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Mathematics Commons™

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2018

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Articles 301 - 330 of 1332

Full-Text Articles in Mathematics

So, Your Mom Wants To Be A Mathematician, Edie Stevens Jul 2018

So, Your Mom Wants To Be A Mathematician, Edie Stevens

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Despite all the stereotypes about them, mothers possess a skill set that makes them outstanding potential mathematicians. Most are organized, detail oriented, driven, determined, effective communicators; they are able to break down any concept or task into its principal components, and they can be logical and persuasive even when addressing the most formidable and unwilling audience. In short, no matter how messy, difficult, or tedious the task at hand, moms excel at getting the job done. This is my affirming story of how I left my engineering career to raise a family and returned to academia to pursue a doctoral …

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On Contradiction, Piper Harron Jul 2018

On Contradiction, Piper Harron

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Parenting, across species, is a clumsy, all-consuming, and often exasperating endeavor. Yet in many parts of the human world, we somehow expect to contain and control this part of ourselves. We idealize the separation of work and family. This seems to be especially true in mathematics where many of us hold space in our minds for the Devoted Genius Mathematician who has no other responsibilities but to their own passions, and no obstacles beyond the difficulties of their own pursuits. The unavoidable fact is that life with children is full of absurdities and contradictions. Unless we're willing to embrace that, …

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Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller Jul 2018

Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This essay is a personal reflection on how I leverage my positioning as a caregiver in my roles of a mathematician, teacher, and mother, to advance a vision for a more just and equitable society. I argue that care at home and in the classroom takes similar forms, and can be liberating instead of oppressive.

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From Ecstasy To Agony And Back: Mathematics, Motherhood, And Postpartum Depression, Azadeh Rafizadeh Jul 2018

From Ecstasy To Agony And Back: Mathematics, Motherhood, And Postpartum Depression, Azadeh Rafizadeh

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this essay I address some challenges I had to overcome as a non-tenured mathematician mother married to another mathematician. While some of these challenges, such as lack of sleep, were predictable, many were not. For example, I was not aware that just getting pregnant would be a difficulty. Also, I did not know how paralyzing postpartum depression could be. Looking back on these experiences after a few years, I have a new perspective. I share my experiences, feelings about them, and some of the ways I figured out to overcome the hardships I experienced.

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The Grieving Mathematician And Mother, Kimberly A. Roth Jul 2018

The Grieving Mathematician And Mother, Kimberly A. Roth

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Grieving while teaching and researching is a tricky task. Support from the local community and from the larger mathematical community were important after my son Drew’s death. In this essay I describe my motherhood and grief journeys and how they intersected with my career, and also offer suggestions for others supporting parents in similar situations.

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Finding Hope Amidst The Pain Of Pregnancy Loss, Jessica Oshaughnessy Jul 2018

Finding Hope Amidst The Pain Of Pregnancy Loss, Jessica Oshaughnessy

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Pregnancy does not come easily to all women. This story shares my personal struggles with early miscarriage and second trimester losses and the struggle to balance grief in a professional setting.

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Pb & J, Elizabeth Gross Jul 2018

Pb & J, Elizabeth Gross

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this essay on academic life as a mother and a mathematician, I explore pregnancy in graduate school, parenting on the tenure-track, division of household labor, and sandwiches.

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My Best Laid Plan, Becky E. Hall Jul 2018

My Best Laid Plan, Becky E. Hall

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This story ties together the precise planning traits of mathematicians with the challenges of motherhood.

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Does Math Help With Addition?, Ellen Veomett Jul 2018

Does Math Help With Addition?, Ellen Veomett

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Math always has the answer, right? In this humor-speckled piece, we probe the answer to that question in a challenging context: the mathematician as mother. Unfortunately, we’ll find that skill and knowledge in mathematics does not necessarily translate to skill and knowledge in making, birthing, and raising people. But can motherhood in some way improve us as mathematicians?

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Reflections On Challenging Times, Jacqueline Jensen-Vallin Jul 2018

Reflections On Challenging Times, Jacqueline Jensen-Vallin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

As many academic mamas do, I waited until I was (almost) tenured to try to have my children. After a couple of miscarriages, I got pregnant with twins. Here I present both personal stories and tales of how colleagues were treated by their department and administration when they were pregnant. Some had administrative duties revoked, some were encouraged to engage in academic dishonesty in order to have maternity leave, and some were not eligible for any leave. I also provide suggestions of how others might handle these encounters better than we pregnant faculty did.

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The Elephant (-Sized Belly) In The Room, Teena Carroll Jul 2018

The Elephant (-Sized Belly) In The Room, Teena Carroll

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Had I known about the grim employment statistics facing mothers in academia I might have chosen a different path. I share my story of navigating the academic job market while visibly pregnant and connect my experiences to the wider issue of biases against motherhood in academia. Ultimately I was lucky to get a tenure-track job right out of graduate school, but the environment I found myself in was hostile to me as a new mother. There has been much interest in increasing gender diversity of the professorate, especially in mathematics; it is valuable to look specifically at how motherhood and …

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The Multiple Identities Of A Mathematics Professor Mom, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder Jul 2018

The Multiple Identities Of A Mathematics Professor Mom, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this essay, i dive into the multiple identities of a Mathematics Professor Mom and how we interchange those identities as we work to achieve harmony (not balance!) in our lives.

