Three Lee University math majors received awards from the History of Mathematics Special Interest Group of the Mathematical Association of America for papers submitted on the history of mathematics.
Briana Yankie, a math education May graduate, was one of two first-place winners for her paper “Examining Disproved Mathematical Ideas through the Lens of Philosophy.” Lee senior math majors Casey Taylor and Benjamin Buckner tied for second place with their respective papers “Development of Geometric Algebra” and “Abstraction and Rigor: The Development of the Concept of Area.”
“It is wonderful that we have three students who were recognized for their excellence in this national competition,” said Dr. Laura Singletary, assistant professor of mathematics at Lee. “These students showed hard work and determination, and it paid off. Out of the numerous papers submitted, there were only four winners chosen, and three of them were from Lee.”
All three students will receive student membership to the Mathematical Association of America and their papers will be published on the HOM SIGMAA website. Ms. Yankie’s paper will also be published in the HOM SIGMAA annual online journal Convergence.
“Winning this award has been a huge encouragement to me to continue doing things with diligence,” said Ms. Yankie. “I’m so thankful to have professors who stir up our potential and inspire us to pursue meaningful success.”
The mission of HOM SIGMAA is to provide a forum through which those interested in the history of mathematics can meet, interact, exchange ideas, provide support for one another, and foster increased awareness of the historical background of mathematics.
For more information about the HOM SIGMAA paper contest, visit http://www.maa.org/publications/periodicals/convergence/hom-sigmaa-2015-student-paper-contest-winners.
For more information about Lee’s Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, call 614-8275.