Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Math

Hey all you women out there — this conference is just for you!  The NCUWM is held every year at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln.  This year is the 12th year of the conference.  The conference consists of mathematical talks and poster presentations by undergraduate women, usually the result of an independent study or research project.  There will also be well-known mathematicians giving talks and offering career advice to the participants.  This is a great opportunity to meet hundreds of women who, like you, are all interested in studying mathematics.   (Check out the conference photo from last year at the link above – you may see some familiar faces!)

The conference will be held January 29-31, 2010.  The conference will pay for your lodging and most meals while you are there.  We will also apply for travel funds from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Mathematics Department to cover the costs of getting there.

Registration is open now for the conference, and they often fill up sooner than the December deadline.  If you are interested in attending or have more questions, please contact Dr. Keri Kornelson before November 16.

Martin Gardner Book Signing

Martin Gardner

In a lucky coincidence, we just talked about Norman’s most famous resident, Martin Gardner (more famous than Bob Stoops, by far!).  Dr. Kornelson added a comment letting us know that Mr. Gardner is doing a book signing here in Norman!

Mr. Gardner will be signing his new book at the Norman Border’s Bookstore this Saturday at 2 pm!

If you’ve read any of his books, then you won’t want to miss this event.  And if you haven’t read any of his books, trust us when we say that 1) you should start reading them! 2) When you do, you’ll be glad that you didn’t miss the opportunity to meet Mr. Gardner in person!

Found Math

A T-shirt was spotted in Norman with this picture on the back:

Although, as this poster reminds us, just because it’s easy doesn’t make it right:

Career Opportunities

As cnn.com reported, there are a wide variety of high paying jobs for “math wizzes” (if you want to make your math professor laugh out loud, tell them that cnn.com reported that average annual salary for a mathematician is $94,960.  We don’t know where they got that number, but the majority of professors are well below that number!  Although there are notable outliers…).

One job they failed to mention was Secret Agent!

What?!?  you say.

Well, Adrienne Jablonski has passed along the following job information:

The following employer information sessions will be held over the next week.

·         Tuesday, Oct. 27: State Farm Insurance, 1-2pm, Kaufman 232, Free Pizza

·         Tuesday, Oct. 27: The Buckle, 4-5pm and 6-7pm, OMU Traditions Room, 2nd floor

·         Monday, Nov. 2: CIA, 1-2pm, Kaufman 232, Free Pizza

·         Tuesday, Nov. 3: CIA, 12-1 and 5-6pm, OMU Regents Room, 3rd floor

Please pass this message on to your students.

Best regards,
Adrienne Jablonski

Martin Gardner

Here is a puzzle:  Who in Norman has done the most to get people excited about math and explain all sorts of cool ideas, puzzles, etc. to anybody who cared to listen?  Dr. Goodey?  Dr. Petrov?  Dr. Shankar?  Dr. Breen?  Dr. Gutman?  Maybe a teacher at Norman High or Norman North?   Nope, nope, nope, and nope!  He is one of the great advertisers of mathematics by showing that it can be fun and and interesting.

The answer is Martin Gardner!  Born in Tulsa, Mr. Gardner wrote the Mathematical Games column in Scientific American from 1956 to 1981, and he has published over 70 books.  These columns and books show that there is a recreational side to math.  Plus, he wrote a fantastic annotated version of Alice in Wonderland — written by another of our favorite mathematicians, Charles Dodgson.

This was a notable week for Mr. Gardner as his latest book, When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish: And Other Speculations About This and That, just appeared in print.  To read a review, look here.

Equally noteworthy, Mr. Gardner also celebrated his 95th birthday!

Happy Birthday Mr. Gardner!

But wait!, you say.  OK, he was born in Tulsa, so he’s an Oklahoman, but you said a person in Norman!

It is little known, but actually Mr. Gardner has been living in Norman since 2002!  His son is a professor here at the University and so he moved here to be closer to him.  Thus we declare Martin Gardner an honorary member of the OU Math Club!