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Family As Vocation; Work As Mission, Sara B. Quinn, Christina Safranski Jul 2018

Family As Vocation; Work As Mission, Sara B. Quinn, Christina Safranski

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The terms vocation and mission are often considered synonyms; both meaning work to which one feels called and deeply dedicated. But, for working mothers who feel called and deeply dedicated to both family and work, it can be useful to make a distinction between vocation and mission. Inspired by Catholicism and working for Catholic universities, we explore how the terms vocation and mission have been traditionally defined. The Catholic Church recognizes only four vocations (married life, single life, religious life, and ordained life), while there are countless specific missions that individuals and institutions can carry out. Each of these ideas …

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A Letter To My Daughters, Maeve L. Mccarthy Jul 2018

A Letter To My Daughters, Maeve L. Mccarthy

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This piece is a letter to my two daughters, Susan and Nora, to explain why I am a working mother, why being a mathematician and a woman in science is important to me. I hope they will read it someday and be inspired. I hope they will realize that while the balance between family and work continually shifts, it is possible to have it all.

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Calculating Intersections: The Crossroads Of Mathematics And Literature In The Lives Of Mother And Daughter, Della Dumbaugh, Hannah Fenster Jul 2018

Calculating Intersections: The Crossroads Of Mathematics And Literature In The Lives Of Mother And Daughter, Della Dumbaugh, Hannah Fenster

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This article tells the stories of how we, Della (mom, mathematician) and Hannah (daughter, writing instructor and bookseller), arrived in our professional settings through the lens of mother and daughter. For us, the intersections of literature and mathematics inspired many of our pivotal moments.

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Inquiry Based Learning: A Teaching And Parenting Opportunity, Aliza Steurer Jul 2018

Inquiry Based Learning: A Teaching And Parenting Opportunity, Aliza Steurer

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this paper, I discuss what appears to be a new perspective on inquiry based learning (IBL) by describing its parallels with parenting. IBL is a student-centered learning method involving collaborative work on carefully sequenced exercises, oral and written communication of solutions, and peer review. Students create their own knowledge and present their ideas, and the instructor acts as a facilitator. The parallels between IBL and parenting include a growth mindset, emphasizing process over outcome, learning from mistakes, learning how to get unstuck, and deconstructing tasks. IBL and parenting also involve similar social interactions, such as responding to difficult questions …

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The Upside Of Down Syndrome: Math Is My Superpower!, Heidi Berger Jul 2018

The Upside Of Down Syndrome: Math Is My Superpower!, Heidi Berger

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

My son Isaac has Down syndrome. He was born in 2015, within a year of me receiving tenure at Simpson College. The experience of being his mother has had a profound effect on me as a mathematician. Having been with him through eleven surgeries over sixteen hospitalizations, I wanted to learn about his medical complexities and, more generally, about coordinated health care for those with chronic illness. To accomplish these goals, I’ve looked to my teaching and research. In the spring of 2016, I designed a sophomore-level mathematical modeling course on the respiratory system. In the summer of 2016, I …

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A Math Research Project Inspired By Twin Motherhood, Tiffany N. Kolba Jul 2018

A Math Research Project Inspired By Twin Motherhood, Tiffany N. Kolba

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The phenomenon of twins, triplets, quadruplets, and other higher order multiples has fascinated humans for centuries and has even captured the attention of mathematicians who have sought to model the probabilities of multiple births. However, there has not been extensive research into the phenomenon of polyovulation, which is one of the biological mechanisms that produces multiple births. In this paper, I describe how my own experience becoming a mother to twins led me on a quest to better understand the scientific processes going on inside my own body and motivated me to conduct research on polyovulation frequencies. An overview of …

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The Situatedness Of Mathematics In Motherhood And Academia, Jennifer Schenk Sacco, Jill Shahverdian Jul 2018

The Situatedness Of Mathematics In Motherhood And Academia, Jennifer Schenk Sacco, Jill Shahverdian

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The authors, a mathematician and a political scientist, examine mathematics, motherhood, and academia, and argue that feminist epistemology is necessary to explain the intersection. Relying on the principles of feminist epistemology laid out by philosophers Naomi Scheman and Marianne Janack, the authors consider how work, the concept of time, teaching, arts and crafts, and decision-making all reveal the situatedness of knowing and using mathematics.

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Math Mamas: Changing The Narrative, Pamela E. Harris, Becky Hall, Emille Lawrence, Carrie Diaz Eaton Jul 2018

Math Mamas: Changing The Narrative, Pamela E. Harris, Becky Hall, Emille Lawrence, Carrie Diaz Eaton

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

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How To Wear More Than One Hat Well, Mark Huber, Gizem Karaali Jul 2018

How To Wear More Than One Hat Well, Mark Huber, Gizem Karaali

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

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Front Matter Jul 2018

Front Matter

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

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Emilie Du Chatelet Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D. Jul 2018

Emilie Du Chatelet Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D.

