Roanoke College had a strong presence at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Baltimore January 16-19. Professors Adam Childers, Dave Taylor, Hannah Robbins, and Roland Minton all gave talks. Maggie Rahmoeller completed a short course in the use of R in statistics. Hannah talked with various editors interested in her newly written linear algebra book. We all had quality time with friends and colleagues from around the country, and attended talks that gave us inspiration and new ideas.
A gathering ground at the Joint Meetings through the years has been the Exhibit Hall where mathematics publishers and vendors exhibit their wares. You can talk with representatives of the actuary societies, and Mathematica, and the NSA. You can buy a Klein bottle or earrings made from integrated circuits (ask Maggie or Hannah) or a t-shirt with the latest mathematics humor.
This year the Exhibit Hall also included a booth manned by Dave and Adam, where they talked to interested people about their phone app, Classroom Stats. This app, attractively priced at $0, takes clickers to the next statistical level, enabling quick and impromptu class surveys and data collection with immediate statistical analysis. Their talk on Classroom Stats was a big hit. Dave and Adam left the meeting with several great ideas to improve their product – some of which they had already implemented!
The Joint Meetings illustrate why it is important for faculty to get off campus. New ideas for Classroom Stats, Stat Crew, class assignments, teaching innovations such as mastery-based testing, and more all came from talking with colleagues. The Meetings enrich us and help spread the word about the energy and talents of Roanoke College faculty.
