Lee University mathematics majors Amy Carpenter, Josey Carroll, and Meredith Sheeks presented at the Mathematical Association of America MathFest in Chicago, Il.
MathFest is the national meeting of the Mathematical Association of America comprising a series of quality mathematical sessions suitable for all those interested in mathematics, including university faculty members, high school teachers, as well as both graduate and undergraduate students.
Ms. Sheeks presented her paper “Proving the Proof-less Profitable.” This talk was developed as a part of the research done in the History of Mathematics course taught by Dr. Laura Singletary, assistant professor of mathematics at Lee. Through research, Ms. Sheeks found that many of the greatest achievements in mathematics have been accomplished directly through initial disappointments, and the trial beyond these obstacles produce “impressive results.”
“My paper sought to look beyond the personal disappointments of some of the brightest mathematicians in history,” said Ms. Sheeks. “I focused on the multiplicity of work that they were able to achieve along the way even though they never solved what they initially planned to solve.”
Ms. Carpenter and Ms. Carroll co-delivered a poster presentation at the Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematical Sciences (PIC Math) Conference, a sub-conference of MathFest. They presented on a statistic analysis project in which they looked for trends and patterns and gathered data-driven decisions for the magazine “Good Grit.” Their research sought to use statistics to help the magazine grow more profitable, and they were able to point the company to areas where the magazine would have the greatest possible sales.
“PIC Math was very exciting, and there were many people passionate about the areas of math they were pursuing,” said Ms. Carroll. “Presenting was a thrilling experience. It was neat to talk with other people with similar mathematical interests as me.”
MAA is the largest professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Its mission is to advance the mathematical sciences, especially at the collegiate level.
For more information about MAA, visit https://www.maa.org/.
For more information about Lee’s Natural Sciences and Mathematics Department, call 614-8275.