way.
- SPECIAL PRE-JMM SESSIONS
"Tutorial on Modeling: An Introduction to Numerical and Statistical
Modeling," presented by Chi-Wang Shu, Brown University and Wei Zhu, SUNY
Stony Brook, will be held just before the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM)
in San Francisco on Monday, January 11 and Tuesday, January 12 (2010). This
tutorial will be an introduction to both numerical and statistical modeling
for those who are not currently studying computational science. The fee for this two-day tutorial is US$25. To register, use the
online registration form. It is not necessary to register
for the JMM in order to participate in the tutorial. If you have additional
questions or concerns about the tutorial, please
contact Ellen Maycock at 1-800-321-4267, Ext. 4101, or at ejm@ams.org.
- DISCOVERIES AND BREAKTHROUGHS INSIDE SCIENCE
How is math used to create special effects in movies? How does math used in origami help design the best way to fold an airbag for optimum deployment and compute the optimum configuration of space telescope lenses? How can math help allocate resources to best benefit all parties? How could math prevent icicles from forming on power lines? The AMS partners with the American Institute of Physics to contribute toward the production of Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science, video segments on the latest discoveries and applications of mathematics that are aired on local TV news programs all over the country. The AMS page links to several of the video spots on mathematical applications.
- WHEN WILL I USE MATH?
 Did you know that Art Garfunkel, of Simon & Garfunkel, has a Master's degree in math? The new website, When Will I Use Math?, hosted by Brigham Young University's Math Department, includes lots of interesting facts and valuable information on nearly 40 careers. For instance, if you are interested in being a computational biologist, the site lets you know the potential salary range, what math courses would be required, how math is used in the job, and other important information. Explore the website to see "how to succeed in math", "did you know?" and "resources for teachers." Image courtesy of the BYU Mathematics Department.
- FAMOUS MATHEMATICS MAJORS
Did you know that basketball player Michael Jordan started out as a math major, or that Teri Hatcher (Lois Lane on "Lois and Clark") was a mathematics and engineering major at DeAnza Junior College? See a list of famous individuals from the worlds of sports, entertainment, politics, writing and finance on this web page created by the Rose-Hulman Math Club.
- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MATH CIRCLES WEBSITE IS LAUNCHED
The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) announces the launch of the National Association of Math Circles (NAMC) website for the community of students, parents, teachers, and math circle organizers. Math circles join math-related professionals and motivated middle and high school students in informal after-school settings to work on interesting problems and topics in math. There are currently 58 math circles in the U.S. See the new NAMC website to locate local math circles and search for summer math camps, math events, and math competitions--from regional to national to international Olympiads.
- PLUS MAGAZINE - NEW ISSUE
"If you have ever felt the need for speed, then this is the issue for you!
Andy Green tells us how maths is going to help him break his own land speed
record by driving a supersonic Bloodhound at 1,000mph. But if you prefer a
more sedate pace, then why not try your hand at juggling, search for a
Gomboc on the seashore, contemplate your bathroom floor, or just gaze out
at the horizon. And find out how probability can give you the winning edge,
whether you are playing the markets, or the beautiful game." From the editors of Plus.
- THE GNARLY GNEWS
The latest edition of this humorous math newsletter tells us about racing:
* Bikes (what went wrong on the Tour de France in 1904?)
* Cars (does the average speed of cars in the Indy 500 get bigger every year?)
* Horses, including steeplechasers (do you know how steeplechasing got its name?)
* Humans (was there ever an Olympic games solely for women?)
* Chariots (were the first chariot races in Greece or Rome?)
Read the Racing Issue of the Gnews and you'll find answers to all these questions.
- CHECK OUT THESE WEBSITES:
- AMS GRADUATE STUDENT BLOG
 The AMS Graduate Student Blog is a blog by and for math graduate
students, managed by Frank Morgan, AMS vice-president, and professor of
mathematics at Williams College. "Graduate students are the future of the
AMS, and they have a lot to talk about," says Morgan. The Graduate Student
Editorial Board members are Asher Auel, Adam Boocher, Diana Davis, Daniel
Erman, Fernando Galaz, Brian Katz, Alex Levin, Kathryn Lindsey, Andrew Obus,
David Shea Vela-Vick, Clay Shonkwiler, Annalies Z. Vuong, and Tom Wright.
Morgan hopes that more graduate students from around the country will join
the board. The blog entries to date concern organizing a reading seminar,
how to give a good mathematics talk, advice for beginning teaching
assistants, navigating seminars and finding an advisor--topics of great
importance to graduate students, who are all are invited to join the
community by posting comments, questions and advice on the blog, hosted by
Williams College.
Recently posted on the Grad Student Blog is an interview with Terence Tao.
- MATH EN JEU - A NEW INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA GAME
How does this online game work?
* create your own identity;
* launch a new game or join a game in progress;
* and it's started!
