Mathematical Sciences Faculty and Students Represent U of A at Regional Conferences

Faculty and students from the Department of Mathematical Sciences recently represented the U of A at two regional conferences focused on mathematics and mathematics education, highlighting innovative approaches to teaching and research. 

On Friday, April 10, five faculty members presented at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (ArkMATYC) in Hot Springs. Their presentations emphasized strategies for reducing student anxiety, enhancing engagement and improving student experiences in mathematics classrooms. 

Michael Harris and Abdullah Aurko presented "Taking Student Feedback to Enhance Student Engagement: Small Shifts, Big Impact." Their session examined how collecting and responding to student feedback can lead to meaningful improvements in the learning experience. By focusing on small, intentional changes, they demonstrated how instructors can better address student needs and increase participation and success. 

Tori Ryburn and Melinda Schroeder presented jointly on "Connecting with Students… from Your Desk!" Their session highlighted practical, research-informed strategies for building meaningful relationships with students outside the classroom. They also shared strategies such as personalized communication and proactive announcements to strengthen engagement and encourage a supportive learning environment beyond the classroom. 

Nama Namakshi presented joint work with Shanda Hood titled "The Use of Video Presentations and AI to Reduce Anxiety in the Math Classroom." Their project explored how structured video assignments, supported by tools such as ChatGPT, can help reduce student anxiety in mathematics courses. 

In addition to those presenting at ArkMATYC, a group of 10 faculty members and students attended the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Section Meeting, held April 9-11 in Little Rock.  

At this event, Warren Shull led a student workshop featuring an interactive activity titled "What Color Is My Hat?" In this engaging session, students worked in teams to determine the color of their own hats based on what they could observe about others. The activity challenged students to develop and test strategies before exploring the mathematical reasoning underlying successful solutions, providing a fun and collaborative introduction to logical problem-solving. 

Faculty members Joseph Ortiz, Luke Youngblood and Ben Marcus participated in the MAA Section NExT program, which supports early-career mathematics faculty through professional development, mentoring and networking opportunities. 

Three undergraduate mathematics majors were also among those attending the meeting.  As a team, they participated in student-focused events such as a math Jeopardy competition and an integration bee. These activities offered opportunities to connect with peers from other institutions while celebrating mathematical thinking in a fun and engaging way. Faculty member Audrey Kruse served as the team sponsor for these events. 

One of those undergraduate students, Fer Mayorga Echeverria, presented research titled "A Graph-Aided Electrostatic Solver," mentored by Jiahui Chen. The project explores a computational approach to modeling molecular electrostatics that balances accuracy and efficiency. By combining the generalized Born model with graph neural networks that reflect atomic structures, the work aims to produce faster, scalable predictions while maintaining a high level of accuracy, offering a promising alternative to more computationally intensive methods. 

Together, these efforts reflect the department's ongoing commitment to improving student success through innovative teaching practices, creating meaningful connections and continuous professional engagement within the mathematics education community.