HIGH SCHOOL VISITING LECTURE PROGRAM

Sponsored by the Michigan Section of the
Mathematical Association of America

The Michigan Section of the Mathematical Association of America, in seeking to foster interest in mathematics and to give high school students an opportunity to hear mathematicians speak on mathematics, sponsors an on-going program of VISITING LECTURES to high schools in Michigan. For many years now, volunteer lecturers from colleges, business, and industry have been willing to make visits to high schools in the state. Usually these visits are very well received by students and faculty, who find it a valuable supplement to the regular curriculum. Lecture topics include applications of mathematics, careers in mathematics, beautiful mathematical gems in mainstream mathematics, and topics in other areas such as graph theory, chaos theory, and the theory of surreal numbers. The program is designed to help High School teachers broaden students’ views about mathematics beyond what they can normally see in a high school setting. When sharing an anecdote about HSVLP, Jerry Grossman from Oakland University recalled, “When I went to give a talk to a rural school in the Traverse City area, the teacher explained that she viewed her students as ‘at risk’ because of their isolation from the cultural heart of the state. She really appreciated the opportunity to expose her students to more than what was in the textbooks.”

There is no charge for this service, and the lecturers participate because they want to share with young people their knowledge of mathematics and their enthusiasm for the subject.
		Professor Jerry Grossman from Oakland University giving a lecture to a group of high school students about the mathematics of infinity.

Attached is a list of lecturers and the titles of their talks for the current academic year. We are seeking new lecturers all the time, so if you are trying to find a speaker on a particular topic that is not listed, visit http://michmaa.org/vhslp.html to view an updated list. If you still do not find what you are looking for, arrangements may be made for a lecture topic suitable to your needs, even though it is not on this list.

In order to minimize travel costs and conserve the lecturer's time and energy, we attempt to arrange visits within a fifty mile radius of the lecturer's home institution. However, if you are not within this distance of a listed lecturer, you may still request a visit. In this case, the program director will try to locate either a volunteer in your vicinity or else someone who is willing to travel further. Additional details and the procedure for requesting visits is available at the link below.

We hope that your mathematics department will take advantage of this program. To have a Visiting Lecturer come to your school to give a mathematical talk and perhaps meet with students interested in careers in mathematics, please send your request using the online form or a printed form (Word; PDF). Feel free to contact Professor Andrew Ross if you have further questions.

Professor Andrew Ross
Director, Michigan MAA HSVLP
Department of Mathematics
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Telephone:  (734) 487-1064
Email:  andrew.ross@emich.edu

Web page: http://people.emich.edu/aross15/

List of Lecturers
Procedure for Requesting a Visiting Lecturer
Request Form for Speaker (Online; Word; PDF)