MAA  Mathematical Association of America

Seaway Section

Location: St. John Fisher University

1. Time:

   2:30 pm – 5:30 pm

   Title:

   Executive and Extended Executive Committee Meetings

Location: St. John Fisher University

Note: Special registration required for the FREE Friday Afternoon Seaway NExT Workshop (see the bottom of the online registration form).

1. Time:

   3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

   Title:

   Seaway NExT Workshop

   Speaker:

   Marie MacDonald (Cornell University) & Jeff Johannes (SUNY Geneseo)

Location: Cleary Auditorium, Kearney Hall

Note: Special registration required for the Friday Evening Banquet Dinner (via the online registration form). The banquet dinner will be buffet-style.

1. Time:

   5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

   Title:

   Registration and Social Hour (with Cash Bar)

2. Time:

   6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

   Title:

   Banquet Dinner

Location: Cleary Auditorium, Kearney Hall

Note: ALL ARE INVITED to attend the Friday Evening Banquet Lecture and Game Show! No registration required. No fee. Students are especially encouraged to attend the lecture and game show.

1. Time:

   7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

   Title:

   Banquet Invited Lecture: The strange case of unique factorization: Pursuing the prime suspect and its ideal alibi

   Speaker:

   Susan Loepp (Williams College)

   Abstract

   In most familiar settings, we take unique factorization for granted. Indeed, the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic guarantees that any integer can be uniquely factored into a product of prime numbers. Similarly, any given polynomial factors uniquely into a product of irreducible polynomials. In many algebraic settings, however, unique factorization is the exception, not the rule. For commutative algebraists, the case where unique factorization does hold is very special. In this talk, we focus precisely on this special case. We will begin by generalizing the concept of a prime number to sets called prime ideals. We then state results demonstrating that, even within the highly desirable setting of unique factorization, prime ideals can behave with an arbitrary strangeness that is shockingly counterintuitive. Rather than delving into technical details, our emphasis will be on the historical narrative of the problem and how incremental progress ultimately led to a resolution. Crucially, the journey includes instrumental intermediate results proved by undergraduates. The central result of this talk is joint work with Cory Colbert, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Washington and Lee University.

2. Time:

   8:30 pm – 10:00 pm

   Title:

   Game Show!

   Speaker:

   Blair Madore (SUNY Potsdam)

   Abstract

   All are welcome. Students are especially encouraged to participate and join the fun!

Location: St. John Fisher University

1. Time:

   8:00 am – 9:00 am

   Title:

   Registration and Continental Breakfast

2. Time:

   9:00 am – 9:10 am

   Title:

   Welcome Address by SJFU Administrator

3. Time:

   9:10 am – 9:55 am

   Title:

   Opening Lecture: Scaling Up: Using 3D Models in a Large Multivariable Calculus Course

   Speaker:

   Kelly Delp (Cornell University)

   Abstract

   Manipulative Calculus is a curriculum developed by Janet Chen and Stepan Paul that uses digitally fabricated 3D models to help students make geometric sense of the concepts in Multivariable Calculus. In this talk, I will discuss some of the lessons from Manipulative Calculus and my project of creating models and adapting the activities to Cornell’s Math 1920 Multivariable Calculus for Engineers.

4. Time:

   10:00 am – 10:45 am

   Title:

   Gehman Lecture: Mathematics as a Human Science

   Speaker:

   Chantal Buteau (Brock University)

   Abstract

   Have you recently asked yourself, What is “mathematics”? Despite centuries of practice, we mathematicians still do not agree on how to define it. In mathematics education, some scholars have challenged traditional views by framing mathematics “as a verb.” In this presentation, I argue for the usefulness of this perspective in undergraduate mathematics teaching. I develop this argument through examples from a sequence of three project-based undergraduate mathematics courses at my institution, in which students use computer programming as a tool for both pure and applied mathematical inquiry. I highlight several principles, supported by both the mathematics education literature and findings from my educational research. I suggest that conceiving mathematics as something we (students) do, rather than something we (students) merely study, may be a crucial step forward for undergraduate mathematics education in the GenAI era.

5. Time:

   10:50 am – 11:00 am

   Title:

   Group Photo

Location:

1. Time:

   11:05 am – 11:50 am

   Title:

   SESSION A: Business Meeting (Location: Cleary Auditorium, Kearney Hall)

2. Time:

   11:05 am – 11:50 am

   Title:

   SESSION B: Talking Through Math Anxiety: Dialogue for Future K–12 Math Teachers (Location: TBD)

   Speaker:

   Courtney Hild (St. John Fisher University) and Pridday Jolliffe-Buyce (St. John Fisher University)

   Abstract

   This session brings preservice teachers and math education faculty into an open, discussion?based conversation about math anxiety and its impact on teaching. Through shared experiences and collaborative reflection, participants will consider ways to better understand and support learners who struggle with math?related stress.

3. Time:

   11:05 am – 11:50 am

   Title:

   SESSION C: TBD (Career Panel?) (Location: TBD)

   Speaker:

   TBD

Location: Cleary Auditorium, Kearney Hall

Note: Special registration required for the Saturday Lunch (via the online registration form). The lunch will be buffet-style. Dietary restrictions can be communicated via the registration form.

1. Time:

   11:55 am – 12:55 pm

   Title:

   Lunch

Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS (BASIL HALL, SECOND FLOOR)

Note: Click the "CONTRIBUTED TALKS" and "STUDENT TALKS" links on the top left panel of the webpage to view the schedules for contributed talks and student talks, including any special sessions of contributed talks.

1. Time:

   1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

   Title:

   PARALLEL SESSIONS (Contributed Talks, Student Talks, and Special Sessions)

Location: Basil 135

1. Time:

   3:05 pm – 3:35 pm

   Title:

   Refreshments and Student Poster Session

2. Time:

   3:40 pm – 4:25 pm

   Title:

   Closing Lecture: Math4Fun – My story of working with Math Teachers’ Circles

   Speaker:

   Judith Covington (Northwestern State University of Louisiana)

   Abstract

   I firmly believe that K–12 teachers are central to our collective future, yet as a society we often fail to provide them with the support and encouragement they deserve. Throughout my career, I have been deeply committed to teaching mathematics and working alongside K–12 mathematics educators. In 2009, I learned about Math Teachers’ Circles and immediately recognized their potential to meaningfully support and inspire local teachers. This led me to found the North Louisiana Math Teachers’ Circle in 2010, which I directed until a subsequent career transition. In this talk, I will describe what Math Teachers’ Circles are and explain why I felt such a strong imperative to create one. In 2024, I was finally able to establish a Math Teachers’ Circle at Northwestern State University. I will discuss both the challenges and the successes encountered along the way and share practical advice for those interested in starting a Math Teachers’ Circle in their own communities. And, of course, there will be mathematics problems for us to explore together as well.