This award will provide support for the sixth annual UNCG Regional Mathematics and Statistics Conference, to be held November 5-6, 2010 at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
The conference promotes education and research in the field of mathematics and statistics specifically tailored for undergraduate and graduate students to present results of their research and to allow students of all levels (high-school, undergraduate, graduate) to interact with and learn from each other. Moreover, faculty mentors and high-school teachers will have an opportunity to observe and network with peers and find possible collaborators.
While there are various programs across the nation geared towards high-school students, this conference will provide them an opportunity to actively participate in a conference. They will be introduced to current interesting topics in mathematics and statistics by undergraduate and graduate students making it seem more accessible than being introduced by faculty.
In regard to broadening the participation of underrepresented groups, it is estimated that women and minorities (who are currently underrepresented in mathematical research) will account for around half of the participants who will be funded by this project. Students from these underrepresented groups will be especially encouraged to participate in the conference and to apply for funding.
The Sixth Annual UNCG Regional Mathematics and Statistics Conference was a one day, student centered conference held at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro on Saturday 11/06/10. The plenary lecture, "The power of optimal control: from confining rabies to improving CPR" was delivered by Dr. Suzanne Lenhart from UT Knoxville. There were 26 other presentations, all delivered by students. In the morning, there were two parallel sessions with 6 talks each. In the afternoon, there were two parallel sessions with 7 talks each. The topics of the talks ranged from pure mathematics to the application of mathematics and statistics in biology and other sciences. The conference was attended by 45 undergraduate, 19 graduate students, 19 college faculty and 3 high school faculty. Many students left the conference encouraged to work further on their research. Several of the graduate students had participated in earlier editions of the conference and as such they proved excellent role models for the students that were relatively new to research in mathematics and statistics. Faculty also interacted with other faculty as well as with students and we all learned about challenges and successes of each other's work. The conference also strengthened collaborative networks among faculty working with undergraduate students from UNCG, NC State University, Duke University and other regional campuses.
