MUMS 2008 Midwest Undergraduate Mathematics Symposium   Friday and Saturday April 4-5, 2008 Carver Science Center Simpson College Indianola, Iowa

Purpose	Student Presentations	Registration	Exhibits
Travel Support	Plenary Talk	Location	Accommodations

Links:  These links will be updated as needed, so check back for updates.

• Call for Papers
• Announcement Poster
• Program/Schedule
• Abstracts

Jean Clipperton shows how to equitably redistrict New York state.

Purpose:  · To promote independent student work, including research, in the mathematical sciences at the undergraduate level.  · To provide undergraduate students the opportunity to share and celebrate the work they have done in the mathematical sciences.    · To help undergraduate mathematics students investigate career and graduate school opportunities.

Student and faculty papers and posters · Undergraduate students are invited to present 10-15-minute talks or posters on any area of mathematical interest including o the results of class projects, o papers on the history of mathematics, o solutions to Putnam Exam or Modeling Competition problems, o undergraduate research projects, o expository talks on interesting areas of mathematics, o mathematics education projects or o other work by undergraduates in mathematics, statistics or computer science.

· Travel support is available for students giving presentations.  See below for details .

· Faculty members are invited to present 10-15 minute talks or posters on programs which support undergraduate research or other independent work.

Lunch is free and fun!

Registration If you would like to attend the conference, please send an e-mail to Murphy Waggoner with the names of the faculty and students that will be attending.  Speakers should include their names, school, faculty sponsor name, title of presentation, abstract and their choice of an oral or poster presentation.

Exhibits Displays about graduate school, job opportunities and research experiences will be available during the lunch break.  Some representatives from graduate schools will be available to discuss their programs.  Members of the mathematical careers panel will also be available for questions during the lunch break.

Hiroyuki Yokota of Wartburg College talks about his work in mathematical biology.

Travel Support Simpson College has received a $500 grant from the MAA and the NSF to support the travel of undergraduate student presenters from schools other than Simpson. Dan Matheny of Truman State University describes a model for quick boarding of airplanes.

Student speakers (through their faculty sponsors) will receive 20¢ per mile for the round-trip travel to Indianola (up to a total of 600 miles per school).  Only one mileage grant (i.e., for one vehicle) will be allowed per school.  For the housing allowance, we will reimburse up to $50 per room for up to 2 rooms per school and no more than the number of presenters from that school. Travel money will be distributed with preference to those who submit their abstracts early.  All travel support will be paid after the conference.  You must submit receipts to receive travel support.

Plenary Addresses We are pleased to have Dr. Jeff Johannes of the SUNY Geneseo give the plenary addresses. “I am a knot theorist (I prove theorems about knots - yes the ones made out of string) at SUNY Geneseo in western New York. I spend some of my spare time playing games and own over 80 games. I am also always listening to music - I begin each class meeting with a song, and this talk will be no exception.”

Dr. Johannes’ talk is Game: SET -- and Math: “In this talk we will analyse a variety of mathematics about the game SET. We will begin with some simple observations, discuss some natural combinatorics (counting) questions, then follow some connections leading us to topology, geometry, and the fourth dimension. I'll probably even give away some SET cards to enthusiastic volunteers.”

Location The symposium will be held in Carver Science Hall.  Registration starts at 8:30 am in the Atrium of Carver, 206 North Clinton, Indianola, Iowa.  Here is a map of the campus (Simpson) and a map of Indianola (Indianola).

Accommodations:  There are two nice motels in Indianola.  Students who would prefer less expensive accommodations are welcome to bring their sleeping bags and stay with members of the Simpson Math Club.

• Super 8 Motel, 1701 N. Jefferson, US Hwy 65/69, Indianola, IA 50125, 515-961-0058
• Apple Tree Inn, 1215 N. Jefferson Street, (Highway 65/69 North), Indianola, IA 50125, (515) 961-0551
• Garden & Galley Bed & Breakfast, 1321 S. Jefferson Way (Highway 65/69 South), Indianola, IA 50125, (515) 961-7749.
  
  
  
  

Funding:  Funding for MUMS 2008 provided by NSF grant DMS-536991 through the MAA Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conferences program, www.maa.org.  Additional funding provided by the Mathematics Department, Simpson College.