The following minicourses are being offered on Friday, April 12 from 3:00PM - 5:30PM.
Closer to Fair: Social Justice in Mathematics, Mathematics for Social Justice
Instructor: David Kung (St. Mary’s College of Maryland)
The world is an unfair, unjust place. What can math teachers do about it? This talk will focus on two specific ways mathematicians have worked to address issues of social justice both in our classrooms and in our world. The first half of the workshop will focus on the inequalities that pervade mathematics and science classrooms and what people have done to help level the playing field, especially in college math classrooms. In the second half, we will look at how math teachers are using innovative curricula to raise awareness of social justice issues while simultaneously teaching math content. These courses ask students to use the tools of mathematics to study, understand, and even address issues ranging from economic inequity to environmental impacts. Sample classroom activities will illustrate the types of content that might replace the algebra-intensive curriculum for many humanities students.
Instructors: Stuart Boersma (Central Washington University), Cheryl Beaver (Western Oregon University)
The codebreaking competition, KRYPTOS, is the week following the PNW-MAA meeting. Come and hear about KRYPTOS, learn about some ciphers, and test your skills at cryptanalysis! Helpful online cryptanalysis tools will be shared with participants together with some tried and true pencil and paper techniques. Students are particularly encouraged to attend!