Babson College
Department of Mathematics, Analytics, Science, and Technology
Vice President, MAA

Rick Cleary teaches at Babson College where he is Professor of Mathematics and Statistics and Weissman family Professor of Business Analytics. He has previously taught at Bentley University, Harvard University, Cornell University and St. Michael’s College. He works as an applied statistician in various fields, with recent publications related to sports, fraud detection in accounting, measuring creativity in business students, and biomechanics. Rick is the Vice-President of the Mathematical Association of America, and serves as first editor of a new journal, Scatterplot, that debuted in 2024 with a goal of helping mathematics teachers prepare students for careers in data science. He has athletic experience as a runner (including 32 Boston marathons), a high school and college cross country coach, a race director and a youth sports coach in soccer, basketball and baseball.

Talk Title: Sports Applications of Mathematics in the Era of Legalized Gambling

Abstract:

We are now more than twenty years beyond the publication of Michael Lewis' classic book Moneyball, which popularized the previously niche subject of sports analytics. Since that time the field has grown and evolved, and now the introduction of legalized wagering on sports has made a generation much more interested in sports applications of mathematics. In this presentation, we will look at some of the key analytics ideas that are now deeply ingrained in sports teams and leagues, and we will demonstrate some 'non-standard' uses of mathematics in sports that are not well known. The example provided can be adapted for teaching at almost any mathematical level.

Iowa State University

Steve Butler is an award-winning teacher. He has given talks at numerous venues ranging from the AMS-MAA address at Mathfest 2021 to the Iowa State Fair and almost everything in between.

Steve particularly enjoys working with young researchers. He regularly participates in the Iowa State REU and maintains a listing of REU sites for students (mathreuprograms.org); he is also a lead organizer of the Graduate Research Workshop in Combinatorics (GRWC).

Steve's mathematics was heavily influenced by his mentors, Fan Chung and Ron Graham. His mathematical research includes spectral graph theory, shuffling, juggling, origami, tiling, Apollonian circle packings, parking functions, and more. In 2015, he became the 512th mathematician to have an Erdős number of 1.

Steve Butler has been at Iowa State University since 2011 where he is a Morrill Professor and the Barbara J Janson Professor of Mathematics. More information about him can be found online (stevebutler.org).

Talk Title: Juggling Counts

Abstract:

Mathematics is a language which can help us describe and explore patterns. One source of patterns that mathematicians have been exploring comes from juggling (the tossing of objects, usually balls or clubs). In this talk we will look at multiple ways to describe juggling patterns that allow us to find new juggling patterns, and to count how many possible patterns exist. We can compare answers to various problems to give a combinatorial proof of Worpitzky's identity. We will also look at a few juggling-based problems that mathematics has not yet succeeded in answering.

State College of Florida (retired)

Dennis Runde is in his first year of retirement after 35 years of teaching mathematics at the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota in Bradenton. He served as Mathematics Department Chair for nine (long) years. He has made at least 30 presentations at conferences including AMATYC, FTYCMA, MAA, and NCTM. He also served as membership coordinator for FTYCMA for 8 years. He is the lead author of a series of algebra textbooks for college students and a liberal arts mathematics textbook. His hobbies include biking, hiking, reading, and trivia. He is currently the owner of River Club Kitty Sitters and is very fond of his clients. Dennis and his wife Kristin have raised three sons, all of whom have college degrees and are currently gainfully employed.

Talk Title: What I Wish I Knew When I Started: Ten (or more) Valuable Lessons Learned from Thirty-Five Years of Teaching Mathematics

Abstract:

By living through the various life events that are summarized in my biography, I have learned various lessons about teaching mathematics that are still relevant today. My talk will highlight ten of these lessons. The talk will allow attendees to interact and share some of their own lessons as well.