02-21-2002 Jambar PME Conference
YSU math students plan for annual conference
Last year's event drew nearly 90 students and faculty from the youngstown area
By Kristin Fansler
Jambar reporter
Students who have ever wondered how sports leagues determine team schedules or want to know how to pay cash for a new car five years from now may find answers to their questions this weekend.
These and other math-related topics are set for discussion at the Pi Mu Epsilon 2002 Regional Conference on Saturday.
Pi Mu Epsilon is a national mathematics honorary society and is designed to help further the study of mathematics among college students. This is the fifth Regional Conference to be held at YSU. The meeting is organized by YSU Pi Mu Epsilon members and will feature student research topics and results. Undergraduate students from YSU, Kent State University, and other regional colleges will speak about their projects from the past year.
"This is a one-of-a-kind event. It's an informal conference that is for students, run by students," said Dr. Angela Spalsbury, assistant professor, mathematics and statistics and Pi Mu Epsilon adviser.
"The conference allows students to present papers in front of their peers and gives them an opportunity to investigate new topics [in math]," she said.
In addition, this year's meeting will feature a session on internships and career preparation. Christopher Jones, junior, mathematics, is the Pi Mu Epsilon member organizing the internship session. "Student liaisons will lead an informal question-and-answer session focusing on how they got their jobs or internships and the important skills needed," Jones said.
Liaisons from GM Lordstown, Oakridge National Laboratory and Watson Wyatt Worldwide are among those scheduled to speak.
"The information will not focus on the companies themselves, but on the interview and application process," Jones explained.
In addition to YSU math majors, the group invited mathematics students form colleges within a two-hour radius of YSU to attend the conference either as speakers or audience members. Pi Mu Epsilon members also invited math students from Youngstown area schools to attend this year's meeting.
Tom Wakefield, senior, mathematics and economics, was Pi Mu Epsilon president last year and helped organize the 2001 event.
He said that last year's meeting brought approximately 90 students and faculty members from area schools, including, John Carroll, Duquesne, Westminster and Mount Union.
"The meeting is good for all math students, but I think the high school students and college freshmen and sophomores are likely to gain the most since they could meet upperclassmen and see what math students from other schools are doing," Wakefield said.
The student paper meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in Cushwa Hall and will last until 3:30 p.m. All YSU students and faculty are invited to attend. For more information or a schedule of speakers, contact Spalsbury in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.