Dr. Anne Dow and Dr. Cathy Gorini participated the Joint Mathematics Meeting, the world’s largest gathering of mathematicians, held January 4–7 in Washington, DC.

The annual meeting, sponsored by the American Mathematical Society in partnership with more than seventeen other mathematics organizations, offers an unparalleled range of research presentations, educational exchange, professional panel discussions, and gathering opportunities for colleagues, collaborators, and students.

Anne presented a paper describing a course entitled “Mathematics for Sustainable and Regenerative Living” that she developed for MIU students in the Sustainable and Regenerative Living major. She also participated in a panel discussion on using modeling in the undergraduate curriculum.

Cathy gave a presentation on the applications of topology in art, illustrating her talk with work from El Greco, Dalí, Picasso, M.C. Escher, and others.

The editor of the journal UMAP (Undergraduate Mathematics and Its Applications) invited Anne to write a paper on the project she described in her talk and submit it for publication.

“Both talks were well-received, with requests for more information,” Anne said. “We also gained highly useful knowledge from other talks and panel discussions about new directions in undergraduate mathematics teaching. We can apply this at MIU to better prepare our students for the job market.”

Dr. Dow chairs the MIU mathematics department. Dr. Gorini is a professor of mathematics and dean of faculty at MIU. She received an Award for Outstanding College Teaching from the Mathematical Association of America in 2001 and has published many articles on mathematics, especially geometry. Her most recent book, published in 2022, is Geometry for the Artist.

Financial support for Drs. Dow and Gorini to participate in this conference came from the Wege Foundation, of Grand Rapids, Michigan.