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Dec 01 Vers 7.0.1 FOCUS December 2001 FOCUS is published by the Mathematical Association of America in January, February, March, April, May/June, FOCUS August/September, October, November, and December. Editor: Fernando Gouvêa, Colby College; December 2001 [email protected] Volume 21, Number 9 Managing Editor: Carol Baxter, MAA [email protected] Senior Writer: Harry Waldman, MAA [email protected] Please address advertising inquiries to: Inside Carol Baxter, MAA; [email protected] President: Ann E. Watkins, California State University, Northridge 4I’d Rather Go to Mathcamp First Vice-President: Barbara L. Osofsky, By Brenda Fine Second Vice-President: Frank Morgan, Secretary: Martha J. Siegel, Associate Secretary: James J. Tattersall, Treasurer: 7Mathematics and Democracy in Nigeria Gerald J. Porter Executive Director: Tina H. Straley 8 MAA Awarded Half Million Dollar NSF Grant to Support Assessment Associate Executive Director and Director of Publications and Electronic Services: Donald J. Albers 9Short Takes FOCUS Editorial Board: Gerald Alexanderson; Donna Beers; J. Kevin 10 San Diego Program Updates Colligan; Ed Dubinsky; Bill Hawkins; Dan Kalman; Peter Renz; Annie Selden; Jon Scott; 13 Read This! Ravi Vakil. Letters to the editor should be addressed to 14 Reshaping Graduate Education: Looking Back at the Fernando Gouvêa, Colby College, Dept. of Mathematics, Waterville, ME 04901, or by Wisdom of Mina Rees email to [email protected]. By Amy Shell Subscription and membership questions should be directed to the MAA Customer 18 Employment Opportunities Service Center, 800-331-1622; e-mail: [email protected]; (301) 617-7800 (outside U.S. and Canada); fax: (301) 206-9789. Copyright © 2001 by the Mathematical Association of America (Incorporated). Educational institutions may reproduce articles for their own use, but not for sale, provided that the following citation is used: On the cover: Megan Guichard, a junior counselor at Mathcamp (see “Reprinted with permission of FOCUS, the page 4) displays her mathematically-interesting hair. Photograph by newsletter of the Mathematical Association of America (Incorporated).” Chris Tuffley. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to FOCUS, Mathematical Association of America, P.O. FOCUS Deadlines Box 90973, Washington, DC 20090-0973. February March April ISSN: 0731-2040; Printed in the United States Editorial Copy December 14 January 15 February 4 of America. Display Ads December 21 January 29 February 25 Employment Ads December 10 January 15 February 11 2 December 2001 FOCUS JSTOR to Include Mathematics Magazine and Reforming Math College Mathematics Journal Teaching in Houston The JSTOR Board of Directors ap- proved, in its October 2001 meeting, the addition of Mathematics Magazine and the College Mathematics Journal to their web-based electronic archive. JSTOR (the name stands for “Journal Storage”) offers its subscribers access to the complete runs of many scholarly journals, including the American Mathematical Monthly. The journals archived at the JSTOR site are fully searchable and give access to high- quality page images that produce beauti- Governor-at -large Jacqueline Brannon ful printout. Giles, seen above with Dr. Llayron L. Clarkson and Mrs. Charlotte Haynes , It is expected that the two MAA journals attended the HU-LINC meeting on Oc- will be added to JSTOR by early 2002, tober 12, 2001 to learn more about the implementation stage of the urban sys- making it possible for JSTOR subscrib- Members of institutions that are JSTOR ers to access electronic archives of the temic initiative in Houston. The Hous- subscribers can access the archive at http:/ ton Community College System Central three main MAA journals from their in- /www.jstor.org. Those individuals who do ception through 1997. (A five-year “mov- College has initiated a proposal to join not have JSTOR access through their in- the coalition of colleges, universities, ing wall” is maintained to preserve the stitutions can obtain annual subscrip- subscriber base of each journal.) schools and other entities that provide tions through the MAA. technology-integrated mathematics and science professional development for el- ementary, middle, and high school teach- ers. Other schools in the coalition include the University of Houston-Downtown, MAA to Host Meeting Have You Seen the Texas Southern University, Prairie View A and M University, Rice University, and for NSF PIs BIG SIGMAA Web many others. For more information on Site? HU-LINC, contact Charlotte Haynes at [email protected]. The Mathematical Association of America has been awarded a grant of The BIG SIGMAA is the special inter- From the Editor $168,548 by the National Science Foun- est group within the MAA devoted to dation to