Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Counting Conjugates Of Colored Compositions, Jesus Omar Sistos Barron

Honors College Theses

The properties of n-color compositions have been studied parallel to those of regular compositions. The conjugate of a composition as defined by MacMahon, however, does not translate well to n-color compositions, and there is currently no established analogous concept. We propose a conjugation rule for cyclic n-color compositions. We also count the number of self-conjugates under these rules and establish a couple of connections between these and regular compositions.

The Current State Of High School Female And Minority Self-Efficacy And Interest In Stem In Chatham County, Georgia, Sara Gremillion, Sarah Zingales, William Baird, Nia Hunter, Amy Durden, Sabrina Hessinger

Georgia Educational Researcher

With the growing demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs in the U.S., the attainment of college degrees in these areas is of paramount importance. Both federal and state governments have established initiatives to grow the number of STEM degrees earned by women and racial minorities, as these groups graduate in STEM disciplines and work in STEM fields at a lower rate than that of their majority counterparts. The factors that can deter women and underrepresented minorities from pursuing STEM careers have been identified with one of the most prominent being low self-efficacy, or a reduced belief in …

Cosm News, Georgia Southern University

College of Science and Mathematics News (2012-2019)

• 29th Annual Invitational Mathematics Tournament

Lefschetz Contact Manifolds And Odd Dimensional Symplectic Geometry, Yi Lin

Department of Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

In the literature, there are two different versions of Hard Lefschetz theorems for a compact Sasakian manifold. The first version, due to Kacimi-Alaoui, asserts that the basic cohomology groups of a compact Sasakian manifold satisfies the transverse Lefschetz property. The second version, established far more recently by Cappelletti-Montano, De Nicola, and Yudin, holds for the De Rham cohomology groups of a compact Sasakian manifold. In the current paper, using the formalism of odd dimensional symplectic geometry, we prove a Hard Lefschetz theorem for compact K-contact manifolds, which implies immediately that the two existing versions of Hard Lefschetz theorems are mathematically …

Mathematical Writing Assignment For Deeper Understanding And Process Writing, Colton Magnant, Saeed Nasseh, Teresa Flateby

Department of Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

Brief Description: The broad goals of this writing assignment are two-fold: 1) To delve deeper into the inner workings of a chosen proof and explore fundamental motivation of the chosen result. 2) To enhance student learning in the area of academic writing in the discipline of mathematics.

By walking the students through a process of academic writing, we address the following DQP proficiencies: Specialized Knowledge, Applied and Collaborative Learning and Intellectual Skills - Use of Information Resources, Mathematics-Specific Intellectual and Practical Skills and Communicative Fluency.

Background and context: This assignment has been used in a Mathematical Structures (introduction-to-proofs) course and …

Teacher Influence On Elementary School Students’ Participation In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Courtney Hartman

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of elementary school teachers on encouraging students’ interest and participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The researcher sought to understand what methods teachers use in their classrooms to encourage students to participate in STEM subjects and programs. This mixed methods study consisted of a questionnaire to collect quantitative data, as well as an interview of selected teachers who participated in the questionnaire to collect qualitative data. The data was analyzed to determine the overall perceptions of teachers regarding the importance of encouraging students to participate in STEM. The qualitative …

A Case Study Of How Ninth Grade Mathematics Students Construct Knowledge During A Productive Failure Model, Amy F. Westbrook Dr.

Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explain how ninth grade mathematics students at a rural high school in Georgia constructed knowledge through student talk when problem solving using Kapur’s (2012) productive failure design. An embedded case study design was used to understand how a group of students constructed knowledge through their use of talk, persistence during the task, and use of prior knowledge while working on a productive failure modeled task. Triangulation resulted from the collected data from multiple sources, which included videotaping, interviewing, and analyzing student artifacts. Utilization of the constructivist perspectives of Vygotsky (1934/1962), Piaget (1971), …

The Cosm Newsletter

The COSM Newsletter (2008-2018)

