2017 Annual MAA-Wisconsin Section Meeting: A Recap

As part of the year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first Mathematics PhD awarded at UWM, the Department of Mathematical Sciences hosted the Mathematical Association of America Wisconsin Section annual Spring meeting April 21-22, 2017.

Over 130 mathematicians, graduate and undergraduate students attended the conference. Highlights of the meeting included three informative and entertaining plenary talks by Nigel Boston (UW-Madison), Steven Kennedy (Carleton College) and Melanie Matchett Wood (UW-Madison), the undergraduate jeopardy-type math competition Face Off, and the award ceremony.

This year’s recipient of the MAA Wisconsin Distinguished College Teaching award is Prof. Amy Parrott (UW Oshkosh), while the K-12 awards for excellence in teaching went to Kris Britton (Rice Lake Area School District), Joseph Giera (School District of South Milwaukee), Phil Manske (River Valley High School) and Jennifer Metke (Erin School District).

Meeting events included talks in five parallel sessions by faculty and students from state and private colleges and universities in Wisconsin. New this year the UWM Mathematical Sciences faculty hosted an information session on how to get into graduate school conducted by Prof. Craig Guilbault and Dr. Rebecca Bourn together with a panel of faculty and current graduate and undergraduate students.