Guest Speaker for Math Club!

Dr. Francis Su

In conjunction with Math Day (see the previous post), Professor Francis Su of Harvey Mudd College is giving a Math Club talk on

Thursday, October 29th in PHSC 1105 at 5pm.

(notice the unusual day)

Dr. Su will be speaking on

“Mathematical Card Tricks”

His abstract:

In this talk, we’ll discuss the mathematics of card shuffling, and we’ll demonstrate a few card tricks that rely on mathematical ideas.  You won’t need any sleight-of-hand!  Playing cards will be provided.  And, as always, Free Pizza!

His biography:

Francis Edward Su is a Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College,  and earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University.  His research is in
geometric combinatorics and applications to the social sciences, and he has co-authored over a dozen papers with undergraduates.  He also has a
passion for teaching and popularizing mathematics. From the Mathematical  Association of America (MAA), he received the 2001 Merten M. Hasse Prize
for expository writing, the 2004 Henry L. Alder Award for distinguished teaching, and was the 2006 James R.C. Leitzel Lecturer, and was recently
elected First Vice-President of MAA. He also serves on the Council of the American Mathematical Society and the editorial board of the American
Mathematical Monthly. In his spare time he enjoys working on his “Math Fun Facts” website, which receives nearly 4,000 hits each day.

This is guaranteed to be a fantastic talk!  If you don’t go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.

The flyer is here.

And Now for Something Completely Different

This week the Independent Film Channel on cable is having a week long documentary about Monty Python.  They are also showing various Monty Python films and TV shows.  If you want to see the whole thing, it’s supposed to be available on itunes and netflix after this week.  Here’s one clip from the documentary:

And if you haven’t watched Monty Python, then it’s time to change that!  Any self respecting person with a sense of humor should be familiar with Monty Python.  You can begin by visiting the Monty Python channel on YouTube.  At the least, check out these samples:

OU Math Day

Isn't that redundant?

It is nearly time for the annual OU Math Day.  As you might recall from last year’s post, OU Math Day is the event put on by the OU math folks for the high school students of Oklahoma.  It’s a mix of written tests, the Jeopardy style Sooner Math Bowl, and a talk by an invited speaker.  This year it’s:

Friday, October 30th, in the OCCE Forum Building, 1704 Asp Avenue, on the OU South Campus.

Everybody is welcome to stop by to see the festivities.  Even better, you can volunteer to help out.  There is a sign-up sheet at the front desk of the OU Math Department office, or you can email Dr. Petrov in the math department.  Not only does it give you a chance to spend an hour or two working with a bunch of kids really excited about math (and/or excited to be out of school for the day ), you get a free lunch out of the deal!

Ruediger’s Rutabagas

A Rutabaga Jackolantern

In case you haven’t noticed, there is a Problem of the Month up for October.  The theme is Ruediger’s (as in Dr. Ruediger Landes) Rutabagas (as in, well, rutabagas).  Even if you don’t come up with the general formula, you should definitely turn in whatever progress you make.  The POM Potentate is wise and merciful (and generous with partial credit).

If nothing else, you should stop to reflect on the glory which is

The Rutabaga Song

It’s sung in celebration of the Annual Rutabaga Curling World Championship.  Or you could be glad that Ruediger isn’t a beatnik:

Teach for America on Campus!

Thinking about teaching, or just not sure what you’d like to do after graduate?  Then you should check out Teach for America.  It’s a program which lets you teach for two years at a school which serves students who don’t have the best possible educational opportunities.  And you can imagine that people who can teach math and science are in high demand!

To learn more, go to the Teach for America informational session on

Tuesday, Oct. 13th at 6 p.m.

It will be in in Adams Hall room 150.  You can RSVP to Adrienne Jablonski (her email is on the flyer linked below).

And, of course, there will be Pizza!

For details, you can also check the flyer.