Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Life Lessons From Leibniz, Andrew J. Simoson

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

The tri-centennial of Leibniz’s death is nigh (2016). And 2013 is not too early to begin a special celebration of this man of mathematics. Besides being the co-discoverer of calculus and the implementer of binary numbers, formal logic, and formal languages, all of which foreshadowed the computer age, Leibniz is said to be one of the last to know almost everything that was known about almost anything. Professionally, his occupation was librarian in the princely court of Hanover in oldGermany. Serving under three different princes, the last of whom became George I of England, Leibniz had to continual lyre-invent himself—somewhat …

Al-Khwārizmī: Founder Of Classical Algebra, Calvin Jongsma

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

Adopting a historically defensible definition of “algebra,” we will begin by exploring a few examples of algebra prior toal-Khwarizmi. We will then examine what algebra became through al-Khwarizmi’s work. In conclusion, we will assess thehistorical importance of al-Khwarizmi’s contributions for developments in European algebra.

Expanding Jonathan Edwards’ Typology Program: The Bell Curve As A Type Of Christ, Jason Wilson

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

Over two hundred years after his death, an unfinished notebook of Jonathan Edwards’ was published for the first time in1993. Edwards was a father of the Evangelical movement, but because his work on typology was not published until recently, it has received almost no attention. In his notebook, Edwards makes an explicit argument for extending biblical typology to nature in a biblically grounded manner. This study is an attempt to extend that research program into mathematics/statistics.We will consider the following proposition, “The normal distribution (the graph of which is the bell curve) is a biblical type of Christ.” The basic …

Delaware, Dickeson, Assessment And How You Can Help, Greg Crow, Maria Zack

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

How much release time should a chair receive? What is the cost per unit for a particular academic program? What is a student credit hour (SCH) anyway and why would anyone care? Why are so many boards enamored of Delaware, Dickeson and Assessment? The answer to these and many related questions will be presented in this talk. Analytics and various“efficiency measures” are becoming increasingly important in higher education and mathematicians and computer scientists are being regularly recruited to help university administrators make meaning from large volumes of data. Come and learn about this trend and how you can be of …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 25, No. 3, June 2013

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome - Grants - North Central Branch News - Publications - Congratulations - Student News - Meeting an Off-Campus Student - This 'n That - Workshop News - Calendar of Events

The Message 2.0: Perceptions Of Success From Members Of The Founding Class Of Mc Squared Stem High School, Jeffrey D. Mcclellan

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the methods of learning from the student’s perspective in order to understand what made the first graduating class of MC Squared successful. The conceptual model of student success composed of non-academic factors of motivation, social connectedness, and self-management was used for the lens from which to understand the six students in depth. Through the research, it was uncovered that diversified learning environments, a mastery based assessment system, and an unwavering acceptance of students within a challenging and supportive environment are essential to the success achieved at MC Squared STEM High School. Lastly, the seminal contribution of this …

Explore Global Opportunities For Mathematics Scholarship, Teaching, And Service, Ron Benbow

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

There are numerous overseas opportunities in which to apply your knowledge and interest in mathematics. These international experiences allow you to expand your scholarship, to extend your teaching skills, to offer professional services to K-12 teachers or other university instructors, and to provide much personal enrichment as well. Examples from recent professional experiences in Liberia, Haiti, Guatemala, and Ecuador will be shared to illustrate the connections to teaching, scholarship, and service. Information regarding MAA Study Tours, Fulbright Specialist grants, and other relevant organizations will be provided.

Euler And The Ongoing Search For Odd Perfect Numbers, Brian D. Beasley

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

Leonhard Euler, after proving that every even perfect number has the form given by Euclid, turned his attention to finding odd perfect numbers. Euler established a basic factorization pattern that every odd perfect number must have, and mathematicians have expanded upon this Eulerian form ever since. This paper will present a brief summary of Euler’s result and some recent generalizations. It will also note connections between odd perfect numbers and the abundancy index (the abundancy index of a positive integer is the ratio of the sum of its positive divisors to itself). In particular, finding a positive integer with an …

Computing Foundations For The Scientist, Catherine Bareiss, Larry Vail

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

There is a need for a new style of supporting a computer course. Although it is widely recognized that computer technology provides essential tools for all current scientific work, few university curricula adequately ground science majors in the fundamentals that underlie this technology. Introducing science students to computational thinking in the areas of algorithms and data structures, data representation and accuracy, abstraction, performance issues, and database concepts can enable future scientists to become intelligent, creative and effective users of this technology. The intent of this course is not to turn scientists into computer scientists, but rather to enhance their ability …

A Different Approach, Catherine Crockett

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

This paper discusses an approach used to encourage science majors to rethink their attitudes and study habits in a first semester calculus course. Two activities were used to enhance study habits. They are outlining concepts and in-class quizzes designed for self-evaluation of skills. After using both methods in two sections of the calculus course, the students were surveyed to determine if these activities were successful. A majority of the students felt the activities were helpful and wanted to continue them.

