| Mathematics Degree Information | |
The Department of Math and Computer Science encourages interested students majoring or minoring in mathematics to apply for employment in the department. Students need not necessarily qualify for work-study in order to be employed by the department. Work for the department can take a number of forms:
Course Assistant: Usually grades papers for an instructor but may serve as a course tutor, in-class assistant and occasional guest lecturer as well.
Research Assistant: May assist an instructor in preparing for a course, research pedagogical issues in math education, or perhaps help in the instructor's own mathematical research.
Departmental Assistant: May help in maintaining Department files, preparing Department correspondence, or engage in research and writing related to the Department's work in a number of areas. (As an example a student was asked to write a brochure for the department on employment opportunities for math majors in the Madison area).
Working for the Department gives students the opportunity to review and consolidate their own math skills (as graders and tutors). It also allows them to demonstrate that they are responsible employees capable of independent work, possessing good research and communication skills. These traits are of value to any employer and can become one component of a strong letter of recommendation by faculty members in the department. Note that the positions described above may overlap and a student could be engaged in all of the above activities in the same semester. While preference for employment will be given to students majoring in the Department, interested minors are strongly encouraged to apply as well.
In addition to departmental workstudy positions, mathematics tutoring opportunities are handled through the Learning Resource Center, though recommendations may come from the department.
If you want to be a mathematics tutor, then several opportunities are open to you. The Learning Resource Center employs tutors who assist students in lower-level courses. The LRC provides students interested in tutoring through that office with appropriate training. Additionally, the department often gets requests for tutoring services from outside the College community. Interested students should contact the Department Chair for more information.
Students majoring or minoring in the Department are encouraged to explore internship opportunities in the two years prior to graduation. Summer internships between the junior and senior year can be especially useful as a way of exploring career opportunities. In general internships give students work experience (often paying more than more traditional summer jobs) and an inside track for full-time employment after graduation. Members of the department, working with Career Services, can help students explore options, discover opportunities, prepare applications, make inquiries, and meet industry mentors. Interested students should talk to their advisors early in their junior year or before.
Chaos is a club whose members are interested in mathematics and its applications. Chaos sponsors campus-wide activities to promote mathematics. In addition, Chaos members explore career and internship opportunities together and learn together in a relaxed, informal setting.
The Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP) has started a national contest in mathematical modelling. The College has sponsored teams of three undergraduates. The students are given a choice of two unstructured problems which they must carefully formulate and attampt to solve over a weekend. For more information consult Ken Jewell.
Over the past few years, the Science Colloquia has been sponsored by Subhash Antani of the Department of Natural Sciences. The talks have been intended for an undergraduate audience. Contact the Department of Natural Sciences for a schedule of upcoming colloquia.
There are several copies of MathCad, a symbolic manipulation package, on individual PC's in the IBM lab in Regina Hall. Students interested in working with other symbolic manipulation packages, such as Mathematica, Derive, or Maple, should consult with individual faculty members.
The Edgewood College library mathematics collection is growing at a rapid pace. The books are classified as follows in the Library of Congress system:
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has an impressive mathematics collection in the Mathematics Library which can be found on the B2 level of Van Vleck Hall, the mathematics building which is on Bascom Hill, next to Bascom Hall. Edgewood students interested in checking out books or journals from the Van Vleck library can get a UW Library Card down at Memorial Library on the Library Mall at the end of State Street.
The Department of Mathematics at UW-Madison has colloquia every Friday afternoon from 4-5 pm in room B220 in Van Vleck. The talks are usually intended to be at the graduate level or higher. But, the UW-Madison Math Club sponsors mathematics talks and social events occasionally both of which are intended for an undergraduate audience.
St. Norbert College sponsors the undergraduate mathematics Pi Mu Epsilon Conference every fall up in De Pere, Wisconsin. Students interested in attending should contact the Department Chair for more information.
Every fall and spring, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics holds regional conferences on mathematics education with various talks geared for various audiences from Pre-K through the collegiate level as well as for general interest audiences. In recent years, interested students and faculty members have made day trips to regional conferences.
Every spring, the Wisconsin Mathematics Council, affiliated with NCTM, holds a state-wide conference in Green Lake. Again, talks range from general interest, or Pre-K through the collegiate level. Interested students and faculty members also make day trips to the conference every year.
Mathematics teaching majors and minors are strongly encouraged to attend these conferences, especially the WMC Green Lake Conference if you are planning on teaching mathematics in Wisconsin. Junior and seniors teaching majors and minors are also encouraged to think about giving a talk at the Green Lake Conference, consult with a faculty member about appropriate topics and scheduling the talk.
