Presentation Project

Overview

You will give a 10–15 minute talk on a topic related to mathematics or computer science that you find interesting. My goal is for you to explore some area of mathematics or computer science that is of interest to you. This talk should build on the mathematical or computer science knowledge from upper-level courses. This talk must be sufficiently distinct from a similar talk you may have given for another course. You should come see me to make sure you topic meets the course requirements.

The scope of the talk is up to you, but I suggest some of the following:

Colloquium Topic

Expand and further explore a colloqouim topic from this semester or even a previous semester.

Topic Review

Identify a collection of sources on a topic and write a summary article on the topic.

Paper Review

Take a peer-reviewed research journal article you find interesting and summarize the interesting points.

Course Topic

Write about a topic from one of your favorite courses, but not covered in that course. For example, considering writing about a topic touched on in a homework problem or in a chapter not covered.

Historical Biography

Write a biography of a famous mathematician or computer scientist.

Classical Problem

Write about a classical mathematics or computer science problem that had a significant impact on the field.

Popular Press Book Summary

Write about a popular press mathematics or computer science book summarizing the important points of the book.

Honors Thesis Prospectus

Outline your plans for an honors thesis.

Research Plans

Provide detailed plans of a FURSCA or other research project you plan to perform.

Detailed Proof

Provide a detailed proof of a mathematical theorem that goes beyond the scope of material in our undergraduate courses, but aimed at students in the audience.

Project Summary

Provide a detailed account of a FURSCA project, directed study, internship, or research project you have conducted.

Math/CS Contest Problem

Start with an interesting problem from either a mathematics contest (Putnam, MATH Challenge, LMMC, etc) or computer science contest (ACM, Denison, etc). Solve the problem completely and correctly. Generalize the problem and provide a solution to the generalized problem. Your paper will include an overview of the problem, why it is interesting, why your generalization is nontrvial, and your solutions to the both the original and generalized problems.

Sources for Mathematics and Computer Science

• Journals and Other Sources for Topics
1. Computer Science and Technology
   1. Quanta Magazine
   2. MIT Technology Review
   3. ACM Crossroads Student Magazine
   4. Communications of the ACM
   5. IEEE Computer
   6. Ars Technica
2. Mathematics
   1. Quanta Magazine
   2. MAA Math Horizons
   3. AMS: Mathematical Moments
   4. AMS: Feature Columns
   5. Plus magazine
   6. The Rose Hulman Institute's Undergraduate Mathematics Journal
   7. The College Mathematics Journal
   8. Mathematics Magazine
   9. American Mathematical Monthly
   10. The College Mathematics Journal
   11. PRIMUS: Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Study
   12. The Pentagon: The Official Journal of Kappa Mu Epsilon
   13. The Mathematical Intelligencer
   14. The UMAP Journal: Undergraduate Mathematics and Its Applications
3. General Science
   1. Quanta Magazine
   2. American Scientist
   3. NewScientist
   4. Computers & Math News from ScienceDaily
   5. Scientific American
4. Online Databases
1. ACM Portal
   The ACM portal allows searching of the ACM Digital Library, containing full text of every article ever published by ACM, and the Guide to Computing Literature, containing bibliographic citations from major publishers in computing.
2. MathSciNet
   MathSciNet is an electronic publication offering access to a carefully maintained and easily searchable database of reviews, abstracts and bibliographic information for much of the mathematical sciences literature.

Talk to your professors for other ideas! This is an opportunity for you to delve into an area that fascinates you.

Deliverables

Topic and Abstract

A paragraph (roughly 200 words) describing the topic and scope of your talk must be sent via email to me by the due date. You should include a statement of the importance of the topic and why it is of interest to you. After reading your proposal, I may suggest you broaden, narrow, or possibly change your topic. Once your topic is agreed upon, you will need to consult me regarding any changes you might want to make later in the term.

Slides

You will need to create slides using LaTeX with the beamer package OR using reveal.js with MathJax. See Overleaf's Beamer page for information on using the Beamer package for slides. A pdf of your slides will need to be submitted to me via email in advance of your talk. I strongly encourage you to practice your talk and I am happy to critique your talk in advance.

Talk

Your talk!

Grading Rubric

References

• Public Speaking
1. Technically Speaking
   A website that is the outcome of a project designed to improve the oral communication skills of undergraduate mathematics and related STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students. The project developed a series of video vignettes that portrayed student-actors presenting a small portion of a mathematical talk, roughly 30-90 seconds in length. In each set of vignettes, the student would give two ways to present an idea: one with shortcomings, the second correcting these shortcomings. These are based on the following article.
2. Advice on Giving a Good PowerPoint Presentation, Joseph Gallian, Math Horizons 13, April 2006.