Math en Jeu was developed by SMAC (Sciences and Mathematics in Action), directed by Professor Jean-Marie De Koninck and a team at the department of mathematics and statistics of Université Laval, and is offered in English or French. "This is basically a board game with a mathematical flavor. Up to four players confront each other in a game by moving on a randomly created board. The players try to accumulate as many coins as possible before the time runs out. To be able to win coins, each player must answer mathematical questions. The more spaces in a move, the harder the question, and the more coins it is worth." See the Math en Jeu website to read more about how the game works, learn about the question bank, and start playing!
- WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE FICTIONAL MATHEMATICIAN?
The PLUS Magazine Blog asks the question and invites readers to pick from among a list of 18 fictional characters. The Square (Flatland)? Charlie Eppes (Numb3rs)? Professor Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes)? You can also view the results of the poll, which re-calculates on an ongoing basis the voter favorites. And if your favorite character isn't on the list you can submit a comment to the blog editors.
- L'EXPLOSION DES MATHEMATIQUES
 The Société Mathématique de France (French Mathematical Society) has translated into English "L'explosion des mathématiques," an illustrated booklet on the many applications of mathematics. Chapters include "What lies behind mobile phones," "Preventing waves from making noise," "From DNA to knot theory," "How to rationalize auction sales," "Puzzles for airline companies," "Financial options pricing," and more. Download individual chapters or the entire pdf of the English-language version of the "L'explosion des mathématiques" booklet.
- NUMB3RS MATH ACTIVITIES
 The Mathematics Department at Cornell University has developed a series of materials on math behind the TV show Numb3rs. To date there are over 60 topics related to episodes in the first four seasons, including "Counterfeit Reality," "In Plain Sight," "The Mole," "Pandora's Box," and "Tabu." (Image to left: Diagram from Cornell's "Tabu" of a "tabu search, a kind of local search in which one moves from point to nearby point, trying to find an optimal solution." Graphic used with permission.) Each topic includes a brief synopsis of the program's plot and how the mathematician character Charlie used math to solve the crime, a more in-depth look at the mathematics, and often a suggested activity or a "Tangent"--a tidbit of historical background or other application of the mathematics.
- MOVIES ON THE FUTURES CHANNEL
See a series of brief movies that connect math to the real world: "First one in the ballpark," "Air coasters," "Ingrid's cross-country practice," "Tetradice," "Response time," and "New car tips," are just a few of the topics.
- MATH DOCTORAL PROGRAMS WEBPAGE
The webpage has separate lists for doctoral programs in mathematics, applied
mathematics and operations research, statistics/biostatistics, and mathematics education. The page was created and is maintained by Sarah-Marie Belcastro.
- HELP AT DIFFERENT STAGES IN YOUR MATH CAREER
The Art of Problem Solving website lists mathematics scholarships including national
mathematics scholarship competitions, university-specific mathematics
scholarships, and links to other opportunities such as study abroad and
summer programs. Use the 2008 Assistantships & Graduate Fellowships in
the Mathematical Sciences to compare graduate math programs, see
stipend amounts, locate sources of support, and more. See what past math
majors are doing now, on the Early Career Profile
Network. See the AMS web page for job-seekers that
includes links to advice on how to develop your curriculum vitae, interview,
decide if teaching is for you, apply for jobs, and more.
- SELECTED MATH BLOGS
See these sites for interesting math blogs, and give the authors feedback:
bit-player, by Brian Hayes,
Senior Writer for American Scientist; Numb3rs, by Mark
Bridger, Northeastern University; What's New, by Terence Tao, University of California, Los Angeles; MathTrek Blogs, by Julie J. Rehmeyer, Science News Web Editor and Mathematics Writer; The Mathematical Tourist, by Ivars Peterson, MAA Director of Publications for Journals and Communications; Teaching College Math Technology Blog, by Maria H. Anderson, Muskegon Community College; and Carnival of Mathematics, hosted by WordPress.com.
- UNDERGRADUATE POSTER SESSION AT THE JOINT MATHEMATICS MEETINGS
Undergraduate Student Poster Session held at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Francisco, will be Friday, January 15, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. The session, organized by Diana M. Thomas, Montclair State University, is reserved to undergraduates and first-year graduate students submitting posters on work done while undergraduates. Abstracts are accepted on a first-come basis. Space is limited and students are encouraged to apply early. Students are invited to submit abstracts online. Examples of poster topics include a new result, a different proof of a known theorem, an innovative solution of a Putnam problem, a new mathematical model, or method of solution of an applied problem. Prizes will be awarded to the top-rated posters with money provided by the AMS, MAA, AWM, CUR, PME, and by the Moore Foundation. See more details on materials provided, set-up and presentation schedule, and location, or email questions to Diana Thomas at thomasdia@mail.montclair.edu. The deadline for proposals is NOVEMBER 7, 2009.
