Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Software Engineering I: Teaching Challenges, Paul C. Grabow

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

The term software engineering can be traced to the late 1960s in response to large-scale, software development problems. Since then it has evolved as a discipline, both within industry and the academy. There have been distinct educational successes: “Standard practice” has matured (and found its way into more textbooks),the ACM and IEEE Computer Society have published curriculum guidelines, computer science programs commonly offer at least one software engineering course, and software engineering degrees (undergraduate or graduate) are more common. However, software engineering still presents a challenge. The term itself has become contorted by companies (and society in general); software has …

Mystery Of The Infinite: Developing A Mathematically Based Summer Scholars Program, Christopher Micklewright

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

For the past two years, the Templeton Honors College, at Eastern University, has been conducting a Summer Scholars Program for high school students. The program, which has offered courses in a variety of topics, brings students to campus for an intensive residential program, coupled with pre-program and post-program work, for which students can earn college credit. In summer 2014, I helped to develop a mathematically based course, to include rigorous study of discrete mathematics, as well as a variety of lectures and extracurricular activities integrating faith and philosophy with mathematics. In this presentation, I will give an overview of the …

The Best Religious Calendar, Andrew Simoson

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Many religions have deep roots in the rhythms of the moon. And ever since at least the fifth century BC man has known that the moon repeats itself every n = 19 years. Is this integer valuen the best of all choices?Easter follows such a calendar. We briefly show that 19 is second best. And then we run time backwards, and give a rationale as to why a certain species of cicada has a life cycle of 17 years. The answer involves the moon, the Farey series, and Kepler’s laws of motion.

Math, God And Politics—A Fight Over Geometry In 19th Century Italy, Donna Pierce

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

In 1839 a polemic, reminiscent of the Renaissance public challenges over mathematical problems, was issued by the leader of the synthetic school of geometry, Vincent Flauti, to the analytical school, headed by Fortunato Padula. Three geometric problems were proposed, all carefully chosen to guarantee a victory for the synthetic school. The judges were from the Royal Academy of Sciences, men also favorable to the synthetic method. Why then did the analytics take up this challenge, and who were the real victors? This was not just a fight over the ‘correct’ way to do geometry, it was a fight over politics, …

Experiencing A Paradigm Shift: Teaching Statistics Through Simulation-Based Inference, Dave Klanderman, Mandi Maxwell, Nathan Tintle

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

For decades, statistics has been taught as an application of formulas, making use of normal and other distributions, and relying heavily on algebraic skills of students, in short, emphasizing mathematical thinking. More recently, several textbook author teams have published statistics books that place an increased emphasis on simulation and randomization methods, and a corresponding decreased emphasis on the algebraic manipulation in formulas (e.g., Lock et al., 2012; Tintle et al., 2015) as a way to encourage better statistical thinking.This session describes simulation-based inference curricula more fully, reports on the necessary steps towards implementation of such an approach, and provides both …

On Random Numbers And God’S Nature, James Bradley

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

I start with mathematical Platonism, an ancient stream of thought that views numbers as transcending physical reality. I join this to recent insights into mathematical randomness from theoretical computer science. Joining these streams – one ancient, one recent – yields the surprising conclusion that randomness, defined in a particular way, is part of the nature of God. I then explore some of the implications of this conclusion for our understanding of the doctrine of God’s infinitude.

Parables To A Mathematician, Melvin Royer

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Jesus frequently used parables in His ministry, usually short narratives illustrating the outcomes of people’s choices. In John 3:12 and Matthew 13:10-15, He explained that one reason was to be sure that people who genuinely wanted to understand His message would be able to do so. Since most of His audience was familiar with an agrarian economy, Jesus spoke extensively of wheat, fish, trees, wine, debt, tenants, lamps, etc. Many people have speculated on parables Jesus might have used had He lived in a different society. This non-scholarly (but hopefully thought-provoking) talk will propose parables targeted toward groups of mathematicians …

