Japheth Wood

the math wizard

Month: January 2011

  • Bard Math Circle in the News (bring your kids!)

    Dear Friends,

    The Bard Math Circle made the front page of today’s Daily Freeman with a story about our math outreach activities at the Kingston Library. COUNTING ON FUN: Math Circle at Kingston Library takes middle school kids beyond boring basics (video) (Monday, January 17, 2011) http://dailyfreeman.com/articles/2011/01/17/news/doc4d33674c5f430298712442.txt 

    The Bard Math Circle meets twice per month at the Kingston Library with a program of math and logic games, problem solving and hands-on math activities, designed for middle school math students. Everyone is welcome! The next meeting will be on Saturday, February 12, 1-3pm.

    The Bard Math Circle was previously featured here:

    Las Noticias: Por el amor a las matemáticas (Wednesday, October 06, 2010)

    and in our La Voz: Círculo de matemáticas en Kingston (Agosto 2010)


    What is the Bard Math Circle?

    The Bard Math Circle, which targets middle school and elementary school students in the Mid-Hudson Valley, was formed in 2007 by Bard College Professors Lauren Rose and Japheth Wood. The Bard Math Circle is run jointly by students, under Bard’s Trustee Leader Scholar Program (http://inside.bard.edu/tls/), and math faculty at Bard College. Student leaders have included Shelley Stahl, Ezra Winston, Elias Halloran and currently Jackie Stone. Outreach activities have focused on Kingston and Tivoli.

    In the summer of 2010, Bard hosted the New York Math Circle’s Summer Workshop 2010 for teachers (http://nymathcircle.org/2010workshop). I brought (primarily NYC) middle school math teachers to Bard for a week-long residential math immersion experience. The workshop sessions were led by Bard math professors, and instructors from the New York Math Circle and the Albany Area Math Circle. The 2011 workshop, which is scheduled for the week of July 25-29, will welcome both middle school and high school math teachers to Bard.

    The New York Math Circle was featured recently in the news on NY1, “NYC’s 24-hour Newschannel on the web”:
    Bonus Curriculum Is Greatest Common Factor For Local Math Masters (12/26/2010)

    Please let me know if you would like to participate in any of these activities!

    Thanks,

    Japheth Wood, PhD
    Mathematics Faculty
    Bard MAT Program


    —
    “If you can’t solve a problem, then there is an easier problem you can solve: find it.”
    -George Polya

  • Which Springer Book am I?

    If I were a Springer-Verlag Graduate Text in Mathematics, I would be W.B.R. Lickorish’s An Introduction to Knot Theory.

    I am an introduction to mathematical Knot Theory; the theory of knots and links of simple closed curves in three-dimensional space. I consist of a selection of topics which graduate students have found to be a successful introduction to the field. Three distinct techniques are employed; Geometric Topology Manoeuvres, Combinatorics, and Algebraic Topology.

    Which Springer GTM would you be? The Springer GTM Test

  • Roundtables at East Side Community High School

    I just got word from Tom Mullen, the AP at East Side Community High School, that the roundtables are back! Here’s the link to sign up:
    https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFRqbzFTZzI5OWtGeGY1eDFlN0NqQWc6MA

    Clicking on the above link brings you to the description and schedule below. I’ve been attending the round tables for several years, and they are definitely worth attending.

    East Side Community School’s January 2011 Roundtable Presentations

    Thank you for your interest in participating in East Side Community School’s Portfolio Roundtable Presentations. These 6th through 12th grade presentations are an authentic and powerful way for our students to demonstrate what they have learned this year. Your participation makes the experience even more meaningful and rewarding for our students. Roundtables run from Friday, January 21 to Friday, January 28. If you would like to participate, please complete the form below. You will get to choose the date, subject, grade level, and the time of the presentation. Feel free to sign up for as many presentations as you like. If you have colleagues who would like to attend, please have them complete the form or you may complete the form for them. Once you complete the form, you can assume that you are confirmed for that time slot (no confirmation email will be sent). East Side Community High School is located on 11th St. between 1st Ave. and Ave. A. You may go to the main office on the second floor to find out your room number. Please arrive a few minutes before the presentations begin. The following presentations take place on the days below:

    • Friday, 1/21: 9th Physics; 10th History; Algebra 2; 12th English 
    • Monday, 1/24: Algebra; 10th English; 11th Biology; 12th History 
    • Tuesday, 1/25: 11th English; 10th Chemistry; Pre-Calculus; Calculus, 9th History; 7th English; AP English 
    • Wednesday, 1/26: 9th English; Geometry; 8th Science; 6th Science; 7th History 
    • Thursday, 1/27: 6th English; 12th Science PBATs; 8th Math; 7th Math; 11th History 
    • Friday, 1/28: 6th Math; 8th English; 7th Science; 8th History  

    If you would like to participate complete the form below. If you have any questions, contact Tom Mullen, Assistant Principal, at tomm@eschs.org or (212) 460-8467 x3152.

  • Circle on the Road 2011: Houston

    March 18, 2011 to March 20, 2011

    The Math Circle on the Road is a series events around the country that brings together math circle organizers with people who plan to start math circles.

    Circle on the Road 2011: Houston

    Poster (pdf)

  • NY1 News Article about the New York Math Circle

    The New York Math Circle was recently featured on NY1 (“NYC’s 24-hour newschannel on the web”). Check out the video here:

    Bonus Curriculum Is Greatest Common Factor For Local Math Masters


    Many thanks to TV reporter Shazia Khan for pursuing this topic! She got in touch with the New York Math Circle (NYMC) and I helped coordinate the filming. What came out in the video was filmed in late October, and shows an amalgam of the middle school and high school classes that day.
    I learned a lot about how much effort the parents make to get their children to these high-quality math enrichment classes. Some devote their entire Saturdays to shuttling their children from activity to activity, and see it as an investment in the future.
    There was one notable exception that truly impressed me – one of the middle school students takes the subway train all the way from the Bronx for class on his own. He was clearly having a great time at the class, and it completely shows in his interview. Can you spot him in the video?
    The TV news reporter, Shazia, also had a lot of fun visiting the New York Math Circle, and is interested in covering further stories in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Eduction. You can see more of her videos here: Shazia Khan news clips
    If you know of a good story for Shazia, please leave a comment, and I’ll make sure your idea gets passed on!

  • Limacon, Friday, March 18th, 2011

    The 25th annual Long Island
    Math Conference
    Limacon
    SUNY College at Old Westbury Campus Center
    Keynote speaker: Dr. J. Michael Shaughnessy, President, NCTM
    Check out these talks:
    Japheth Wood, NYMC and Bard MAT, Combinatorial Games and Winning Strategies
    Richard Kalman, MOEMS, The Magic of Magic Triangle Sums
    Glenn Whitney, Museum of Mathematics, Math Games from MoMath
    Dr. Abe Mantell, Nassau County Community College, Just How Big is a Googol? How About a Googolplex?