FOCUS on MAA Celebrating a Century of Mathematics 1915–2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS A Time to Celebrate / 3 More MAA History / 4 1529 18th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 A Snapshot of Life in 1915 / 5 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Pearson Gathering Places / 6 Going Local / 8 OFFICERS 2015 Promoting Expository Writing / 10 PRESIDENT Francis Su, Harvey Mudd College Winning Competitions / 12 PAST PRESIDENT Advancing the Profession / 14 Bob Devaney, Boston University SECRETARY Strengthening Diversity / 15 Barbara Faires, Westminster College Supporting MAA / 16 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Jenna Carpenter, Louisiana Tech University SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Karen Saxe, Macalester College TREASURER Jim Daniel, University of Texas at Austin (Emeritus) About the Cover ASSOCIATE TREASURER Hortensia Soto-Johnson, University of Northern Colorado ASSOCIATE SECRETARY Gerard Venema, Calvin College About the Cover: CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON SECTIONS Elizabeth Mayfield, Hood College CHAIR, COUNCIL ON PUBLICATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS This stained-glass rendering of the MAA icosahedron is in the Jennifer J. Quinn, University of lobby of the Edgar H. Vaughn Building, named for the grandfather Washington Tacoma of James Vaughn, president of the Vaughn Foundation, a major 1916 contributor to the 1978 fund to purchase the building to serve as PRESIDENT MAA headquarters. It is one of three adjacent historic buildings in Earle Raymond Hedrick Washington, D.C., that constitute the Dolciani Mathematical Center, VICE PRESIDENTS named in honor of mathematician, educator, and author Mary P. Edward V. Huntington Dolciani Halloran, who provided significant funding for the purchase George A. Miller and subsequent renovation of the buildings. SECRETARY-TREASURER W. D. Cairns MAA FOCUS DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS: Jim Angelo EDITOR: Ivars Peterson MANAGING EDITOR: Lois M. Baron Copyright © 2015 Mathematical Association of America 2 maa.org/100 A Time to Celebrate | Francis Edward Su, MAA President For a century now, the Mathematical Association our respective missions. of America has been holding the banner high for We continue to support vibrant mathematical communities mathematics at the collegiate level. As we anticipate the who cherish discussions about second century of our association and think about the collegiate teaching through our opportunities it may bring, it is helpful to see that the sections and SIGMAAs. We core values that inspire our members are the same as the promote the joys of problem solving through the Putnam ones that launched the MAA. contest and the American The MAA was born in 1915 out “special field now covered by the Mathematics Competitions. We of a desire to support the fledgling American Mathematical Monthly” since publish journals and books that journal the American Mathematical the society’s focus was on research. promote high-quality exposition Monthly as well as the mathematical But the resolution also said: “The and accessible mathematics, and interests it represented. There was Council desires to express its our Monthly continues to flourish as a sense that accessible college-level realization of the importance of the most widely read math journal mathematics in the gap the work in this field and its value in the world. between high school to mathematical science, We continue to cherish and research-level and to say that should an mathematical people and invest mathematics was organization be formed in them through programs like not receiving to deal specifically Project NExT and PREP and any organized with this work, grants that encourage women attention. the Society would and underrepresented groups to Monthly entertain toward pursue mathematics. We support editor Herbert such an organization departments through projects E. Slaught only feelings of like the newly updated CUPM described the hearty good will and curriculum guide, and provide situation in the encouragement.” leadership to address national October 1915 After floating the idea calls for improving undergraduate issue: “No society is of a new organization and mathematics education through concerned particularly receiving hundreds of messages projects like Common Vision. And with this field and no journal of support from across the country, we continue to value mathematical represents its interests, except in Slaught called for a meeting in culture and communication, as so far as a few individuals have December 1915, at which the MAA our many members use their endeavored to do so in connection was officially born. The motivation, artistic and creative gifts to bring with The American Mathematical as Slaught put it, was “a sincere mathematics to greater public Monthly.” Yet, as he noted, most desire to promote the course of awareness. faculty devote themselves largely mathematics in this country in all We remain true to