Summer Math Days - University of Pittsburgh 

When and where

The Summer Math Days 2006 will be held at the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland, on July 25 - 27, 2006. 
The program is sponsored by the Department of Mathematics.

Meeting Place

All activities will take place in Thackeray Hall. All lectures will be held in room 704.

About the event

The Summer Math Days is a fun and educational program for all high school students entering grades 10-12 (or having equivalent math background). The idea is to introduce the students to a variety of interesting topics in mathematics, like mathematics of juggling, cryptography, mathematical modeling in biology, mathematical analysis, number theory, mathematics and art etc. A number of dedicated faculty and graduate students in our department have enthusiastically agreed to give lectures on these and other topics. For details, please see the schedule posted below. 

Registration

The program is free for all participants but we ask all interested students to register by e-mailing or faxing one of us: aav4@pitt.edu (Prof. Anna Vainchtein), riviere@math.pitt.edu (Prof. Beatrice Riviere). The fax number is (412) 624-8397. 

Flyer

Download a copy of the flyer. 

Lunch and Snacks

On Wednesday, July 26, a pizza lunch provided by the Mathematics Department will be held in room 705. 

Please bring your own lunch on Tuesday and Thursday. Room 705 has a microwave and a refrigerator 
available for your use. We will provide cookies and drinks for some of the breaks. 

Schedule


Tuesday, July 25:
 
 

Time
Title
Speaker
10-10:15 am
Opening Remarks
Prof. Juan Manfredi, Chair, 
Department of Mathematics
10:15-11:05 am
From Toilets to Mexican Hats: A Mathematical Tour of Biology
Prof. Bard Ermentrout
11:05-11:15 am
break
  
11:15 am -12:05 pm
Diophantine Equations
Prof. Anna Vainchtein
12:05-1:00 pm
lunch - bring your own lunch
  
1:00-1:50 pm
The Turtle and the Hare:
an Elementary Introduction to Convergence of a Series
Prof. Juan Manfredi
1:50-2:00 pm
break
  
2:00-2:50 pm
Mathematics of Kayaking 
Prof. William Layton
2:50-3:00 pm
break
  
3:00-3:50 pm
DNA and Molecular Machines
Prof. David Swigon

Wednesday, July 26:
 
 

Time
Title
Speaker
10:00-10:50 am
Ice-cream Vendors and Cryptography
Prof. Mark Dickinson
10:50-11:00 am
break
  
11:00-11:50 am
Pythagorean Problem
Prof. Anna Vainchtein
11:50 am -1:10 pm
pizza lunch in 705 Thackeray - 
meet math professors and graduate students and ask 
questions about mathematics and academic careers. 
Lunch will be provided by the Mathematics Department.
  
1:10-2:00 pm
A Mathematical Look at Treating Parkinson's Disease
Prof. Jonathan Rubin
2:00-2:10 pm
break
  
2:10-3:00 pm
Applying Mathematics to Art
Prof. Glen Whitehead
3:00-3:10 pm
break
  
3:10-4:00 pm
Interesting Properties of Mysterious Numbers
Mr. Christopher Jones

Thursday, July 27:
 
 

Time
Title
Speaker
10:00-10:50 am
Some Applications of Prime Numbers
Prof. Mark Dickinson
10:50-11:00 am
break
  
11:00-11:50 am
Mathematics in Everyday Life
Prof. Beatrice Riviere
11:50 am -1:00 pm 
lunch - bring your own lunch
  
1:00-1:50 pm
Mathematics and Music
 Mr. Eugene Trofimov 
1:50-2:00 pm
break
  
2:00-2:50 pm
The Gauss-Bonnet Theorem
 Prof. Bogdan Ion
2:50-3:00 pm
break
  
3:00-3:50 pm
The Mathematics of Juggling
 Mr. Nathaniel Mays
3:50-4:05 pm
Concluding Remarks
Profs B. Riviere and A.Vainchtein

Maps

Download a campus map.

Directions to University of Pittsburgh Oakland Campus 

By car from the East Cars traveling from the east via the PA Turnpike (I-76) should take Exit 6 to I-376 West. From 376 take Exit 7A, Oakland, onto Bates Street. Stay on Bates until it ends at Bouquet Street. Turn left onto Bouquet, then right at the first light onto Forbes Avenue.

By car from the West Cars traveling from the west via the PA Turnpike (I-76) should take Exit 3 and follow I-79 South to I-279 South. (You exit to the left off I-79.) Follow 279 into the city, to the I-376 Monroeville Exit. Follow 376 to the Forbes Avenue/Oakland Exit. Forbes Avenue then leads right into the Pitt campus.

By car from the North Take I-79 South to I-279 South. (You exit to the left off I-79.) Follow 279 into the city, to the I-376 Monroeville Exit. Follow 376 to the Forbes Avenue/Oakland Exit. Forbes Avenue then leads right into the Pitt campus.

By car from the South Follow I-79 North to the I-279 North Exit. Take 279 through the Fort Pitt Tunnels and across the bridge to the I-376 Monroeville Exit (first exit on the right). Follow 376 to the Forbes Avenue/Oakland Exit. Forbes Avenue leads into the Pitt campus.

Parking on University of Pittsburgh Campus 

If you need to park on campus, you might want to park at the metered parking spots in the streets or at the following garages:
Soldiers and Sailors (SO): It is the closest garage to the Mathematics department. It is open from 6am to midnight. The rates are
0-1 hour $4.00;
1-2 hours $5.00;
2-4 hours $7.00;
4-6 hours $8.00;
6-8 hours $10.00;
8-10 hours $12.00;
Over 10 hours $14.00.
O'Hara (OH) : It is open from 6am to midnight. The rates are
0-1 hour $4.00;
1-2 hours $5.00;
2-4 hours $8.00;
4-6 hours $9.00;
6-8 hours $10.00;
8-10 hours $14.00;
Over 10 hours $17.00. 

All garages are listed on this map. 

B. Riviere | A. Vainchtein | Department of Mathematics | University of Pittsburgh