The 2023 Rocky Mountain Section meeting will be held April 21–22, 2023 on the campus of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.

UPDATE: A limited number of banquet tickets will be available on site

Meeting Information

Plenary Speakers

• Edray Goins, Pomona College - MAA Section Visitor, will give two talks:

  • Pomona Research in Mathematics Experience (PRiME): Reflections on a Research Learning Community

  • Clocks, Parking Garages, and the Solvability of the Quintic: A Friendly Introduction to Monodromy

• Sarah Greenwald, Appalachian State University - Pólya Lecturer

  • Mathematical Morsels from The Simpsons and Futurama

• Bob Cohen, Western Colorado University - 2022 Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teaching Award Recipient

  • It’s Good to Have a Good Problem

See the Abstracts for more information

Biographies of Plenary Speakers 

Edray Herber Goins grew up in South Los Angeles, California.  The product of the Los Angeles Unified (LAUSD) public school system, Goins attended the California Institute of Technology, where he majored in mathematics and physics, and earned his doctorate in mathematics from Stanford University.  He has worked as a researcher at both Harvard and the National Security Agency; and has taught at both Caltech and Purdue. Goins is currently a Professor of Mathematics at Pomona College in Claremont, California.  He has published over 25 journal articles in areas such as applied mathematics, graph theory, number theory, and representation theory; and on topics such as Diophantine equations, elliptic curves, and African Americans in mathematics.  He runs a federally-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) titled Pomona Research in Mathematics Experience (PRiME). 

Photo by Joel Landsberg

Sarah J. Greenwald, an MAA Polya Lecturer, is a professor in the Department of Mathematical  Sciences and a faculty affiliate of Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies in the Department of  Interdisciplinary Studies at Appalachian State University. Greenwald earned a PhD in  Riemannian geometry from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in mathematics from Union  College.  Investigating connections between mathematics and society, Greenwald has won awards for  teaching, scholarship and service. These include an MAA Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished  Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member, an AWM Service  Award, and College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teacher of the Year. As an AWM Fellow,  Greenwald was cited for “creative and effective efforts to spark interest in mathematics among  young people, especially girls… extensive contributions to advancing women in mathematics  through writing, lectures and working with professional societies… and mentorship of  students.” Recent work includes Fifty Years of Women in Mathematics: Reminiscences, History,  and Visions for the Future of AWM, an AWM-Springer book edited by Janet L. Beery,  Greenwald, and Cathy Kessel. 

Bob Cohen grew up in Southern California, went to college in Northern California (at Humboldt State University), and went to graduate school in Colorado (at CU-Boulder).  His mathematical journey ultimately led him way up in the Rocky Mountains to Western Colorado University.  Now in his 17th year as a professor there, Bob has taught most of the math courses at Western and enjoys the opportunity to teach a wide variety of subjects at all undergraduate levels.  In particular, he really loves topics, like board game analysis and fractal design, that are accessible at all levels from freshman non-math majors all the way up to undergraduate research projects. 

Special Sessions/Parallel Sessions 

The History of Mathematics and What it Can Teach Us 

Organizers: Janet Barnett (Colorado State University-Pueblo) and George Heine (Math and Maps) 

At the Fourth International Congress of Mathematicians in Rome in 1908, Poincaré opened his talk “The Future of Mathematics” by declaring: “If we wish to foresee the future of mathematics, our proper course is to study the history and present condition of the science.” This session invites speakers to respond to Poincaré’s call by sharing interesting tales from the history of our science, as well as historical accounts of how specific mathematical topics came into their present condition. Talks that suggest ways in which that history can be used to enrich the mathematical learning experience of today’s students and future mathematicians are especially encouraged.

Combinatorics and Matrix Theory 

Organizers: Colin Garnett (Black Hills State University) and Bryan Shader (University of Wyoming) 

This session is open to any researchers or students exploring the relationship between matrices and combinatorics. This could include combinatorial matrix patterns, algebraic graph theory, tournament matrices, inverse eigenvalue problems for graphs, zero-forcing, and any topic roughly related to the underlying combinatorial structure of matrices.

Corequisite Instruction in the RMS-MAA 

Organizers: Meredith Anderson (Adams State University) and Steve Aldrich (Colorado State University-Pueblo) 

In this session, we will be discussing corequisite instruction, supplemental instruction, and supplemental academic instruction in general education mathematics courses around the region. This session will consist of brief talks from representatives at different institutions, where they discuss how they deliver corequisite or supplemental instruction at their universities, successes and challenges they have encountered, and any results they may have so far. The remaining time will be spent in a Q&A session with speakers.

