I’ve seen the Aurora Borealis twice in my life for sure. Once in my sophomore year of college in Williamstown, Massachusetts and once in Canada on my way to the Banff Research Center for a mathematics conference. I’ve been rather obsessed with seeing it again, dreaming of trips to Iceland or Alaska for an AuroraContinue reading “March 24 Day 1111: I Want to Believe”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
January 29 Day 1057: Paper vs iPad grading
I spent at least 7 hours grading today—mostly exams on paper and some homework files submitted electronically. All of it was for students in the same class. First observation: When did everyone’s handwriting become so illegible? Second observation: Why do I think my tricks to decipher handwriting on the iPad will work on paper? IContinue reading “January 29 Day 1057: Paper vs iPad grading”
October 7 Day 943: This One Is For My Mom
Recordings from MAA MathFest are now available on YouTube, the 2022 MAA MathFest Playlist. There were fantastic plenary talks but the one I want my Mom to see is the President’s IGNITE Celebration. I think she will enjoy it. Maybe you will too. It is over an hour long. Perhaps you’d prefer to see particularContinue reading “October 7 Day 943: This One Is For My Mom”
August 27 Day 902: Spreading Math Joy
#TacomaMath participated in the 18th Annual Back To School Bash hosted by Pastor Kevin Rogers and the City of Faith Christian Center. It was amazing! My son Anson and I arrived an hour early at 9 am and families were already lining up to participate. Free backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, immunization clinics, and sports physicalsContinue reading “August 27 Day 902: Spreading Math Joy”
June 23 Day 837: Celebrating RAB Part II
The second half of the mini symposium celebrating the long success of Richard Brualdi featured four more speakers. Michael Schroeder, John Goldwasser, me, and the man himself. More stories, more mathematics, more fun. It was the most technologically diverse session I’ve seen. First, we got the lapel mike working so we could walk about theContinue reading “June 23 Day 837: Celebrating RAB Part II”
June 20 Day 834: More Than 15,000 Steps
It’s Day one of the ILAS Conference in Galway. My favorite math moment of the day—Naiomi Cameron’s talk on Riordan arrays. I admit to being a little biased since she is a collaborator, but it was the right mix of introduction, images, results, and intuition for me. My favorite coincidence was following the blue dottedContinue reading “June 20 Day 834: More Than 15,000 Steps”
April 12 Day 765: Seems Ironic
I led part 1 of a two part MAA webinar today with collaborators Ed Aboufadel, Grand Valley State; Jill Dietz, St Olaf College; and Pahdu Seshaiyer, George Mason University. We talked about best practices in faculty hiring. And I think it went pretty well. Technologically, there were no major hiccups. We used Desmos as ourContinue reading “April 12 Day 765: Seems Ironic”
January 18 Day 681: That was Interesting
The verdict is in. In-person class was OK. Seven in the classroom. Eight on zoom. One (maybe two) absent. It was the best attendance I have had thus far. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. So I tried to be flexible and ready for anything. Everyone brought a laptop or tablet and most signedContinue reading “January 18 Day 681: That was Interesting”
December 3 Day 635: Mathematics, Art, and Long Distant Friends
Today I participated in the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences meeting, held at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. While planned as a hybrid meeting, most participants chose to attend in person. So much so, that the space was too crowded. But it was delightful regardless. People who had been collaborating virtually for more than a yearContinue reading “December 3 Day 635: Mathematics, Art, and Long Distant Friends”
November 24 Day 626: Drumroll Please
The predictions are in. Class is over. Overall the respondents were highly pessimistic. Here is a sampling of responses: . . The number of attendees was…. . . . . . Wait for it…… . . . . . . . . . . . In-person: 12 studentsRemote attendance: 6 students. Photographic Evidence that theyContinue reading “November 24 Day 626: Drumroll Please”
Math in the Time of Corona 