MathConn 96 was held on Wednesday, April 10, 1996, at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA. In attendance were 324
seventh and eighth grade girls from 53 schools in PA, NJ, and DE and
their teachers.
Special introductory presentation was "The Answer Is?" by Dean Theodore
Hartz, College of Business, Kutztown University. Students heard panel
sessions on mathematics in the E.R., decision making in forensic science,
math and the news, and brain teasers. They also took part in the Mary
Ellen Rudin Problem Discovery Session where they solved problems in groups of
four. Hands-On sessions were varied and included: predicting the future,
process control using a catapult, the efficiency of banking, lasers and
sunglasses, and graphical computer puzzles.
Keynote speaker for students was Dr. Kay B. Somers of Moravian
College. Her talk entitled "A Variety of Decisions" addressed the use of
mathematics in decision making in selecting a bike, estimating a
population of fish in a lake, and game theory examples.
Teachers selected from workshops including ways to help girls improve
on the SAT, a visit to a 4/10 scale model of a space shuttle,
multicultural games, and a math sneaker unit.
Keynote speaker for teachers was Dr. Carla Schultes of Salisbury State
University. Her presentation included the use of mathematical models in
middle school teaching.
The closing session including talks be Dr. Gerald L. Engel of the
University of Connecticut, Stamford, US Representative Paul McHale, Peter
W.C. Mather (Vice President, Management Information Services, Air Products
and Chemicals, Inc.) and Norman G. Schaffer (Engineering Associates).
Surprise of the day was the announcement by President Dorothy G.
Blaney of Cedar Crest College of a $20,000 endowment by Frank Morgan of
Williams College and his mother Brennie Morgan so that MathConn will live
forever.
For more information on MathConn, please contact Regina Brunner at RCBRUNNE@ccc-s.cedarcrest.edu.
See also an article on past MathConn events, written by Regina Brunner.