Students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in mathematics might consider applying to some of the national summer mathematics programs. Consult a faculty member, your advisor, or the Department Chair, or look for posted opportunities on the departmental noteboard.
The MAA is the largest professional society of college and university mathematics teachers in the world. Its mission is to advance the mathematical sciences, especially at the collegiate level. The activities of the MAA are aimed towards education, professional development, students, and public policy.
Address: 1529 Eighteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036-1385
1-800-331-1622
maahq@maa.org
The AMS was created to further mathematical research and scholarship. Its mission is to promote mathematical research, increase the awareness of its value to society, and foster excellence in mathematics education.
Address: P.O. Box 6248
Providence, RI 02940-6248
1-800-321-4AMS
ams@ams.org
Address: 3600 University City Science Center
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2688
(215) 382-9800
siam@siam.org
Address: Suite 210
57 Bedford Street
Lexington, MA 02173
1-800-772-6627
info@comap.com
The AWM is an association whose purpose is to encourage women to study and to have active careers in the mathematical sciences. Equal opportunity and the equal treatment of women in the mathematical sciences are promoted.
Address: 4114 Computer and Space Sciences Building
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland 20724-2461
(301) 405-7892
awm@math.umd.edu
SOA is an educational, research, and professional organization dedicated to serving the public and its members. Its mission is to advance actuarial knowledge and to enhance the ability of actuaries to provide expert advice and relevant solutions for financial, business, and societal problems involving uncertain future events.
Address: 475 North Martingale Road, Suite 800
Schaumberg, IL 60173-2226
(847) 706-3500
CAS is a professional organization with the purpose of advancing the body of knowledge ofactuarial science in applications other than life insurance. This is accomplished through communication with the publics affected by insurance, by the presentation and discussion of papers, attendance at seminars and workshops, collection of a library, research, and other means.
Address: 1100 N. Glebe Road, Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 276-3100
office@casact.org
The mission of the NCTM is to provide vision and leadership in improving the teaching and learning of mathematics so that every student is ensured an equitable Standards-based mathematics education and every teacher of mathematics is ensured the opportunity to grow professionally.
NCTM has regional and national conferences each fall and spring. Department members and mathematics teaching majors have recently attended some of the meetings. Students interested in finding out more about the meetings should contact Ken Jewell or the Department Chair.
Address: 1906 Association Drive
Reston, VA 22091-1593
(703) 620-9840
Fax (703) 476-2970
nctm@nctm.org
The Wisconsin Mathematics Council is the state-wide mathematics educator (K-16) organization. Each spring, WMC has a conference at Green Lake which department members and mathematics teaching majors have attended. Students interested in finding out more about the meetings should contact Ken Jewell or the Department Chair.
Address: Wisconsin Mathematics Council
P.O. Box 10127
Milwaukee, WI 53210
Contact Person: Nancy Berkas, President
berkasn@uwwvax.uww.edu
Pi Mu Epsilon is the national honorary mathematics society which has local chapters at various colleges across the country. St. Norbert College has an annual Pi Mu Epsilon conference up in De Pere every November which is open to all mathematics majors. Students interested in attending and in meeting other math majors across the state should contact either the Department Chair or Ken Jewell for more information.
This meeting usually takes place in the middle of April on a Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Talks (25 minutes or 50 minutes long) are given by both mathematicians and students on topics ranging from the esoteric to the practical, but the talks all focus on the teaching of mathematics as opposed to research mathematics, many of which are intended to be suitable for students. Participants are usually college mathematics professors, graduate students and undergraduate mathematics majors. The April 1997 meeting will take place in River Falls and the April 1998 meeting will be at Stout.
This three day conference usually takes place in early May running from Thursday through Saturday in Green Lake, WI. The talks are of various types. Institutes run all day. Sectionals run for two and a half hours. And talks run from 20 to 50 minutes. All talks are labeled for the relevant grade levels K-16. Participants are usually mathematics educators (K-16) or students. This conference is especially recommended for mathematics teaching majors who are planning on teaching mathematics 6-12 or 9-12 in Wisconsin. It is a great forum in which to see what practitioners are doing out in the field.
There are usually two each fall, one in October and one in November at various sites
around Wisconsin. These meetings are usually attended by mathematics educators (K-16) or
students.
Copyright © 2001 Ken Jewell & Edgewood
College All rights reserved.
Revised:
June 22, 2004
For more information please contact: jewell@edgewood.edu