SRU mathematics majors attend national conference

Jan 22, 2016

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Seven Slippery Rock University mathematics majors recently travelled to Seattle to participate in the 2016 Joint Mathematics Meeting, where they explored numbers theory, differential equations and experienced "Mathematically Bent Theater."

Rebekah Bright of Butler, Quentin Donofrio of Middletown, Jacob Edmonds of Slippery Rock, Gennifer Farrell of Carlisle, Spenser Neel of Pittsburgh, Sarah Roudybush of Saxonburg and Erik Vonkaenel of Erie attended the Jan. 6-9 conference.

The conference, sponsored by the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of American, is the largest mathematics conference in the country and drew more than 6,200 mathematics educators and students for research, workshops, mini courses, lectures and networking with graduate school recruiters. It took place at the Washington State Convention Center.

Robert Buck and Andrezej Szymanski, SRU professors of mathematics, presented. Buck served as an organizer and panelist for a discussion focusing on, "Actuarial Science: change is the Norm," and Szymanski participated as part of a special session on metrical and topological fixed point theory with applications, discussing "L*-operators and fixed-point theorems."

Students said they attended eight hours of talks and poster presentations, two hours of events devoted to career opportunities in mathematics, a graduate school fair and eight required events.

"It was a great opportunity to broaden our horizons," Bright said.

Bright said her favorite event was the Mathematically Bent Theater; a theatrical presentation of several short mathematically inclined humorous pieces. "It had parodies of other plays that revolved around mathematics," she said. "They even changed "A Christmas Carol" to make it about Pi Day, and Scrooge was a mean professor. It was punny and hilarious."