God: One, Daniel Kiteck

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

I see the most mathematically significant verse as Deut. 6:4 where God says He is ONE. (And I don’t believe that it is an accident that the greatest commandment to love God with all we are immediately follows.) What is the concept of “one” in relationship to God? Is God dependent on the concept of “one?” What if “one” is ultimately always a comparison going back to God? God is also commonly viewed as infinite. How is this connected to our understanding of the mathematical continuum? Could this help us see how God is foundational both to discrete and continuous …

The Math Olympian, By Richard Hoshino. A Review, Moriah Magcalas, Kyle Spyksma

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

This presentation will be a review of the novel The Math Olympian written by ACMS member Richard Hoshino.

Mathematics Without Apologies: A Portrait Of A Problematic Vocation By Michael Harris. A Review, Jeremy Case

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

The subtitle of Mathematics without Apologies by Michael Harris is a “Portrait of a Problematic Vocation,”and that problematic vocation involves pure mathematics. What do pure mathematicians do, and why should they do it? Harris critiques the usual answers of truth, beauty, and potential applications as he gives a contemporary revision of G.H. Hardys’ A Mathematicians Apology. Described as a post-post-modern book, Mathematics without Apologies provides a cultural, sociological, philosophical and psychological landscape of the profession and the life of a mathematician. We will explore whether a romantic view of the profession satisfactorily answers the questions and how it might …

The Remarkable Mrs. Somerville, Richard Stout

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

As a woman growing up in the late eighteenth century, Mary Somerville (1780-1872) was denied access to most formal education and getting a university education was completely out of the question. Yet her interests in nature, science, and mathematics, coupled with an intense curiosity and tenacious desire to learn led her to eventually be known and respected by scientists, mathematicians, and intellectuals in both Britain and France. She is one of the important woman in the history of mathematics, even though she did not publish original work. However, she was a talented writer, producing several significant works, including Mechanism of …

Ten Mathematicians Who Recognized God’S Hand In Their Work, Dale L. Mcintyre

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776) once observed that

“Whoever is moved by faith to assent to [the Christian religion], is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person, which subverts all the principles of his understanding, and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience.” [Hume]

Evidently Humes cynical pronouncement did not apply to Euler, Cauchy, Cantor, and other profound thinkers who believed God had commissioned and equipped them to glorify Him in their pursuit of truth through mathematics And based on their extraordinary achievements the principles of their understanding do not appear …

Home Primes And Foreign Primes, Nicholas Zoller

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Home primes and foreign primes are produced by a simple recipe that blends prime factorizations with recursion. The home prime of a positive integer n is formed by concatenating the prime factors of n in non-decreasing order. If the resulting integer is prime, then we have found the home prime of n. If not, then we repeat the process as many times as needed to obtain a prime. For instance, 35 = 5·7. After concatenation, we have 57 = 3·19, which is followed by 319 = 11·29, which is followed by 1129, which is prime. Thus, the home prime …

Physical Activity In A Theory Of Computing Class, Nancy Lynn Tinkham

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Physical activity breaks, sometimes called brain breaks, are beginning to gain attention among K-12 teachers as a way to keep their students alert and engaged in the classroom. In the Fall 2014 semester, faced with the task of teaching an introductory course in Theory of Computing in a once-a-week, 2 1/2-hour format, I decided to try incorporating physical activity into my own classroom. Time is precious in the college classroom, so any physical activities have to be directly related to the course material. I will describe some physically active exercises that I used in the classroom to teach students about …

Preparing Students To Read A Calculus Textbook, Douglas Phillippy

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Consider the exercise of reading the textbook before class. While most educators agree that this practice leads to better learning, too often students enrolled in a calculus class do not find pre-class reading a valuable use of their time, and their commitment to doing so fades. Why is this? As instructors, we hope that these students will be well-versed in the fundamental concepts of the subject by the time they prepare for their final exam, but as they progress through the course and encounter new concepts, they may not be ready for the technical language of the standard calculus textbook. …