Open Educational Resources - Math

This activity was originally created for a Women in Mathematics course to provide students with a small taste of some basic mathematics connected to work of Émilie du Châtelet. The activity has the students use some algebra to look at rates of change (velocity and acceleration) of a paraboloid apparatus. It could also be used in other courses, such as history of math, high school or college algebra, and calculus.

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Maria Agnesi Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D. Jul 2018

Maria Agnesi Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D.

Open Educational Resources - Math

This activity was originally created for a Women in Mathematics course to provide students with a small taste of some basic mathematics connected to the work of Maria Agnesi. The activity has the students look at some of her work in algebra and calculus (optional). It could also be used in other courses, such as history of math, a general education mathematics course, high school or college algebra, and calculus.

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Maryam Mirzakhani Riemann Surface Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D. Jul 2018

Maryam Mirzakhani Riemann Surface Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D.

Open Educational Resources - Math

This activity was originally created for a Women in Mathematics course to provide students (who may not yet have taken much upper level mathematics) with a small taste of some basic mathematics connected to the work of Maryam Mirzakhani. In this activity, students investigate some Riemann surfaces and one non-example. The activity could also be used in other courses, such as a general education mathematics course, a course for pre-service elementary teachers, or a history of mathematics course.

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Ada Byron Lovelace Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D. Jul 2018

Ada Byron Lovelace Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D.

Open Educational Resources - Math

This activity was originally created for a Women in Mathematics course to provide students with a small taste of some basic mathematics connected to the work of Lady Ada Byron Lovelace. The activity is based on her work related to the Difference Engine of Charles Babbage, and has students investigate differences of sequences. The activity could also be used in other courses, such as a general education mathematics course, a course for pre-service elementary teachers, or a history of mathematics course.

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On The Strong Chromatic Index Of Sparse Graphs, Philip Deorsey, Jennifer Diemunsch, Michael Ferrara, Nathan Graber, Stephen Hartke, Sogol Jahanbekam, Bernard Lidicky, Luke Nelsen, Derrick Stolee, Eric Sullivan Jul 2018

On The Strong Chromatic Index Of Sparse Graphs, Philip Deorsey, Jennifer Diemunsch, Michael Ferrara, Nathan Graber, Stephen Hartke, Sogol Jahanbekam, Bernard Lidicky, Luke Nelsen, Derrick Stolee, Eric Sullivan

Faculty Publications

The strong chromatic index of a graph G, denoted χ′s(G), is the least number of colors needed to edge-color G so that edges at distance at most two receive distinct colors. The strong list chromatic index, denoted χ′s,ℓ(G), is the least integer k such that if arbitrary lists of size k are assigned to each edge then G can be edge-colored from those lists where edges at distance at most two receive distinct colors.We use the discharging method, the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz, and computation to show that if G is a subcubic planar graph with girth(G)≥41 then χ′s,ℓ(G)≤5, answering a question …

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Counting Arithmetical Structures On Paths And Cycles, Benjamin Braun, Hugo Corrales, Scott Corry, Luis David Garcia Puente, Darren B. Glass, Nathan Kaplan, Jeremy L. Martin, Gregg Musiker, Carlos E. Valencia Jul 2018

Counting Arithmetical Structures On Paths And Cycles, Benjamin Braun, Hugo Corrales, Scott Corry, Luis David Garcia Puente, Darren B. Glass, Nathan Kaplan, Jeremy L. Martin, Gregg Musiker, Carlos E. Valencia

Math Faculty Publications

Let G be a finite, connected graph. An arithmetical structure on G is a pair of positive integer vectors d, r such that (diag (d) - A) r=0 , where A is the adjacency matrix of G. We investigate the combinatorics of arithmetical structures on path and cycle graphs, as well as the associated critical groups (the torsion part of the cokernels of the matrices (diag (d) - A)). For paths, we prove that arithmetical structures are enumerated by the Catalan numbers, and we obtain refined enumeration results related to ballot sequences. …

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Sophie Germain Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D. Jul 2018

Sophie Germain Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D.

Open Educational Resources - Math

This activity was originally created for a Women in Mathematics course to provide students, who may not have had an abstract algebra class, with a small taste of some basic mathematics connected to the work of Sophie Germain on Fermat’s Last Theorem. The activity has the students find all primes less than 100 using the Sieve of Eratosthenes and then determine which of those are Germain primes. The activity could also be used in other courses, such as a general education mathematics course or a history of mathematics course.

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Emmy Noether And Modular Arithmetic Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D. Jul 2018

Emmy Noether And Modular Arithmetic Activity, Cynthia J. Huffman Ph.D.

Open Educational Resources - Math

This activity was originally created for a Women in Mathematics course to provide students, who may not have had an abstract algebra class, with a small taste of some basic mathematics connected to the work of Emmy Noether. The activity has the students perform some basic modular (clock) arithmetic and then investigate real world applications of modular arithmetic to ISBN and UPC codes. It could also be used in other courses, such as a general education mathematics course.

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