Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month
Each year, the month of April is designated the Mathematics Awareness Month by
- the American Mathematical Society
- the American Statistical Association
- the Mathematical Association of America
- the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
to recognize the importance of mathematics. To avoid the end-of-semester chaos, Texas A&M will hold its annual Fair at the end of February.
Activities at Texas A&M University:
Mathematics and Statistics Fair —
Saturday February 23, 2019
Saturday February 23, 2019
Julia Robinson Math Festival, Problem Solving, Mathematics Lectures, and Mathematical Arts and Crafts
Schedule
(All events are on the first and second floor of Blocker.)9:00–9:30AM | Registration |
9:00AM–12:00Noon | Julia Robinson Math Festival Puzzles, Problems, Games, Arts, Crafts, and More |
11:00AM–12:00Noon |
Mathematical Biology: A Lifetime of Challenges and Opportunities Public Lecture by Dr. Jay Walton Abstract: Mathematical biology is the scientific and mathematical discipline that addresses applications of mathematics that seek to deepen our understanding of the biological sciences. It has seen explosive growth over the past several decades in both the academic and industrial settings. Every area of mathematics and every area of the life sciences participate in this endeavor. This lecture gives a brief overview of a few areas of mathematical biology of particular contemporary importance including: mathematical ecology, mathematical epidemiology, mathematical neuroscience, mathematical physiology, mathematical oncology and mathematical cardiology. Mathematical modeling is the glue that binds all of these diverse subjects. The process of mathematical modeling will be illustrated by discussing a couple of specific problems selected from mathematical ecology and mathematical epidemiology. |
12:00Noon | Prize Raffle* and Closing Remarks |
1:30PM | Advanced Lectures Bulgarian Solitaire Speaker: Phillip Yasskin Abstract: Begin with a small number of poker chips in a small number of piles. Remove one chip from each pile and put them in a new pile. If a pile becomes empty, it disappears. We will study what happens when this process is repeated. Parking Functions and Chip Firing Game Speaker: Catherine Yan Abstract: We will look at two combinatorial models: a parking process on a one-way street and a one-player chip firing game that re-distributes chips over a graph. From these models we get two different objects: parking functions and critical configurations. We show that they are actually the same object if we look at them from the right point of view. Cardano and the Cubic Speaker: Frank Sottile Abstract: You all know the quadratic formula for the solutions to a quadratic equation. What you may not know is that there is a formula for the solutions to a cubic equation (and also for a quartic equation), due to the Italian mathematicans Tartaglia, Cardano, and Ferraro. I will talk about these formulas, as well as the amazing human story of professional jealousy and intrigue. We will also learn how and why mathematicians became comfortable with `imaginary' numbers. |
*-Limit of one raffle prize per person.
Must be present to win.
Free Parking in unmarked, unnumbered spaces in
lots 50 and 51.
If you park in Northside Garage
across from Blocker, you will have to pay
the parking fee.
Recommended links (internal)
- Department of Mathematics at Texas A&M University
- TAMU Math programs for public schools
- A list of Enjoyable Books on Math and Science
- Entertain yourself with optical illusions
Recommended links (external)
- Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month national website
- World's leading math prizes
- The American Math Competitions page
- PBS NOVA Math resources page
- Math in the Movies
- Magic of Math: Books on Math and Science for Students
- Math Puzzles and Fun links
Previous Years
Photos from Math Fair 2020
Last modified on Monday, 04-Mar-2019 12:30:20 CST.