MATH 4993-100 (6618) and 4994 (pretend), Fall 2018

Undergraduate Mathematics Seminar

Syllabus

MATH 4993-100 (6618) MATH 4994 (pretend)
Title: Undergraduate Mathematics Seminar I Undergraduate Mathematics Seminar II
Credits:12
Requisites: MATH 3300 Calculus III and (MATH 3200 Applied Linear Algebra or MATH 3210 Linear Algebra) and (MATH 3050 Discrete Math or CS 3000) and (Jr or Sr). (You may see 6 hours MATH 4200-4799 also listed as a prerequisite, but that is no longer true.) MATH 4993
Tier III: Taking 4993 and then 4994 is a Tier III equivalent.
Major requirements: Taking 4993 and then 4994 counts as one 4xxx course toward Mathematics major requirements.
Catalog Description:
The student participates in a weekly seminar on topics in mathematics that are beyond the material covered in our regular courses. During the first semester the student will develop a proposal for a topic of interest to be presented in the second semester.
 The study topic will be presented in the weekly public seminar and a final written report will be submitted to the instructor.
Desired Learning Outcomes:
  • The student will become familiar with various advanced topics in mathematics or applications of mathematics.
  • The student will develop an individual plan for further study and a seminar in a chosen topic.
  • The student will develop proficiency at presenting a mathematical topic in a seminar format.
  • The student will develop proficiency at presenting a mathematical topic in an expository article format.
Description: Undergraduate students will participate and give presentations in a weekly seminar. Topics will vary depending on the interests of the students. All of the topics covered will be advanced material not covered in regularly offered courses. Participation will
  • build upon and thus reinforce and contextualize more basic material,
  • broaden the students mathematical horizons,
  • spark interest in further study in specific areas of mathematics and allied fields.
In addition to mathematical goals, the activities are designed to improve oral and written communication skills.
Instructor: Martin J. Mohlenkamp, mohlenka@ohio.edu, (740)593-1259, 315-B Morton Hall.
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 2:00-2:55pm, or by appointment.
Web page: http://www.ohiouniversityfaculty.com/mohlenka/2191/4993.
Class hours/ location:
Thursdays 5:15-6:10pm in 322 Morton Hall.
 (a second hour)
Attendance: Attendance is part of your grade. Up to 3 missed classes may be made up by attending Mathematics department research seminars or colloquia. Basic participation, such as providing feedback on the work of other students, is considered part of attending.
Main Products: You will develop a topic on which you can give an hour public seminar in part II and write a proposal about it. See the Topic Guide and Proposal Guide/Template (pdf, tex). . You will develop and deliver a public seminar talk on your topic and write a report on the topic. There is a slides template (pdf, tex), which uses a graphic OHIOCLR.pdf. (There will also be a report guide/template.)
Final Exam: Our scheduled final exam is Tuesday December 11 at 4:40pm. There will not be an exam, but your final proposal/report is due at that time.
Grade:
Your grade is based on attendance 30%, first draft of topic proposal 10%, second draft 20%, and final version 40%. Your grade is based on attendance 15%, oral presentation 35%, first draft of report 10%, and final version 40%.
An average of 90% guarantees you at least an A-, 80% a B-, 70% a C-, and 60% a D-.
Academic Dishonesty: Cooperation and the use of outsides sources is encouraged, but you must acknowledge in writing what help you received and from whom or where. Use of sources without proper citation is considered plagerism. Serious or second violations will result in failure in the class and be reported to the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility, which may impose additional sanctions. You may appeal any sanctions through the grade appeal process.
Special Needs: If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You should also register with Student Accessibility Services to obtain written documentation and to learn about the resources they have available.
Responsible Employee Reporting Obligation: If I learn of any instances of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and/or other forms of prohibited discrimination, I am required to report them. If you wish to share such information in confidence, then use one of the confidential resources listed by the Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance.
Writing Environment: We will use the cloud computing environment CoCalc for writing proposals, talks, and reports, using \(\LaTeX\). Sign up for a free account, using your @ohio.edu email address.
Resources:

Schedule

Subject to change. Class activities will be rearranged to accomodate speakers.

Week 4993+4994 joint Thursday meeting 4994 arranged meeting
Date Activities etc.
1Aug 30 Introductions, sources for topics, expectations, planning, CoCalc, \(\LaTeX\). Biography (tex, pdf)
2Sep 6 Guest Speaker: Winfried Just Practice talk using slides
3Sep 13 Guest Speaker: Gregory D. Foley. Practice talk using slides
4Sep 20 Initial discussion of topic ideas. Practice with \(\LaTeX\). Practice talk using slides
5Sep 27 Guest Speaker: Shehzad Ahmed. Practice talk using chalk
6Oct 4 Draft 0 of Topic Proposal due; you will get feedback on it but no grade. Practice talk using chalk
7Oct 11 Guest Speaker: Christopher Renner. Practice talk in final form
8Oct 18 Further discussion and work on topics. Practice talk in final form. Draft 0 of Report due, using the Layout and Symbols skills.
9 Oct 25 Draft 1 of Topic Proposal due; the appendix can be omitted; I will mark corrections harshly, but grade leniently.
Due to absences due to the football game, we will not meet in person. Instead, watch one of the following videos: Fill out a Presentation Rating form about it and turn that in on November 1. 		Presentation debriefing. Draft 0.3 of Report due, using the Logic and Graphs skills.
10Nov 1 Guest Speaker: Qiliang Wu. Presentation debriefing. Draft 0.8 of Report due, using the Intros and Flow skills.
11Nov 8 Guest Speaker: Rebin Muhammad. Feedback on Reports.
12Nov 15 Draft 1.5 of Topic Proposal due. All elements should be present and all the flaws identified in draft one should be fixed. We will also work on this in class and I will mark them Friday morning. Draft 1 of Report due.
13Nov 22 Thanksgiving holiday, no class
14Nov 29 Draft 2 of Topic Proposal due. All the flaws identified in draft 1.5 should be fixed. We will also work on this in class and I will grade them Friday morning.
15Dec 6 Work on topic development.
16 Tues Dec 11 Final Topic Proposal due 4:40pm. Final Report due 4:40pm.
Martin J. Mohlenkamp

Last modified: Mon Nov 19 17:45:17 UTC 2018