Teaching Session – General 

Undergraduate Research Session 

General Session 

Contributed TAlks

The default length of all contributed talks is 20 minutes. The schedule will include 5 minutes between talks to allow participants time to move between sessions. A moderator will be present in each room to introduce speakers and ensure talks begin and end on time. All rooms will be equipped with a document camera, computer, and projector. It is not generally necessary for speakers to bring their own laptop, though they may do so if they prefer. Please contact the program organizers regarding any special software or equipment needs.

Meeting registration is required of all speakers and can be completed using the link above.

SPECIAL TEACHING PRESENTATION

Mike Mikucki, Colorado School of Mines – 2022 Early Career Teaching Award Recipient

Title: Beyond Equations: The Power of Writing in Mathematics

Abstract: Writing is an amazing tool for learning that is often underutilized in mathematics courses.  It requires students to engage with the course material in their own language and expression, making it an effective strategy for active learning.  Writing reveals students’ understandings and misconceptions both to the instructor and to themselves, and it provides a framework for deeper understanding.  In this talk, I’ll share my own personal story of how writing has helped me learn mathematics and how I’ve used writing assignments to help provide a similar experience for my students.  I’ll discuss a variety of writing activities and assignments ranging from short response questions to long research papers.  Finally, I will conclude with a brief discussion about artificial intelligent chatbots and how to maintain writing integrity in the classroom in this new landscape

Friday Morning Workshop

A pre-conference workshop titled Building Community Engagement into Active Learning in the Gen Ed Math Classroom will be led by Dr. Nick Van Kley, Director, BHSU Center for Faculty Innovation.

Workshop Description: Universities are increasingly invested in building partnerships with their surrounding communities. These partnerships can serve both institutional and regional needs, but they also provide valuable learning opportunities for students. In this workshop, participants will explore models for bringing community engagement into the mathematics classroom. Math faculty from Black Hills State University will share an emerging model for a community-engaged College Algebra course, workshop presenters will share foundational research on active learning and community engagement, and participants will have an opportunity to plan and design community-engagement into their own teaching environments. The cost of the workshop is $15.

Chair/Liaison Lunch

There will be a chair/liaison lunch from 11:30-12:15am on Friday before the conference officially begins.  The cost of the lunch is $10. 

Registration

Online registration is now open.

Registration Fees

Registration Type	Early Registration	Full Registration (after April 5th)
Standard Faculty/Business, Industry, Govrnment	$50	$70
K-12 Teachers, First time attendee, Retired Faculty/Buisness Industry, Government	$30	$50
Student (undergraduate, graduate, K-12)	$20	$30
Workshop	$15	$15
Chair/Liaison Lunch	$10	$10
Banquet	$50	N/A

Parking

If driving, please park in the large lot to the South of Jonas Hall—your vehicle will not be ticketed there.  No parking pass is required for the duration of the conference.  Please do not park in the parking spots marked Visitor Parking. See the Campus Map.

Accommodations

The following Spearfish hotels are offering special conference rates.

Contact the hotel directly to make your reservation. Hotels in Spearfish can fill up quickly so make your reservations early to ensure rooms and the conference rates are still available! Rates are valid for check-in Thursday, April 20th or Friday, April 21st.

Hampton Inn

240 N 27th St (I-90, Exit 14); Phone: 605-642-3003

One king or two queen, $129

Rate good through March 30th. Ask for Mathematical Association of America rate.

Fairfield Inn

2720 1st Ave (I-90, Exit 14); Phone: 605-642-3500

Two queen or one queen, $97; One king, $107; One king + sofa bed, $117; Executive king suite, $127; King suite, $137

Rates good through March 20th. Ask for Mathematical Association of America rate.

Best Western Black Hills Lodge

540 East Jackson Blvd (I-90, Exit 12); Phone: 605-642-7795

Two queen 2nd floor, $78; One King, 2nd floor, $88; One king or two queen, main floor, $98

Ask for Mathematical Association of America rate.

Co-organizers, 2023 Rocky Mountain Section Meeting

• Daluss Siewert, Daluss.Siewert@bhsu.edu

• Dan Swenson, Daniel.Swenson@bhsu.edu