IAP Independent Activities Period
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IAP 2012 Activities by Sponsor

Mathematics

"Dance of the Astonished Topologist" and "Debunking Myths about Gender, Culture, and Math Performance"
Tara Holm Guest Lecturer
Mon Jan 9, 01-02:30pm, 35-225

Single session event

I will give a friendly introduction to some key ideas and tools in topology, including covering spaces and monodromy. The main example will come from square dancing, a hobby I picked up whilst a gradate student at MIT. No prior experience with topology or square dancing will be assumed. co-sponsor: Tech Squares.
Organized by the D. W. Weeks Lecture Series
Contact: Tara Holm, 2-277, x3-4386

Debunking Myths about Gender, Culture, and Math Performance
Janet Mertz Guest Lecturer
Mon Jan 9, 03:30-05:00pm, 35-225

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Are boys really better at mathematics than girls? They sometimes outperform girls on mathematics tests. Also, boys' mathematics scores usually exhibit greater variance than girls' scores. But are these observed differences due to innate biological differences between the sexes or to a variety of country-specific sociocultural factors? To answer
these questions, we analyzed data on mathematics performance of students from 86 countries throughout the world. We found that gender gap and variance ratio are unrelated to a country's wealth, major religion, or co-educational schooling. Rather, mathematics performance of both boys and girls strongly correlates with some measures of gender equity, especially participation rate and salary of women in the paid labor force relative
to men. Organized by the D. W. Weeks Lecture Series
Contact: Janet Mertz, 2-277, x3-4386

Directed Reading Program in Mathematics
Mark Behrens, Paul Seidel
Schedule: TBD
Enrollment limited: first come, first served

For undergraduates wanting to learn mathematical topics through guided self-study.

The program is aimed at undergraduate mathematics majors, but would also be suitable for undergraduates with mathematical interests who would like to further explore the field. Applicants must have completed, or be in the process of taking, two .100 level classes (or higher) in course 18. We particularly encourage applications from women, and members of underrepresented minority groups.

Application deadline for Jan 2012 IAP is: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23rd, 2011

For more information and application instructions, the website:
Web: http://math.mit.edu/~drp
Contact: Mark Behrens, 2-273, x3-4380, mbehrens@math.mit.edu

Dr. Matlab---An introductory course to Matlab via Mathematics and vice versa
Yossi Farjoun
Mon, Fri, Jan 9, 13, 20, 23, 27, 30, 3, 09:30-11:30am, 37-312

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 25 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

Matlab is a powerful programming language that is used in both research and industry. Its ease of use and extensive collection of code libraries allow users to try out ideas, visualize the results, and get feedback quickly.

In this intense (non-credit), class students will learn the basics of Matlab programming by using it to explore mathematical objects and ideas through computation. The course will be project-based with some projects done in class and some as homework.

The class is intended for students with no programming experience, and intends to help them integrate Matlab and other programming into their studies and work. No knowledge of advanced mathematics required!
Contact: Yossi Farjoun, 2-334, x3-7775, yfarjoun@math.mit.edu

Integration Bee
Abhinav Kumar
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

See individual session descriptions below.
Contact: Abhinav Kumar, 2-169, x3-4057, abhinav@math.mit.edu

Integration Bee Qualifying Testing
Abhinav Kumar
Stop by at any point during the session, for a quick test of your single variable integration skills. Top scorers qualify for the Integration Bee. No knowledge beyond 18.01 necessary.
Fri Jan 13, 04-06:00pm, 4-149

Integration Bee
Abhinav Kumar
No enrollment limit. No advance sign up (but contestants must qualify, see Friday, Jan. 14th). Single session event. Come watch your fellow students match wits and single variable integration skills for prizes and the title of "Grand Integrator."
Tue Jan 17, 06:30-09:00pm, 10-250

Introduction to Contract Bridge
Brian Duran, Gloria Tsoi
Mon, Thu, Jan 9, 12, 19, 23, 26, 30, 2, 07-09:30pm, 4-149

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

Come and discover the fun and intellectual challenge associated with contract bridge! In this course, we explore the fundamentals of the game, including bidding, declarer play, and defense. The lessons are based on The Club Series by Audrey Grant, published by the American Contract Bridge League.

Each session will consist of a lecture, several examples, and supervised play. By the end of this seven-session course, the student will have learned enough to play bridge socially, and start exploring the exciting world of duplicate bridge.

There will also be an individual tournament at the end of the course, with prizes for the winners.

Please bring $10 for a book deposit on the first day of class. We will return your $10 at the end of IAP and you get to keep the book.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/mitdlbc/www/index.html#IAPBridge
Contact: Brian Duran, iapbridge@mit.edu

Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM)
Adam Elmachtoub, Martin Bazant
Thu Jan 26, 03-05:00pm, 4-237

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

The Mathematical Contest in Modeling is an international competition where teams of three undergraduates come up with ideas to solve real-world problems using mathematical modeling. The format of the competition is that teams have four consecutive days (Feb 9 – Feb 13) to solve and write up a solution to one of three different problems. In each of the sessions, we will discuss an overview of the competition, tips for competing, forming teams, and mathematical tools. Teams should be well-rounded, interdisciplinary, and have members that can model, program, and write well. We will help people form teams at the sessions. For the first time ever, we will also select one team to be the local MIT winner of the MCM who will win a grand prize of $300, dinner reception, and the title of MIT MCM winners. All courses/disciplines are welcome! (See link for official rules and previous contests.)
Web: http://www.comap.com/undergraduate/contests/mcm/
Contact: Adam Elmachtoub, ane@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Operations Research Center

Mathematics Department Music Recital
Dana Mendelson, Michael Andrews, Rosalie Belanger-Rioux
Tue Jan 31, 03:30-05:45pm, Killian Recital Hall

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This annual concert gives those in the mathematics community, together with family and friends, a chance to perform for each other. Come to play or listen.
Contact: Dana Mendelson, 2-251, x3-7566, dmende@math.mit.edu


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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Last update: 7 Sept. 2011