MAA NCS Spring 2023 meeting

Invited Speaker: Deanna Haunsperger, Carleton College

Talk Title: Community and Belonging in Mathematics

Talk Abstract:  How can we change the face of mathematics to include more women and members of underrepresented groups?  We can consciously build more communities to welcome in people who have been historically underrepresented in mathematics and make them feel like they belong.

Invited Speaker: Talithia Williams, Harvey Mudd College

Talk Title: The Power of Talk: Engaging the Public in Mathematics

Talk Abstract:  When it comes to inspiring the future productivity and innovation of our nation, mathematicians are the on the front lines. In this talk, I will discuss the importance of engaging a wide range of audiences in conversations about the nature of our work and of scientific discovery. As we change the way communities think about the natural world and the STEM disciplines, we can begin conversations that improve public perception of science and bring people from all backgrounds into this important work.

Bio: Dr. Talithia Williams is a host of the PBS series NOVA Wonders, a groundbreaking professor, popular TED speaker, inspiring author and passionate STEM/STEAM advocate. She has made it her life's work to get people of all ages and backgrounds excited about the bold possibilities of a STEM education and to “STEMpower” women and minorities to enter these professions. Her latest book, Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics reflects Williams’ passion to re-brand the field of mathematics as anything but dry, technical or male-dominated. Renowned for her popular TED Talk, “Own Your Body’s Data,” she advocates for all of us to deploy data as a way of taking charge of our own health. A vibrant, engaging and energizing speaker, Dr. Williams demystifies data, statistics, probabilities and the mathematical process in amusing and insightful ways. She also passionately champions the contributions of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians and their vital role in transforming our future.

Dr. Williams is Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity and Associate Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, where she develops statistical models which emphasize the spatial and temporal structure of data, applying them to real world problems. Focused on data analytics, mathematics, statistical modeling and STEM outreach, she is the first African-American woman to achieve tenure at the college. She hosts NOVA Wonders, a PBS mini-series that explores the biggest questions on the frontiers of science. The Los Angeles Times praised the show for sending the message “that scientists come in a range of ages, genders, colors and hairstyles.” She also appeared in NOVA’s Prediction by the Numbers, a series exploring the history of probabilities and gambling which Forbes called, “an entertaining, fun piece that conveys her knowledgeable and deep interest in this predictive method.” In addition to her teaching and television work, she has partnered with the World Health Organization in developing a cataract model used to predict the cataract surgical rate for countries in Africa. Her professional experiences include research appointments at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and the National Security Agency.

An exceptional communicator and gifted teacher, Dr. Williams won the Mathematical Association of America’s Henry L. Alder Award for distinguished teaching. She also developed a 24-part college level lecture series, "Learning Statistics: Concepts and Applications in R", for The Great Courses, an online platform for lifelong learners. Dr. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Spelman College, a master’s degree in mathematics from Howard University and a PhD in statistics from Rice University. In 2019, she received an honorary doctorate from Fielding Graduate University for her "substantial impact on higher education" and for "championing the development of women in the STEM professions."

Described by audiences as engaging, relevant, funny, accessible, and a joy to work with, Dr. Williams captivates and inspires with her contagious enthusiasm for STEM in general and math in particular. Applying the data-driven approach made famous in her TED talk to a range of subjects, she takes sophisticated numerical concepts and makes them understandable to a wide audience, debunking perceptions with an energizing call to “show me the data!”

For High School Teachers: Saturday Morning Mathematics in the Classroom meeting-within-a-meeting

Saturday morning features Mathematics in the Classroom, the section’s meeting-within-a-meeting centered around teaching discussions for high school teachers and meeting participants.  Sessions surrounding Dr. Williams’ keynote presentation “The Power of Talk: Engaging the Public in Mathematics” will feature live classrooms and discussion on using technology in the classroom and incorporating inquiry in the classroom.  Participants can bring laptops.  Mathematics in the Classroom concludes with lunch.

The registration cost for high school teachers to participate in Mathematics in the Classroom is covered by the North Central Section of the MAA, and the lunch cost is covered by the Winona State University Mathematics Department.  High School instructors can receive Continuing Education credits.

Attractions in Winona

Division III National Collegiate Gymnastics Association National Championships, hosted by Winona State University, March 25

National Eagle Center, Wabasha, MN (https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/) 

Minnesota Marine Art Museum (https://www.mmam.org) features exhibits including the following:

Waking Worlds Wondrous: Reads for Curious Minds (https://www.mmam.org/2023-flora-and-fauna) The exhibition features original illustrations from three book projects; Mary Casanova’s Wake Up Island (University of Minnesota Press) and Hush, Hush, Forest (University of Minnesota Press) as illustrated by printmaker Nick Wroblewski, and World of Wonder: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments (Milkweed Editions) written by Aimee Nezhukumatathil and illustrated by Fumi Nakamura. Selections from all three books will be accompanied by wood carvings from the Minnesota Marine Art Museum’s collection of Leo and Mariylyn Smith folk art – a collection of sculptures informed by the whimsy and wonder of the Mississippi River marine environments – interspersed throughout the gallery.

Keinen Kachō Gafu: The Bird and Flower Prints of Keinen Imao (https://www.mmam.org/flora-keinen-imao) Flora: Keinen Imao, features a collection of historic ukiyo-e, woodblock prints, focused on the printmaking tradition of kacho-e, or bird and flower pictures, from Japanese artist, Keinen Imao. He is best known for Bird and Flower Albums by Keinen (Keinen Kacho Gafu, 1891), a set of 4 volumes with 40 prints each, one of which will be featured in the exhibition.

Ian Hanesworth: Fragments of this Living Earth (https://www.mmam.org/flora-ian-hanesworth) Fragments of this living earth will feature work that spans disciplines of printmaking, textiles, and poetry, asserting the critical interconnectedness of human and ecological wellbeing and embodying a mindset of reverence and kinship with land. This exhibition will include a new presentation of Hanesworth’s signature series, Medicine Kin, a body of work that engages concepts of ecological entanglement and more-than-human kinship through a focus on herbal medicine, a discipline which considers the well-being of our bodies in a way that is directly tied to the greater ecological community.

On the Surface: Flora Inspired Ceramics of Hitomi Hosono  (https://www.mmam.org/flora-hitomi-hosono) Hosono’s work brings intuition, delicacy and an intuitive touch to her intricate floral creations etched in chalky white clay.  Inspired by internationally lauded Wedgwood’s Jasperware, pioneered by Josiah Wedgwood over 200 years ago, in which thin ceramic reliefs or ‘sprigs’ were applied as surface decoration to a piece, Hosono details the veins of a leaf branch and how its edges are shaped to create a poetics in ceramics only her Japanese heritage and mastery of English ceramic tradition can offer.