Pictured here at the conference, from left, Jeremy Newton, Debra Mimbs, and Laura Singletary.
Lee University faculty Drs. Laura Singletary and Debra Mimbs, along with junior math major Jeremy Newton, presented at the annual Joint Math Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The JMM is the largest mathematics conference in the United States, as the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics all come together to present.
Dr. Singletary presented two talks, both based on her own research, to conference attendees. The first, titled “Using a Dynamic Software Program to Develop Geometrical Theorems,” illustrated the improvement in student understanding of geometric concepts that takes place when students use dynamic software programs. The second, titled “Teachers’ Beliefs about the Connected Nature of Mathematics,” discussed the findings of interviews and classroom observations for six teachers, examining the correlation of teachers’ practices based on their beliefs about mathematics.
According to Dr. Singletary, examining teachers’ beliefs about mathematics provided valuable insights into teachers’ practices.
Dr. Mimbs’ presentation, titled “Assessing Mentoring Undergraduate Students in Research through Journaling,” discussed the process of introducing journals into a mentoring relationship and using them to inform interactions with students.
Mr. Newton, along with research mentor Dr. Mimbs, presented a project titled “Counting the Unit Polyhedron Volumes in a Tetrahedral Construction.” The project involved ordering tetrahedral constructions by size and truncating a tetrahedron to discover a new sequence of integers, which will have ultimate importance in physics in the study of crystals.
“It’s always a rewarding experience to attend the JMM and present, but it makes the experience extra special that I am able to attend with my colleague and my student,” said Dr. Mimbs. “Jeremy has worked hard, and mentoring him has been a highlight of the last two years. It is nice to see his hard work appreciated by other professionals in our field.”
Dr. Singletary joined Lee’s faculty in fall 2012. She earned her PhD in Mathematics Education from the University of Georgia and was awarded the Presidential Graduate Fellowship. She has published research in such publications as Mathematical Thinking and Learning, and Educational Studies in Mathematics, Mathematics Teacher Educator, and School Science and Mathematics.
Dr. Mimbs joined Lee’s faculty in fall 2010. She earned her doctorate and master’s degree in applied and computational mathematics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her bachelor’s degree from Lee University. She has published research in such publications as Transactions of the American Mathematical Society.
For more information about the JMM, visit http://jointmathematicsmeetings.org/jmm.
For more information about Lee University’s Department of Natural Science and Mathematics, call 614-8115.