Report on the 75th Annual Meeting
of the Wisconsin Section of the
Mathematical Association of America

The 75th Annual Spring Meeting of the MAA-Wisconsin Section was hosted by UW-Eau Claire the weekend of April 20-21, 2007. Registration began at noon, Friday, on the UW-Eau Claire Campus. Sessions began at 1:00 p.m. Friday, and the last talk was an invited address from 11:00 a.m. until noon on Saturday, April 21, 2007.  The section last held its annual meeting at Eau Claire on April 22-23, 1994.

A total of 220 people registered for the meeting. Of those, 87 were undergraduate students.

During the reception the section enjoyed a favorite event:  FACE OFF - THE MATH GAME SHOW.  The event was organized by Ken Price and Steve Szydlik. Governor John Koker was the Master of Ceremonies. The fourth place winner was the team from UW-Stevens Point, the third place team was from Carthage College, the second place team was from UW-Platteville, and the contest winner was the team from UW-Eau Claire.

The Friday evening banquet was in the Council Fire Ballroom in the Davies Center. A total of 140 people attended the banquet, including 46 students. The evening speaker was Professor Gail Burrill of Michigan State University, who spoke on The Mathematical Knowledge Needed for Teaching at the Secondary Level: What is the Role of Mathematics Departments. After the banquet, the video "The Great Pi/e Debate" was shown.

Four local teachers received the Secondary School Teaching award. Scott Swita, Granton, and Sue Maenner, Altoona, were recognized for excellence at the secondary level. Swita teaches at Neillsville High School and is a graduate student at UW-Eau Claire. Maenner teaches at Augusta High School. She graduated from UW-Eau Claire in 1985 with a double major in math and psychology and returned in 1993 for a master of science in teaching English degree. Susan Poulda, Gilman, and Barbara Retzloff, Strum, were both recognized for excellence in middle grades mathematics education. Poulda teaches at Gilman and was a special student at UW-Eau Claire, taking courses to continue her education. Retzloff graduated from UW-Eau Claire in 1974 with a degree in elementary education and a minor in mathematics education, and she received a master of education in professional development degree in1998. Retzloff currently teaches at South Middle School in Eau Claire.

The Chair of the Section presented the 2007 Wisconsin Section Distinguished Teaching Award For Distinguished College or University Mathematics Teaching .  The recipient of the award was  UW-Madison mathematics professor, Dr. Robert Wilson. Professor Leslie Smith, Chair of the Mathematics Department at UW-Madison, wrote the following in nominating Professor Wilson for this award:

"Bob Wilson is a master in explaining mathematics, more generally, in explaining how things work. For over 30 years, he has been devoted to teaching and to students. Bob has an incredible knowledge of and facility for technological things. This contributes to his considerable success in the classroom and to his immense popularity as a teacher. His experience in industry has been an important influence in his teaching, and students react very favorably to his real-world knowledge. Bob has worked with graduate students on problems in math education and is the pivotal person in a seminar on math education. He has been very influential in undergraduate education about math and its applications, and in graduate education about educational issues."

Invited addresses

 “From Euler to the Riemann Hypothesis ,” Michael Bleicher, University of Wisconsin (Madison), Emeritus

“The Mathematical Knowledge Needed for Teaching at the Secondary Level: What is the Role of Mathematics Departments”, Gail Burrill, Michigan State University

“Math Recreations - More Than Just Fun and Games ”, Norbert Kuenzi, University of Wisconsin (Oshkosh), Retired

“An Unexpected Discovery in the Heart of Africa: The "Duality" Between p4g and ppg ”,  Donald Crowe, University of Wisconsin (Madison), Retired

 “Applied Mathematics for Fun and Profit” Martha Siegel, Towson University, MAA Secretary      

Booksale

The booksale was held in HHH 220. The section received $47.62 from the MAA as a result of sales at the booksale.

Meeting Report

INCOME
Pre-registrations
4 retired persons @ 10.00
1 teacher @ 10.00
4 invited speakers @ 0.00
23 non members @ 17.00
74 regular members @ 15.00
68  students @ 0.00
Total pre-registrations:  $1551

Registrations at meeting
27 regular participants @ 20.00
0 publishers @ 50.00
19 students @ 0.00
Total on-site registrations:  $510

Banquet Reservations
Pre-registrations
12 invited guests @ 0.00
75 Regular tickets @ 17.00
45 students @ 5.00

Reservations made at the meeting
8 @ 20.00

Total banquet sales $1660

Total income: $3721

COSTS
140 dinners $2,236.75
Refreshments $313.35
Honoraria for speakers $700
Student help 13 hours @ $6/hour $78
Misc. Expenses $366.20
Total Costs $3694.30
_____________
Spring Meeting Profit: $26.70

Respectfully submitted,

Mark R. Snavely Secretary/Treasurer