Math Awareness explores how subject adds value to life
How can math solve common problems? Find those answers and much more during Palm Beach State College’s Math Awareness Week April 2 to 5.
Themed, “Mathematics and the Environment,” the week features more than 50 free workshops, classroom exercises, lectures, competitions, games and more.
The events are being held on all campuses to increase understanding of mathematics and bring more awareness to the PBSC community of the significant role math plays in everyday issues.
Each campus will host guest speaker Mario “Marty” Triola, author of the Triola Statistics Series, who will present “Gambling and Other Uses of Probability.”
Triola will present at 11 a.m. April 3 in CRA 113 on the Belle Glade campus, 2 p.m. April 3 in the Lecture Hall on the Loxahatchee Groves campus, 9:30 a.m. April 4 in BB 111 on the Palm Beach Gardens campus, 11:30 a.m. April 4 in CE 119 on the Lake Worth campus, and 3 p.m. April 4 in HT 103 on the Boca Raton campus.
“Marty is passionate about incorporating real data and applications into his textbooks, and in this session he’ll be drawing from his consulting work on the design of casino slot machines,” said Ana Porro, a math professor on the Palm Beach Gardens campus.
Triola, who is professor emeritus of mathematics at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., has worked with attorneys in determining probabilities in paternity lawsuits, analyzed data in medical malpractice lawsuits, identified salary inequities based on gender, and analyzed disputed election results. He has also used statistical methods in analyzing medical school surveys and in analyzing survey results for the New York City Transit Authority.
The College’s Math Awareness Week coincides with Math Awareness Month, which is sponsored annually in April by The American Mathematical Society, the American Statistical Association, the Mathematical Association of America and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
Other events include:
• Presentation titled “The Role of Mathematics in Addressing Environmental Issues in Aquatic Systems” presented by Teresa Coley from the South Florida Water Management District at 9:30 a.m. April 2 in CE 119 on the Lake Worth campus.
• Seminar on “Lifetime Lessons to Financial Success,” presented by Gary Thomasson at 11 a.m. April 3 in BB 111 on the Palm Beach Gardens campus.
• Rubik’s Cube Competition with PBSC Professor Dr. Laura Heath at 9:30 a.m. April 4 in HT 103 on the Boca Raton campus.
During the week, the Palm Beach Gardens campus will also hold a Math Poem Contest for Palm Beach Gardens students. Prizes include a graphing calculator and gift cards.
For the complete schedule of events, please visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/mathawareness
