Presentations
Mathematics, Diversity, and Inclusion
Presentation Content: Email me. 
Mathematics: Inclusive, Connected, Empowering
Doing mathematics can be a pleasant experience. Our students can experience this by extending and connecting some simple sequences. This helps us understand why someone would want to make a career of studying mathematics. From there we profile a number of mathematicians that have had to overcome barriers to make themselves know in the world of research mathematics. We start in Europe with Sophie Germain and Ramanujan. Presentation Content: Email me. 
Five Minutes to a more Satisfying Course
Too many topics, too little time? Give yourself a five-minute break and see what you can accomplish. Invite your students to become community college instructors, share what brought you to mathematics, give a view of mathematics that unites cultures and disciplines. All this and more, five minutes at a time. Presentation Content: PDF Postage Stamps 
A Spiritual Side to Mathematics?
Can the patterns and connections in mathematics strengthen our spiritual perspective? You will judge for yourself. We start with a simple sequence of numbers and end with fractals and chaos. Along the way we meet philosophers and mathematicians from Pythagoras and Fibonacci, to Pascal and Stephen Hawking. If you like mathematics, this talk is for you. If you dislike mathematics, this talk is especially for you. Presentation Content: PDF Postage Stamps Read a review of this presentation here. 
Islam and Mathematics: A Story of Cooperation and Peace
Enter the city of Baghdad in the year 750 and find a diverse population, living in relative harmony, collaborating on projects in mathematics and science that have benefited the rest of the world ever since. As we follow the projects from Baghdad through Spain, and then into Europe, we see a picture of the Middle East that is different from the one we see in the media today. We find people and cultures that we identify with, allowing us to come away with a different perspective on the people and cultures in the Middle East today. Presentation Content: PDF Power Point Keynote Postage Stamps 
What’s Up with MOOCs?
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a recent addition to the options available in higher education. Where did they come from, what is it like to teach one, do we need to be concerned about them? These topics, and more, from someone who has created and taught his own MOOCs. Presentation Content: PDF 
Postage Stamps, Conic Sections, and Eccentricity
Interesting facts from astronomy make topics from algebra to calculus come alive. We include some postage stamps and history to brighten things up even more. Out of this comes a suggestion to make eccentricity a standard part of our treatment of conic sections. Presentation Content: PDF Postage Stamps 
The Human Cannonball, Ferris Wheels, and Trigonometry
This talk contains a mixture of applications for trigonometry. Among the applications are the spiral of roots, the human cannonball, and the first Ferris wheel. We will see how these applications can enhance the teaching of trigonometry, and how technology can be used to polish these applications. Presentation Content: PDF |
ZOOM PRESENTATIONS
We hosted many Zoom presentations during Covid. You can see them by going to the Zoom Meetings tab at the top of the page.
Speaking Engagements
National Organization for Student Success (NOSS)
February 17, 2024 Las Vegas, NV Connecting Students with Important People in our Disciplines Congregation Beth David January 8, 2024 San Luis Obispo, CA Mathematics, Diversity, and Inclusion CMC3 April 29 2023 Zoom Hardy, Ramanujan, Cormac McCarthy, and Taxicab Numbers MinnMATYC April 22, 2023 Duluth, MN Mathematics: Inclusive, Connected, Empowering Lifelong Learners of the Central Coast April 19, 2023 San Luis Obispo, CA Islam and Mathematics: A Story of Cooperation and Peace Congregation Beth David April 14, 2023 San Luis Obispo, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? ArizMATYC April 7, 2023 Flagstaff, AZ Mathematics: Inclusive, Connected, Empowering Congregation Beth David April 14, 2023 San Luis Obispo, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? ArizMATYC April 2, 2022 Flagstaff, AZ Mathematics: Inclusive, Connected, Empowering SVCCM - CANCELLED March 14, 2020 Sacramento, CA Islam and Mathematics: A Story of Cooperation and Peace Congregation Beth David December 15, 2019 San Luis Obispo, CA Islam and Mathematics: A Story of Cooperation and Peace CMC3 South December 7, 2019 Monterey, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? Exchange Club of SLO March 8, 2019 San Luis Obispo, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? American Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) November 16, 2018 Orlando, FL Five Minutes to a more Satisfying Course Leadership San Luis Obispo October 12, 2018 San Luis Obispo, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? Victor Valley College April 21, 2018 Victorville, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? Congregation Beth David March 7, 2018 San Luis Obispo, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? CMC3 South March 3, 2018 Pomona, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? CMC3 Conference December 10, 2017 Monterey, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? American Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) November 11, 2017 San Diego, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? MichMATYC October21, 2017 Muskegon, MI A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? MichMATYC October21, 2017 Muskegon, MI XYZ Textbooks: Not Your Traditional Publisher MinnMATYC April 29, 2017 Duluth, MN A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? Sacramento Valley Community College Mathematics February 25, 2017 Yuba College Marysville, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? Congregation Beth David December 8, 2016 San Luis Obispo, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? Suffolk County CC October 20 , 2016 Selden, NY Five Minutes to a more Satisfying Course Borough of Manhattan CC October1 9 , 2016 New York, NY Five Minutes to a more Satisfying Course Kevin and Sam Duffy's Home August 2, 2016 Islam and Mathematics: A Story of Cooperation and Peace Lions Club of San Luis Obispo May 23, 2016 A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? CMC3 Recreational Math April 23, 2016 Lake Tahoe, NV A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? NYSMATYC 2016 April 8 , 2016 Kingston, NY Five Minutes to a more Satisfying Course NYSMATYC 2016 April 8, 2016 Kingston, NY XYZ Textbooks: Not Your Traditional Publisher American Association of University Women March 14, 2016 San Luis Obispo A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? MAA SoCal-NV November 14, 2015 Lake Tahoe, NV A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? Five Cities Men’s Club June 30, 2015 Pismo Beach, CA A Spiritual Side to Mathematics? NMMATYC / MAA SW April 18, 2015 El Paso, TX Islam and Mathematics: A Story of Cooperation and Peace MichMATYC 2014 October 3, 2014 Benton Harbor, MI Five Minutes to a more Satisfying Course ORMATYC 2014 April 10, 2014 Lincoln City, OR Five Minutes to a more Satisfying Course Sacramento Valley Community College Mathematics Conference March 15, 2014 Sacramento, CA Islam and Mathematics: A Story of Cooperation and Peace CMC3 2013 December 12, 2013 Monterey, CA What’s Up With MOOC’s? InstructureCon 2013 June 18, 2013 Park City, UT Making Your Online Course as Much Like an In-Class Experience as Possible |