UNT Mathematics

Mathematics Awareness Week '99
at the
University of North Texas

Mathematics and Biology

April 25 - May 1, 1999


Overview

o National Mathematics Awareness Month Web Page

o Mathematics and Biology

Essay: Mathematics In the Heart
Essay: Mathematics and DNA

o An article about Mathematics Awareness Week from the North Texas Daily


Schedule of Events

During Mathematics Awareness Week, the Department will be sponsoring special speakers, a student poster presentation, and of course the 11th Annual Integration Bee. The current schedule for all planned events follows; however, times and rooms are subject to change.

Friday, April 16
11:30-12:30
Environmental Sciences Building, Room 125

Keynote Address

Dr. Erika Rogers, California PolyTechnic State University

Intelligent Interactive Systems

How Future Computers Will Link Perception and Problem Solving

Abstract: Some of the most exciting computing developments in the coming years will not be in the traditional areas of hardware and software, but will be in our ability to create systems which can interact more intelligently and naturally with human users. Today, advances in computer graphics, imaging and interaction techniques have made multimedia displays common elements of most applications. However, for critical decision-making such as medical image diagnosis or sensor data analysis, the management and use of these types of displays often adds an extra layer of complexity. What human practitioners really need is a computerized agent which will give them what they need, when they need it, and without having to explicitly give instructions.

To produce such an integrated computer system, an interdisciplinary approach has to be adopted: computer graphics and image processing algorithms must be integrated with human perception and problem solving; artificial intelligence techniques for processing knowledge and making decisions must be integrated with human-computer interaction principles. Support is needed from such diverse areas as: mathematics, engineering, psychology, linguistics and graphic arts.

This talk will present an overview of some of the key issues of designing these types of software systems, with particular examples from current research in the medical field.

Dr. Erika Rogers is an associate professor of computer science at California Polytechnic State University. Her research interests include the use of cognitive science and artificial intelligence techniques for developing intelligent human-centered computer assistants for visual problem-solving. She is currently working on the development of intelligent software assistance agents in the areas of diagnostic radiology and remote supervision of semi-autonomous robots. She has undergraduate degrees in modern languages, applied math and computer science. After receiving a Masters degree in computer graphics from Georgia Institute of Technology, she worked as a software consultant for Philips Medical Systems, based at Emory University Hospital. She received her Ph.D. in 1992 from Georgia Tech in the area of Artificial Intelligence. She is currently supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Award.

Friday, April 23
3:00
Math Lab, General Academic Building Room 234

Integration Bee

Just like a spelling bee, except with indefinite integrals! All undergraduates are welcome to participate.

To learn how to register and other details about the 11th Annual Integration Bee, see the Integration Bee Web page.

Monday, April 26 - Friday, April 30
During Mathematics Awareness Week, the hallways of the GAB will proudly display posters on various mathematical topics, including
  • College Algebra
  • Probability
  • Statistics
  • Precalculus
  • Calculus
  • Numerical Analysis
All such posters will be created by our undergraduates.

See also the other events of the department for Spring 1999.


Interactive WWW Resources

o Roller Coaster Simulation, designed by Calculus I students
o Numerical Analysis Class Projects This page contains the class projects of Math 3350 during Spring 1999.
o Mathematics Tutorial and Reference Page, supported by Academic Computing Services
o Tic-Tac-Toe (and other games) on a Torus and on a Klein Bottle
o Newton's Method
o Euclidean Algorithm
o Irreducibility of 0-1 Polynomials
o Tic Tac Toe
o On-Line Calculator
o Random Walk Along a Line
o Test for Divisibility by Cyclotomic Polynomials
o Mathematical Modeling with an Impact


Other Links of Interest

o Beal Conjecture and Prize
o The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search
o UNT Mathematics Programs
o UNT Mathematics Faculty
o History of Mathematics Archive
o Mathematics Links


Career Information

o Employment Resources Guide
o Purdue Univ Ctr for Career Opportunities
o Chronicle of Higher Education Job Listings
o PhDs Org Science Career Links
o SIAM Job Listings
o AMS Employment Page
o Young Mathematicians Network


Mathematics Education

o MTV Math Doesn't Add Up, by Marianne M. Jennings (12/17/96)

o A Failure to Produce Better Students, by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-West Virginia) (6/9/97)

o President Clinton's Mandate for Fuzzy Math, by Lynne Cheney (6/11/97)

o Spare Texas schoolchildren from `Rain Forest Algebra', by Dr. Richard Neill, representing District 11 (including Denton County) on the Texas State Board of Education (11/2/97)

o Hey, we're No. 19!, by John Leo (3/9/98)

o Our Methods of Teaching Math Don't Add Up, by Frank Y. H. Wang, president and CEO of Saxon Publishers (5/4/98)

o "Put Down That Calculator, Stupid!" by David Gelernter (5/21/98)

o "Testimony to the United States House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families," by Martha Schwartz (6/11/98)

o "The New New Math," by Martin Gardner (9/24/98)

o Mathematically Correct home page: News and reviews about the current state of mathematics education.


Math Humor

o Math on Home Improvement
o Fermat's Last Theorem Riots


Previous Math Awareness Weeks

o 1998 - Mathematics and Imaging

See also UNT's Mathematics Awareness Week Page for 1998
o 1997 - Mathematics and the Internet
o 1996 - Mathematics and Decision Making
o 1995 - Mathematics and Symmetry
o 1994 - Mathematics and Medicine
o 1993 - Mathematics and Manufacuring
o 1992 - Mathematics and the Environment
o 1991 - Mathematics: It's Fundamental


Sponsoring National Organizations

| The Math Forum |
| MAA Online |
| AMS | | SIAM |


Local Sponsors

| Mathematics Department | | University of North Texas |


This page was last updated on 4/27/99

This page is maintained by John Quintanilla (johnq@unt.edu)

http://www.math.unt.edu/~johnq/maw/index.htm