Reading Assignments And Assessments: Are Your Students Reading Math Texts Before Class, After Class, Both, Or Neither?, David Klanderman, Mandi Maxwell, Sharon Robbert, Bill Boerman-Cornell

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

In his recent book What the Best College Students Do [Bain, 2012], Ken Bain defines a number of different types of students including “surface learners,” “strategic learners,” “routine experts,” and finally, “deep learners.” In our mathematics courses at Trinity, we have found examples of all of these student types. A major determinant of their preferred approach to learning appears to be the ways and degrees to which mathematical texts and other written materials are read prior to class sessions. Each full-time member of the department both assigns and assesses the reading of mathematical materials prior to class sessions. Assessment methods, …

Philosophy Of “Spinning Wheels”, Loredana Ciurariu

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

In this material I will speak about some well-known mechanisms studied by students and engineers emphasizing the impact which “spinning wheels” had and have in development of the society, on Christians and the church. Also the discovery of the machineries determines major changes in the people’s outlook and leads to new trends in philosophy and Christianity. Then, I will give some examples from the Bible where “spinning wheels” it seems to appear: Judges 16:21, Ezekiel 1 and Revelation. It is also interesting to see 2 Kings 2:9-12, 2 Kings 6:13-18 and maybe Daniel 7:9.

In addition, an avi file where …

An Investigation Of Hi Ho! Cherry-O Using Markov Chains, Nicholas C. Zoller

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

In the children’s board game Hi Ho! Cherry-O, players attempt to move 10 cherries from their trees to a bucket in the center of the game board. A spinner determines whether a turn includes moving cherries from tree to bucket or bucket to tree. The winner of the game is the first player to move all of her cherries from her tree to the bucket. We model the gameplay using a Markov chain and calculate the expected number of turns needed to complete one game. Then we investigate what happens when the rules are changed. We discover that rules …

The Structures Of The Actual World, Walter J. Schultz, Lisanne D’ Andrea Winslow

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

Scripture teaches that God has a plan for the universe. In this paper we argue that in order for it to function as a plan, it must have a temporal structure, a representational structure, and a proto-causal structure. This paper presents a formal model of the these three structures. As it turns out, the structures of God’s plan are best understood as the structures of a musical composition. We, then very briefly describe its implications. The first is that this model (based ultimately in the doctrine of God) grounds a metaphysics of science. Second, it grounds a structuralist philosophy of …

Perspectives On Chaos: Reflections Of A Mathematical Physicist, Kyle Spyksma

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

Chaos Theory, the mathematical media darling of the ’90s, has become less of a societal fad and research interest over the past couple of decades. However, from a mathematical physicists’ perspective, issues surrounding Chaos Theory can be valuable aides in forming views on how mathematics, science and reality relate. In this talk, I will briefly explore how Chaos Theory can shape views of these relationships, with a focus on the language we use and (perhaps unintentionally) abuse when doing science and mathematics.

A Comparison Of Two Job Offers In Mathematics Education, Ryan Andrew Nivens

ETSU Faculty Works

Many job seekers in higher education are unaware of how large a discrepancy there can be in terms of financial potential for mathematics education jobs in higher education. Recent research on this topic has focused on the base salary (Reys, Reys, & Estapa, 2013), but other financial factors have been left unstudied. Through two cases, the researcher demonstrates a large gap that exists in net pay when major financial factors beyond base salary are considered, specifically insurance and retirement benefits. This article will spur conversations among faculty and graduate students in mathematics education doctoral programs allowing mentors to draw from …

Cataloging Lesson Plans Developed By Pre-Service Science Teachers During A Summer Research Experience, Robert Tollman Mclaren

Physics

This study is modeled after the senior project “Teachers Who Conduct Research and their Ability to Apply their Experience to Lesson Plans” by Cal Poly student Megan Ziegler and includes an independent analysis of the 2011 and 2012 lesson plans that participants in the STEM Teacher and Researcher (STAR) Program developed as part of their summer research experience. At the end of the STAR summer research program, STAR Fellows are required to submit lesson plans. During Spring Quarter of 2012, I had the opportunity to catalog lesson developed during Summer 2011. Later in Fall Quarter of 2012, Cal Poly undergraduates …

Slic: Family Science Backpacks For Preschoolers, Lorin Nevius

Psychology and Child Development

In this senior project, I reviewed existing literature regarding science instruction in preschool classrooms, young children’s capabilities and interest in learning science, what science is happening at home, as well as preschool teachers’ feelings toward teaching science. I explored the possibility of bridging the gap between the school and home environment by using a prepared informal learning tool that students could take home and complete with their family.

During the years children are in preschool, they are forming their understandings of the world around them (French, 2004; Nayfield, Brenneman & Gelman, 2011; Eshach & Fried, 2005). In developing these understandings, …

Introduction (2013), Eric Gossett

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

Nineteenth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences

Paper Abstracts (2013), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2013

Nineteenth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences