Over the weekend, the Austin Peay State University Math and Statistics program students had the incredible opportunity to attend the Mathematical Association of America Southeastern Conference at High Point University in North Carolina.

This event brought together mathematicians, educators and researchers to discuss the latest developments in mathematics, newfound research and applications of mathematics in diverse initiatives.

With the Office of Student Research and Innovation’s support, some students actively participated in the conference by offering their own research. Christine Jator, an undergraduate student, presented a statistical analysis of welfare in rural areas.

In contrast, graduate students Christopher Tillett, Dennis Kirui, Michael Kipngeno, Sikem Nkwawir, Alysia Norales and myself presented: climate change’s effects on the Caribbean sugar industry, the impacts of automation technology on customer service employment rates in America, a demonstration of the Finite Difference Method, identifying and mitigating risks for Microsoft’s Xbox brand, a credit card fraud detection artificial intelligence model and an AI model that can read handwritten numerals, respectively.

Other undergraduate students from APSU were also in attendance, supporting their colleagues, networking with other scholars, gaining knowledge on various topics and taking notes in preparation for their upcoming presentations. 

Aside from students, APSU professors also exhibited their work at the conference. Brad Fox shared his research entitled “An Evaluation of Borda Count Variations Using Ranked Choice Voting Data,” Kelly Buch presented her research, “Balancing Structure and Flexibility: Implementing Course-Based Undergraduate Research” and Nick Kirby delivered “Some Benefits of Co-Teaching.”