• The College of Science and Mathematics Welcomes New Administration in the Dean’s Office
• COSM Faculty and Staff Recognized at College and University Levels
• College Awards
• University Awards
• Summer SOAR Project: Books for Back Pack Buddies
• COSM Alum Honored in Promotion Ceremony at the Pentagon
• Altrusa partners with Georgia Southern Pre-Vet Students for First Annual Dog Wash
• Two COSM Undergrads selected for Prestigious Summer Research Programs
• The Department of Biology Welcomes New Faculty
• Dr. Ed Mondor Named 2014 Outstanding Advocate for First Year Students
• Distinguished Alumnus Chosen
• Honor’s Day Ceremony Resumes
• Professor Gives Talk at 11th Congress on the Biology of …

Design Considerations For Visually-Aided Discussion Prompts: Emphasizing Mathematical Reasoning In Teacher Education, Anne Marie S. Marshall, Kadian M. Callahan

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

The availability and familiarity of online discussion tools create new instructional options that teacher educators can use to foster prospective teachers’ understanding of mathematics. In particular, online discussion blogs provide an avenue through which teacher educators can press prospective teachers to explore mathematical concepts and share their mathematical reasoning with peers. Furthermore, by incorporating visual stimulations as a design component of these discussion blogs, prospective teachers can make sense of and respond to others’ ideas about mathematical concepts with greater clarity. This paper shares preliminary findings of a research study that examined the extent to which the design of a …

Creating A Faculty Learning Community To Support Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning Among Stem University Faculty, Cher C. Hendricks, Myrna Gantner

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

In this session, we describe the creation of a Faculty Learning Community for university faculty in science, mathematics, and computer science. These faculty, recipients of mini-grants funded by the USG STEM Initiative, are studying ways to improve their instruction and increase student learning in STEM courses. Through the FLC, they are able to collaborate and support each others’ work.

Trig-Star, James M. Anderson

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

A TRIG-STAR is a mathematics student who has demonstrated in competition that he or she is the most skilled among classmates in the practical application of trigonometry. The competition for the honor is a timed exercise which is the solving of a trigonometry problem that incorporates the use of right triangle formulas, circle formulas, the law of sines, and the law of cosines. The contest helps to promote careers in surveying and mapping to students at the High Schools across the country. The award is sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors and cosponsored locally. State winners also have …

Integrating Manipulatives To Improve Fraction Concepts, Rachel Dunn

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Many students are overwhelmed by mathematics because the language is too difficult, the teaching strategies are insufficient or they have lost motivation. With a recent emphasis on meeting the Common Core expectations, using manipulatives to eliminate misconceptions in the mathematical classroom has become even more prevalent. I explored the misconceptions that many students struggle with and provided possible methods of eliminating them at all levels for learning. During this investigation, I studied the effect of manipulatives on students’ understanding of fraction concepts and the students’ conceptions of the unit of reference when working with fraction word problems. I learned that …

Numerical Solutions To The Gross-Pitaevskii Equation For Bose-Einstein Condensates, Luigi Galati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we compare various potential operators for the two-dimensional (2D) Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) for Bose-Einstein condensates. Both the 2D and the 1D models are scaled to get a three parameter model. Smoothness of initial conditions is considered and choice of method (Split-Step Fourier method with Strang Splitting) is justied. Numerical simulations provide graphical evidence of properties of both focusing and nonfocusing cases.

Integer Compositions, Gray Code, And The Fibonacci Sequence, Linus Lindroos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I show the relation of binary and Gray Code to integer compositions and the Fibonacci sequence through the use of analytic combinatorics, Zeckendorf's Theorem, and generating functions.

Math Island At Brewer Elementary School: A Learner-Centered Model For Education, Vikki K. Collins, H. Marguerite Yates

Georgia Educational Researcher

This paper examines a learner-centered model for the teaching of elementary mathematics established at an urban Georgia school that serves a highly mobile, diverse population of approximately 475 students. The school was on its state’s list of schools needing improvement because students continued to perform poorly on standardized tests. Math Island, a support center for students designed to facilitate the conceptual understanding of mathematics, was created, and professional development programs were implemented to assist teachers in developing their pedagogical and content expertise in the teaching of mathematics. The school made substantial progress after these initiatives were employed and was removed …