Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Sonya Kovalevsky Day
A celebration of science and mathematics for high school students.
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Last Updated March 24, 2004
Regan Anne Newport
Regan graduated from American University with a Bachelor's Degree in mathematics in 2002. Since her junior year of college, she has been using her skills as a mathematician to serve the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Currently she is an Analyst for ANSER, a not-for-profit research institute that serves the public by improving national policy and homeland security. Her mathematics expertise has given her the opportunity to travel the world and participate in a wide range of national security studies, including projects for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard, as well as DHS. She will discuss some of the ways that young mathematicians and scientists can contribute to our country's success in the field of national security.
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Workshops for Students
The Sea Island Problem
Matt Pascal
Matt Pascal, AU Math/Stat, will lead a workshop exploring this ancient surveying problem, as well as other related problems. Using geometry and a few primitive tools, students will calculate the heights of nearby tall buildings and objects.
Just What is "E=mc2," and How do you Prove it?
Caleb Rossiter
Einstein contributed two shocking equations to the 20th century, both of which followed logically from the unexpected experimental finding that the speed of light is the same to all observers in unaccelerated motion, no matter how fast these observers are moving away from the source of the light.
One equation, derived from Einstein's theory of Special Relativity, is the well-known formula for the energy contained in a mass of matter, E=mc2. The other equation, derived from Einstein's theory of General Relativity, is the formula for the degree of curvature of the space-time in which we live, which treats gravity not as mutual attraction, but as a matter of geometry in a space-time curved by the presence of mass.
Both formulas were considered bizarre when first presented in the first 10 years of the 20th century, but they have now been confirmed to tremendous levels of accuracy, and have been incorporated into a wide variety of technological processes -- such as Global Positioning Satellites.
In this talk, Caleb Rossiter, a master's student in math and a professor of international relations at American, will help students derive the first formula with basic algebra and a touch of calculus, and discuss some of the concepts in Riemannian geometry that led Einstein to the second formula.
Origami Geometry
Sarah Gourlie
Sarah Gourlie will be exploring the mathematical methods behind origami and creating geometrical figures.
Sarah is a sophomore math major at American University. She currently serves as secretary of the math club.
Introductory Chemistry: What a college Instructor expects from you
Olivier Marcq
Olivier Marcq is an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at American University. He is currently teaching introductory chemistry courses for freshman. He will speak on the most common problems students face in university-level courses and ways to be prepared. He has participated in the American Chemical Society SEED project which places high school students in research labs for a month or two during the summer to expose students to academic research.
Hands-on Learning About DNA
Laura Caspar and Neelam Patel
In this workshop, participants will learn more about the structure and function of DNA in an interactive laboratory setting. Instructions will be provided so teachers will be able to repeat the same exercises in their home schools.
Laura Caspar is a first year Environmental Science graduate student who is studying to become a soil conservationist. She is interested in wetland restoration and specifically looks at the relationship between the bacteria in the soil and nitrate concentrations. Nitrate is a serious pollutant from over fertilization. She is working with Dr. Bushaw-Newton.
Neelam Patel is also a first year Envirnmental Science graduate student who is interested in Internationl Environmental policy issues pertaining to the shortage of clean water in the world. Many countries exploit ground water resources for farming which wastes water and creates a shortage for human use.
An Incursion into Recursion: Fractals for the Classroom
Stephen Casey
Our workshop will teach the
participants about fractal geometry by allowing them to create their own
self-similar fractal sets. These will be created by using
a ``pattern rewriting system'' developed by the instructor,
which allows users to create complicated patterns from their own
relatively simple generating patterns. The software also allows
the participants to vary their generators and see the effects. Using
the patterns created during the workshop, the instructor
will explain the basic ideas of fractal geometry and fractal
dimension. We will close by showing how approximations
of fractal sets provide an ideal tool for understanding
general conversion.
Workshop for Teachers
Student Difficulties with Functions
Frances Van Dyke and Alex White
The NCTM has advocated teaching Algebra using a function-based approach. In this way students can see the subject as a tool for expressing and analyzing relationships between quantities that change rather than a set of procedures for manipulating and transforming symbols. Students however experience difficulty with the concept of a function, function notation, and translating between the different representations of a function. They see changes in form as producing unrelated entities. This workshop will look at ways in which we can help students understand functions, and examine standard practices that may hinder student learning.
Group Problem Solving Activity
This is not about traditional math problems. Rather, teams will work together in an activity where judgment and persistence are as important as math skills, and students often out-perform their teachers.
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Activities will begin with a sign-in and refreshments in the lobby of the
McKinley Building. Travel information and a campus map are available with registration information.|
Time |
Event |
|
9:00 - 9:30 AM |
Sign In & Refreshments |
|
9:30 - 10:30 AM |
Welcome, Keynote address |
|
10:45 - 11:45 AM |
Parallel 1 hour workshop sessions |
|
11:45 - 1:30 |
Lunch and Problem Solving Session |
|
1:45 - 2:45 PM |
Parallel 1 hour workshop sessions |
|
2:45 - 3:00 PM |
Awards and Prize Session |
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Regis
trationTo participate, you must send in a
Pre-registration Form with a $10 refundable fee. This fee will be refunded to participants the day of the event.Deadline for pre-registration is
March 15, 2004.
The day of the conference activities will begin in the lobby of the
McKinley Building, highlighted on the campus map.Participants may park in the Nebraska Parking Lot. Please consult the
campus map (the Nebraska lot is at the bottom) and travel directions. From the parking lot, cross Nebraska Avenue at the signal at the intersection with New Mexico, turn right, and walk straight ahead to the third building on your left.
Contact Us
SK Day Committee
American University
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
4400 Massachusetts Ave.
Washington, DC 20016-8050
(202) 885-3129