- NEBRASKA CONFERENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN IN MATHEMATICS
The Twelfth Annual Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in
Mathematics will be on January 29-31, 2010, at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. It will bring together outstanding undergraduate
women mathematicians from across the country and is open to undergraduate
women mathematicians at all stages of their careers. Those who have
already done research can present their results as either a talk or a poster.
Two leading mathematicians, Bryna Kra and Karen Vogtmann, will give
plenary addresses. In addition to the mathematical program, there will
be information about undergraduate research, graduate programs, fellowships,
and careers in mathematics. About 200 undergraduates have attended each of
the past several years and between 35 and 50 have presented their research.
The website has more information about the conference and registration.
The conference covers local expenses (lodging and most meals) for all
undergraduate women participants. Some participants' travel costs can
be covered, when participants' home institutions are not able to do so.
The registration deadline is DECEMBER 4, 2009 but spaces will be filled on
a first come basis and registration has closed early in some years, so register early. The conference is funded by grants from the
National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency.
- MATH FOR AMERICA - APPLY NOW. Math for America's 2010 Fellowship application is open for New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego and Washington, DC. The Math for America Fellowship provides aspiring math teachers a full tuition scholarship for a master's degree in mathematics education, stipends of up to US$100,000 over five years, in addition to a full time teacher's salary, and mentoring, leadership and professional development opportunities. The application deadline is FEBRUARY 5, 2010. To learn more about our program, visit www.mathforamerica.org.
- MOODY'S MEGA MATH CHALLENGE - INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE
Want to know if the stimulus act will work or whether ethanol is the right choice for U.S. energy independence? Need advice on how to beat Wall Street? If so, you may want to consult a high school student! These are topics that have been tackled in past Moody’s Mega Math Challenge competitions, where teams of students are given 14 hours to solve an open-ended, realistic, applied math-modeling problem focused on real-world issues, and are able to use any free, publicly available, and inanimate sources of information to help them. Registration is now open for the 2010 M3 Challenge, which will be held during the weekend of March 6-7, and the final deadline is FEBRUARY 26, 2010. The Challenge has expanded this year to include high schools along the entire East Coast, from Maine to Florida. Scholarship prizes have also increased—US$100,000 will be awarded in 2010. There are no entrance or participation fees and each high school may enter up to two teams of three to five students each. Each year’s topic is entirely unknown until teams download the problem at 7:00 a.m. on their selected Challenge day. They have until 9:00 p.m. that same night to research the problem, formulate assumptions, develop and test a model, analyze their findings, and summarize their response in a solution paper, which they upload to the Challenge website. The goal of this annual and entirely Internet-based Challenge is to increase interest in and encourage high school students to pursue studies and careers in applied mathematics, economics, and finance. Learn more about the M3 Challenge.
- SIAM UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ONLINE - CALL FOR PAPERS. SIAM Undergraduate Research Online (SIURO) is a web-based publication devoted to undergraduate research in applied and computational mathematics. Topics include analysis, discrete mathematics, statistics, operations research, optimization, dynamical systems, modeling, and computation. Papers written by undergraduate students (or teams of students) are being accepted on an ongoing basis and will be posted online as they are accepted. The SIURO web site lists the editorial board and has instructions for authors, review policies, etc.
- STIPENDS FOR STUDY AND TRAVEL. The September 2008 issue of Notices of the AMS includes opportunities for graduate
support, postdoctoral support, travel and study abroad, and study
in the U.S. for foreign nationals. There are various deadlines throughout this academic year.
- ATTENTION STUDENTS!
If you are a member of the AMS, MAA, SIAM, AMATYC, AWM or CMS/SMC, please keep your contact information current on the online Combined Membership List. The directory is a
great networking tool, so be sure your mathematical colleagues all
over the U.S. and Canada can find you!
FOR POSTDOCS
- NSF-AWM TRAVEL GRANTS. This program enables women to attend research conferences in
their fields, thereby providing a valuable opportunity to advance their
research activities and their visibility in the research community. The
grants provide full or partial support for travel and subsistence for a
meeting or conference in the applicant's field of specialization. A
maximum of US$1,500 for domestic travel and US$2,000 for foreign travel will be
available. Women must hold a doctorate (or equivalent experience) and
have a work address in the US (or US home address, in case of unemployed
mathematicians). There are three award periods per year, with
applications due OCTOBER 1, FEBRUARY 1, and MAY 1.
- NSF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS (MSPRF). The MSPRFs support postdocs in the mathematical sciences by enabling you to participate in research environments that will have maximal impact on your future development. There are two options for awardees: Research Fellowship and Research Instructorship. The deadline for full proposals is OCTOBER 21, 2009. The website provides details.
- NRC RESEARCH ASSOCIATESHIP PROGRAMS. The National Research Council of the National Academies sponsors a number of awards for post-doctoral and senior researchers at federal laboratories. There are four review cycles annually. The next submission deadline is NOVEMBER 1, 2009. The website has detailed program information.
- ALL DEADLINES
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