2022 Section Meeting

Invited talks

Hortensia Soto, Colorado State University

Embodied Cognition: What is it? How Does it Involve Mathematics?

Abstract: Embodied cognition is a philosophy that claims that learning is body-based. One might ask how that has anything to do with teaching and learning mathematics. In this talk, I will illustrate ways in which this lens can facilitate learning especially for students whose second language is English. I argue that most faculty probably already adopt aspects of embodied cognition into their courses and my hope is to help make faculty more aware of how they do this. Please bring your fun meters so we can experience some of these ideas together.

Marissa Loving, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Surfaces: BIG and small

Abstract: As a geometric group theorist, my favorite type of manifold is a surface and my favorite way to study surfaces is by considering the mapping class group, which is the collection of symmetries of a surface. In this talk, we will think bigger than your average low-dimensional topologist and consider surfaces of infinite type and their associated “big” mapping class groups.

Sam Hansen, University of Michigan

Stories as a Tool for Belonging in Mathematics

Abstract: There is a sense of belonging problem in Mathematics. The sad truth is that a large number of people do not feel that they are included and are accepted as a part of the mathematical domain. This is especially true for people with identities that have been historically excluded from participation in mathematics such as BIPOC, women, and queer people. There is evidence of interventions that can help people feel that they belong more fully in the field of mathematics. These interventions include things like: the shifting of stereotypes, the normalization of struggle, and a focus on a growth mindset. There are many different ways the field of mathematics can begin to implement these interventions in order to increase the sense of belonging for people of all identities. In this talk I will focus on the one which I believe has the chance to have the broadest possible impact: Mathematical Storytelling. I will discuss the ways in which storytelling can help foster a sense of inclusion in mathematics, cultivate a growth mindset, and show how struggle and uncertainty is normal in mathematics. I will also discuss some ways to think about how to tell stories in mathematics, and some of the mathematical storytelling tools I have developed in my years as a mathematical communicator.