host a meeting of Principal In- mathematics and mathematicians in vestigators of NSF-funded mathematics Business, Industry, and Government. BIG In a forthcoming issue, we hope to pub- projects in the Division of Undergradu- was the second SIGMAA to be approved lish in FOCUS a set of articles discussing ate Education. The meeting will take place by the Board (the other two SIGMAAs mathematics on the internet: what is March 14-16, 2002 in Washington, DC. Focus on Research on Undergraduate available, how it is (or can be) used, who The focus of the meeting will be on dis- Education and Statistics Teaching). The uses it, how good it is. I would like to in- semination of project materials. Within BIG SIGMAA web site, at http:// vite our readers to contribute to that is- the meeting there will be two workshops: www.math.unt.edu/bigsigmaa/, has infor- sue. If you have observed or studied stu- one on writing learning materials and the mation about the SIGMAA and its offic- dents’ use of the internet, have partici- other on preparing learning materials for ers, announcements of program items at pated in the process of creating a math- the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San interactive, online use. Lang Moore, Vis- ematically-oriented web site, or just have Diego, a technical questions discussion iting Mathematician at MAA, is the prin- a site you would like to review, consider board, and lots of information about cipal investigator for this project; Tina submitting an article to us. You can reach non-academic careers in mathematics. Straley, Executive Director of MAA, is a me by email at [email protected] (this co-PI. The site is maintained by Peter DeLong; he can be reached by email at is by far the best way) or at Department [email protected]. of Mathematics, Colby College, May- flower Hill 5836, Waterville, ME 04901. Fernando Q. Gouvêa 3 FOCUS December 2001 I’d Rather Go to Mathcamp By Brenda Fine Last winter, Wellesley assistant profes- Mathcamp was founded in 1993 on a exciting mathematics and people who can sor Mira Bernstein, then a postdoctoral wing and a prayer by Dr. George Rubin relate to that excitement. Indeed, the en- fellow at Berkeley and a co-worker of Thomas, who recognized that teenagers ergy and enthusiasm for mathematics mine during the previous summer, interested in mathematics often lacked that staff and campers alike bring to the brought to my attention a series of ad- the resources — and the camaraderie — camp environment is palpable. For five vertisements that were running in the necessary for them to thrive as mathema- days a week during the five-week camp, popular teen magazine Seventeen as part ticians. Under the direction of Dr. Tho- students can choose courses tailored to of an aggressive anti-drug campaign. One mas, Dr. Mira Bernstein, McGill their backgrounds and interests from a of them featured a photograph of a teen- postdoctoral researcher Dr. David Savitt, packed schedule that includes classes on aged girl whose crush had just offered her and a host of dedicated counselors and all sorts of subjects. Some courses, includ- some (unspecified) sort of illicit sub- instructors who thrive on hundred-hour, ing linear algebra, number theory, stance. The full- fractals, real analysis, page ad suggested a projective geometry, variety of ways for and topology, are the girl, and others taught over the in her position, to course of several express indignation weeks, and intro- regarding this offer, duce students to the but one stood out rigors of university as particularly level mathematics damning: “I’d while incorporating rather go to fun applications that Mathcamp than students aren’t likely smoke a joint!” to see as under- graduates. Other Although the ad classes are one-time was soon pulled, affairs that cover there is no denying more whimsical top- that it reflected a ics such as False popular mindset Proofs (students are among its audience challenged to find of teenagers — and, the flaws), Van der indeed, among the Camper Pradeep Mouli peers out from George Hart puts the finishing touches on Waerden’s Theorem public at large. Ad- a Zometool Cage. Photo by Chris a camper’s makeshift Zome home. Photo (whose instructor, vertisers can hardly Tuffley. by Chris Tuffley. Mathcamp mentor be blamed for capi- Julian Gilbey cau- talizing on this phenomenon. When a math-filled workweeks, every year enthu- tioned, “If you are afraid of big numbers, million ads fail to quell the argument that siastic young mathematicians can inter- don’t take this class!”), and Hats and marijuana has its therapeutic uses, one act with spirited university math students Codes — Mira Bernstein’s presentation of might as well take advantage of the fact and professors from around the world.
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