our (if not exclusively) to teaching, its many and varied aspects, and heritage. In this booklet, we’ve and there are many “who might especially in that field that has assembled a sampling of some be desirous of engaging in been so greatly neglected—the highlights of the 100 years of mathematical activities, either in field of collegiate mathematics.” our association. We value your the beginnings of research or by One hundred years later, our contributions and continued contributing to the betterment organization is still involved in support to advance collegiate of teaching” yet find research all the “many and varied aspects” mathematics into the next century. communities inaccessible. of the mathematical landscape, Thank you for being part of this Slaught requested support especially collegiate mathematics. community. Come celebrate with from the American Mathematical Just as the founders did, our us this August at the centennial Society. In an April 1915 resolution, members continue to partner with, MAA MathFest! the council of the AMS determined and maintain memberships in, Above: Francis Edward Su speaking at the Joint it was “unwise” to enter into the other organizations to accomplish Mathematics Meetings, 2013. maa.org/100 3 THE BEGINNING “The record shows that 104 men and women, meeting on More MAA History December 30 and 31, 1915, in room 101 of Page Hall on the In the few pages of this MAA FOCUS commemorative campus of Ohio State University, formed a new organization which booklet, we have had space to highlight only a handful they named the Mathematical of the many MAA efforts over the last century that have Association of America. They contributed to the advancement of mathematics and elected officers as follows: President, E. R. Hedrick of the mathematics education. University of Missouri; Vice- One starting point for delving accessible on the MAA website. Presidents, E. V. Huntington and deeper into the organization’s Several MAA books have G. A. Miller of Harvard rich history is David E. Zitarelli’s highlighted specific parts of and Illinois; and Secretary- paper “The First 100 Years of the association history. Of particular Treasurer, W. D. Cairns of MAA,” published in the January interest is A Century of Mathematics: Oberlin.” A Century 2015 American Mathematical Through the Eyes of the Monthly, edited —G. Baley Price, American of Advancing Mathematics Monthly and in the MAA by John H. Ewing and published in Mathematical Monthly (1993) centennial volume A Century 1994 to commemorate the Monthly’s AND TODAY of Advancing Mathematics. The 100th anniversary. K E N N E DY F . : ST E P H E N A L B E R S TO R S J . E D I D O N A L D ALEXANDERSON L . G E RA L D D U M BAU G H early history of the MAA is For those who want to peruse the “The issues before the Association D E L L A FA R R I S A . F RA N K B . HAUNSPERGER 2/4/15 9:49 PM D E A N N A ZO R N PAU L in the days before and shortly after covered in some detail in the raw material of history, the Archives its founding do not sound much A Century of Advancing Mathmathics D.indd 1 book The Mathematical Association of of American Mathematics, located different from many of the issues America: Its First Fifty Years, published in the Research and Collections today. Should a course in mathematics in 1972 and now available in full on division of the Dolph Briscoe be required for graduation? Should the MAA website. Center for American History on calculus be taught in the freshman year? To catch glimpses of history in the University of Texas at Austin . Should the United States go on the the making, consult back issues of campus, houses the preserved papers metric system? Should the same course the American Mathematical Monthly, and records of the MAA. be taught to future mathematicians and scientists as to other students? Should available online via JSTOR. Until Find out more about the MAA separate courses in different areas be 1982, every issue contained a section centennial celebration at taught, or should they be replaced dealing with association matters. maa.org/100, including historical by an integrated course? Committees For more recent glimpses, check articles about various aspects of the were formed to study these questions issues of the association newsletter MAA, from history of the sections and reports were duly submitted and Focus (later the newsmagazine MAA to interviews with selected MAA distributed.” —Gerald L. Alexanderson, FOCUS). All issues, going back to the members. MAA President 1997–98 (1990) newsletter’s debut in 1981, are now —Ivars Peterson 1894 1914 1915 1916 Pi Mu Epsilon founded MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA Mathematical Association of America founded. The charter members of the MAA— those who joined by April This content downloaded from 65.206.22.38 on Tue, 17 Mar 2015 23:30:40 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 1916—numbered 1,046. The Earle Raymond Hedrick, largest number of members first MAA president. American Mathematical came from New York (120), Monthly, vol.