[Mathmajors] a UW math club?

[Paul Tseng]

Long ago, in a galaxy far far away, rebels formed a math club to
resist the empire...

Well, maybe not quite, but some years ago the UW did have a math
club "Aftermath" formed by a group of interested math students,
which coordinated extra-curricular math activities.
But then these students graduated and the club ceased to be.

But there may be a new hope...

Yes, you.  Would you like to see a rebirth of the UW math club?

Why?  You ask.
Well, it could provide a place to share ideas and interests, develop
math-related activities (see below for ideas), provide support for 
students, etc.  The math department can provide resources and funding 
(=$$) to support the club activities.  (The amount would depend on the
activity and available budget, but there is always money for pizza. :))

What are possible activities for a math club?
Some ideas:

* Create a webpage and/or discussion group on math courses, majors, and
   curriculum.  It could, for example, provide guidance to new students
   going into math on what courses to take (or avoid!)
   It could also post/share math questions or news.
   Take a look at the math club webpages at, say, UBC, UCSD, UCD,
   Purdue, Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford:
      http://www.ugrad.math.ubc.ca/~mathclub/faq.html
      http://math.ucsd.edu/~mathclub/
      http://www.math.ucdavis.edu/~mathclub/
      http://www.math.purdue.edu/~mathclub/
      http://abel.math.harvard.edu/mathtable/
      http://musa.berkeley.edu/
      http://www.stanford.edu/group/sumo/
   More math club webpages can be found at the AMS site:
      http://www.ams.org/employment/club-sites.html

* Provide input to the math department on math courses and curriculum.

* Create or participate in educational activities for K-12 students
   (either at the school or at the UW).  For example, there is a summer
   math program for high school students at the UW (as well as the
   annual Math Day during spring break), so the club could help with that.

* Organize seminars, workshops on math or math education.  Maybe there
   is someone "mathy" you would like to invite to the UW to give a lecture?

* Organize social events, intramural teams, math contests,...

* Provide math consulting (to the public or local companies).

* Create a local student chapter of MAA (Math Assoc. America).  See
       http://www.maa.org/students/chapter_index.html
   for details.


OK, these are just some possibilities.

Interested?  Send me an email in the next week or so if you think you 
might be.  Then we can maybe arrange an organizational meeting
the week after (before the end of the final exam week, so most people 
haven't gone on vacation yet), and go from there.

Thanks!

Paul Tseng
UW Math