Pressure And Impulse In Student Learning: What I Learned From Teaching Physics, Kim Jongerius

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

In the fall of 2014, a one-semester gap between the departure of one physics professor and the arrival of the next afforded me the opportunity(?) to teach a first-semester, calculus-based physics class. The thirty-year gap between the last (of three) physics courses I had taken myself and this course I was to teach, combined with a two-week notice prior to the start of the semester, placed me in the interesting position of learning alongside my students. Wading through an unfamiliar text, trying to understand publisher-produced lecture slides, learning from and getting frustrated with online homework, entering review sessions fearful of …

The Why And Where Of Big History: Building A Program, Mojgan Behmand

Office of Academic Affairs

The goals of our First Year Experience program are aligned with our institutional mission, our core values, and the goals of our General Education program. The program is designed to promote:

1. recognition of the personal, communal, and political implications of the Big History story;
2. critical and creative thinking in a manner that awakens curiosity and enhances openness to multiple perspectives; and,
3. development of reading, thinking, and research skills to enhance one’s ability to evaluate and articulate understanding of one’s place in the unfolding universe.

Paper Abstracts (2015), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Twentieth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences

Introduction (2015), Thomas Price, Derek Schuurman, Kevin Vander Meulen

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Twentieth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences

Table Of Contents (2015), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

Twentieth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences

Athletics And Academics: Incompatible?, Michael Hemesath

Administration Publications

No abstract provided.

Proceedings Of The Twentieth Conference Of The Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences, Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

The proceedings of the twentieth conference of the Associate of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences held at Redeemer University College from May 27-30, 2015.

Application, Mike Janssen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

2015 Commencement Address: Bryan A. Stevenson, Bryan A. Stevenson

Commencement Addresses

Bryan A. Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Alabama, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 22 at 10:30 a.m. ET on the campus. Stevenson is the widely acclaimed public interest lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor, the incarcerated, and the condemned. Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and …

2015 Baccalaureate Mass Homily, Paul Harman S.J.

Baccalaureate Mass Homilies

Homily delivered at the 2015 Baccalaureate Mass as part of the 169th Commencement of the College of the Holy Cross.

The homilist, Rev. Paul Harman, S.J., is the Vice President for Mission at the College of the Holy Cross.

What American Students Can Learn From Immersing Themselves In Africa, Julius A. Amin

History Faculty Publications

More than one million people travelled from around the world to study at American universities in the 2013-2014 academic year. By contrast, just under 300,000 Americans enrolled to study abroad.

In this era of globalisation, it’s no surprise that so many young people are keen to study abroad. But as the Institute of International Education’s research reveals, the majority of US students are sticking close to home - not geographically, but culturally.

Africa remains on the margins when it comes to American universities' curricula and initiatives like study-abroad programmes. American university students also display profoundly ill-informed views about Africa.

2015 Manifest Program, Columbia College Chicago

Manifest Urban Arts Festival Programs

A program for the Manifest Urban-Arts Festival held by Columbia College Chicago on May 15, 2015.

#Narcissus, Lauren Potts

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

My senior BFA exhibition is a project bringing awareness and reflection to the college subculture of drinking. I am creating a large installation (approx. 10x20ft) made out of over 4,000 red plastic cups in the shape of a Catholic Church altar. The cups are stacked and glued together in order to create patterns to separate the forms of the altar (three stairs, columns, the facade arches). The installation is shown at Chapman University's Guggenheim Gallery and must be site specific in order to reflect the nature of its existence and purpose. The installation reflects a parallel between forms of ritual: …

Charles Lewis Cocke Papers, Beth S. Harris

Finding Aids: Guides to the Collections

Personal and professional papers of Charles Lewis Cocke, educator, founder and first president of Hollins University, and Baptist layman.

Spring 2015 Commencement - The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin, The University Of Texas Permian Basin

UTPB Commencement Programs

Spring 2015 Commencement - May 9, 2015