Radical Dash! organized by Stacey Muir, University of Scranton, and Janine Janoski, Kings College; Radical Dash Kickoff Meeting: Wednesday, 10:20–10:50 am and Radical Dash Prize Session: Friday, 10:30–11:00 am. The Radical Dash is a multi-day scavenger hunt for teams of undergraduates filled with math challenges and creative activities. Clues will be released periodically via Instagram (follow us now @MAARadicalDash) tasking teams with doing things such as solving math problems, finding mathematical objects in everyday life, and hunting down locations throughout the conference. Team posts will be judged based on completion of tasks as well as creativity. Join us for the Radical Dash Kickoff on Wednesday, January 16, 10:20–10:50 am where team sign ups take place and more details will be provided. Individuals are welcome and encouraged to participate; they will be formed into teams on site at our Kickoff. Winners and prizes will be announced at the Radical Dash Prize Session on Friday, January 18, 10:30 – 11:00 am Questions? Email us at MAARadicalDash@gmail.com. Can’t make the Kickoff? Email us by Tuesday, January 15. The Radical Dash! is sponsored by MAA Committee on Undergraduate Student Activities and Sections (CUSAC).
MAA Panel: What Every Student Should Know about the JMM, organized by Peri Shereen, California State University, Monterey Bay and Violeta Vasilevska, Utah Valley University; Wednesday, 9:00–10:20 am. Navigating a large conference can be overwhelming, even for those who have previously attended such an event. Panelists Joyati Debnath, Winona State University; Matt DeLong, Marian University, and Zsuzsanna Szaniszlo, Valparaiso University, will provide guidance for students attending the Joint Mathematics Meetings, including answers to some common questions: How do I get the most out of the program? What sessions are especially for students? What other events should I be on the lookout for? Will I understand any of the invited addresses or should I not bother attending them? If I am presenting a poster, where do I go to set it up? How can I get some cool, free math stuff? Students and their faculty mentors are encouraged to attend. This panel is sponsored by the MAA Committee for Undergraduate Student Activities and Chapters (CUSAC).
Estimathon!, organized by Andy Niedermaier, Jane Street Capital; Thursday, 10:00 am–12 noon. They're called Fermi problems...
If you're looking for a mindbending mixture of math and trivia, look no further! Jane Street Capital presents The Estimathon contest: teams will have 30 minutes to work on 13 problems, ranging from totally trivial to positively Putnamesque. Can your team beat the all-time best score? The top teams will receive prizes!
We will run 2 contests. Feel free to show up to either one! (Please show up 15 minutes before the start time of the contest you want to join.)
Our target schedule is as follows:
This event is sponsored by Jane Street Capital and the MAA Committee on Undergraduate Students (CUS).
Grad School Fair, Friday, 8:30–10:30 am. Here is the opportunity for undergrads to meet representatives from mathematical sciences graduate programs from universities all over the country. January is a great time for juniors to learn more, and college seniors may still be able to refine their search; in fact, ask about extended deadlines if you find a school of interest. This is your chance for one-stop shopping in the graduate school market. At last year's meeting over 300 students met with representatives from more than 60 graduate programs. If your school has a graduate program and you are interested in participating, for US$125 a table will be provided for your posters and printed materials (registration for this event must be made by a person already registered for the JMM), and you are welcome to personally speak to interested students. Complimentary coffee will be served. See more details here. Co-sponsored by the AMS and MAA.
MAA Lecture for Students, by Annalisa Crannell, Franklin & Marshall College, Drawing Conclusions from Drawing a Square, Friday, 1:00 pm.
MAA Student Poster Session, organized by Chasen Smith, Georgia Southern University, and Eric Ruggieri, College of the Holy Cross; Friday, 4:30– 6:00 pm. This session features research done by undergraduate students. First-year graduate students are eligible to present if their research was completed while they were still undergraduates. Research by high school students can be accepted if the research was conducted under the supervision of a faculty member at a post-secondary institution.
Appropriate content for a poster includes, but is not limited to, a new result, a new proof of a known result, a new mathematical model, an innovative solution to a Putnam problem, or a method of solution to an applied problem. Purely expository material is not appropriate for this session.
Participants should submit an abstract describing their research in 250 words or less by midnight, Friday, October 5, 2018. Notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent in early November. See https://www.maa.org/programs/students/undergraduate-research/jmm-student-poster-session for further information on what should be included in the abstract and a link to the abstract submission form.
Posters will be judged during the session, and certificates will be sent to presenters afterwards. Trifold, self-standing 48" by 36" tabletop poster boards will be provided. Additional materials and equipment are the responsibility of the presenters. Participants must set up posters between 2:30 and 3:30 pm and must be available at their posters from 3:30 to 6:00 pm. Judging will begin at 3:30 pm, and general viewing will begin at 4:30 pm. Judges' feedback will be available at the MAA Pavilion in the Exhibit Hall on Saturday. Questions regarding this session should be directed to Eric Ruggieri eruggier@holycross.edu and Chasen Smith csmith@georgiasouthern.edu. This session is sponsored by the MAA Committee on Undergraduate Students (CUS).
MAA Interactive Lecture for Students and Teachers, by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings, Tic-Tac-Toe (or, What is Mathematics?), Saturday, 10:00–10:50 am.