August 18 Day 893: Delayed but not Forgotten

It was been 2 weeks since my last post. Where has the time gone? I had every intention to write daily at MathFest. But truth to tell, preparations and other obligations started too early in the morning and kept me up too late at night. Plus I was so focused on my responsibilities that IContinue reading “August 18 Day 893: Delayed but not Forgotten”

August 3 Day 878: MAA MathFest Day 1—Let the Celebration Begin

MathFest is off to a great start. The MAA Congress met in person for the first time since MathFest 2019 in Cincinnati. Most Congress members had only met over Zoom. We learned how much the MAA has accomplished during that time (the last year in particular), and began thinking about setting new strategic goals forContinue reading “August 3 Day 878: MAA MathFest Day 1—Let the Celebration Begin”

August 1 Day 876: Safe Journeys to MAA MathFest Everyone

Let the posts about traveling to MAA MathFest 2022 commence. My own awkward boarding selfie (#ABS) graces the cover of this post. I have been traveling a fair amount this summer and each time I am in an airport, the number of people wearing masks seems fewer and fewer. Even my friend Allison commented onContinue reading “August 1 Day 876: Safe Journeys to MAA MathFest Everyone”

August 6 Day 516: Analogy

I remember practicing analogies when studying for the SATs many years ago. My students don’t seem to have experience with them. So my mathematical analogies like chain rule : substitution :: product rule : parts gain no purchase in their understanding. Today, I was struck by a new analogy: Selfie : Francis Su :: ScreenshotContinue reading “August 6 Day 516: Analogy”

August 4 Day 514: It Starts

Welcome to the opening day of MathFest 2021—the virtual edition. Today was filled with lots of “firsts,” for me and the MAA. All of it was positive. Never before today: had I hosted the annual meeting of the MAA as its President. had MAA arranged a national virtual meeting (on the HopIn platform.) Had IContinue reading “August 4 Day 514: It Starts”

August 3 Day 513: Raise Your Hand If…

I got the nicest compliment today. The opening warm-up activity of MAA Congress was organized by Emille Lawrence. It was versatile in that it worked beautifully in the virtual environment and will translate nicely to an in-person space (even with masks on.) As Emille revealed each line in the slide above, representatives in Congress raisedContinue reading “August 3 Day 513: Raise Your Hand If…”

August 2 Day 512: Going for Gold

For me, today was the first day (of six) for MathFest 2021 activities with a meeting of the MAA Congress and a welcome to the 2021 Gold Project NExT Fellows. Congress started on the meeting platform HopIn. It seems great for curating sessions and broadcasting presentations but I believe in active engagement (whether in theContinue reading “August 2 Day 512: Going for Gold”

July 31 Day 145: Zoom Sort Puzzle

The last three days have been filled with productive zoom meetings that should have taken place in person at MathFest in Philapelphia. The meetings were masterfully coordinated by MAA President Michael Dorff and chair of the Congress Tim Chartier. They were a good balance of receiving information, discussing priorities, and connecting with participants through engagingContinue reading “July 31 Day 145: Zoom Sort Puzzle”