Showcase and Learn!
By: Audrey Malagon, Lead Editor of DUE Point, Virginia Wesleyan University
The DUE Point Blog team helps the MAA share the good work of mathematics faculty across the country who are engaged in work supported by NSF-DUE. Another way NSF project leaders can showcase their work is through an annual poster session. Here, DUE Blog editor and MathFest NSF poster session organizer Jana Talley tells us about the poster session and opportunities to showcase and learn about NSF-DUE funded work.
Is the NSF Poster Session at MathFest new?
No. This poster session used to happen at JMM, but has transitioned to Mathfest. The DUE Point editors now run the poster session which includes creating the request for abstracts, soliciting proposals, and connecting with potential presenters to ensure a full and vibrant session. This also allows the editors to connect with PIs whose projects might be a good feature for our blog.
What were some of the highlights of this year's poster session?
This year we were excited to host 22 project leads who shared with attendees the goals, strategies, and key results of their work. Over 20 institutions were represented! Their projects ranged from undergraduate STEM support systems to faculty DEI professional development models. With such a broad scope of scholarly activities, the presenters and attendees were excited to exchange ideas for research collaborations, helpful techniques for advancing undergraduate and graduate STEM programs, and opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness of teaching and mentoring on their respective campuses.
What are the advantages of sharing your work at a poster session or being featured on the blog?
Both the blog and the poster session provide excellent opportunities for PIs to disseminate information about their projects, a key component of NSF-funded projects. Project teams that are just getting started can benefit from sharing early on and getting feedback from the mathematical community. Those that are closer to the end of their funding cycles can share their results and any products they've generated that others can use.
Poster sessions in particular allow for greater networking than typical talks. Some attendees may read posters and some may interact more with the PIs, but overall we see a lot of energy and enthusiasm around making connections during the poster sessions.. It is also worth noting that sharing your project with other MAA members and the public further highlights the scholarly activity of not only your PI team, but your institution as well.
What are the processes for participating in the poster session and/or being featured in the blog?
To participate in the poster session or blog the team of PIs should have a DUE funded project. They should designate one person to submit an abstract through the MAA MathFest portal for the NSF poster session and, once accepted, create a poster highlighting their work. Posters typically include the main research questions, descriptions of projects and activities, photos where applicable, and any preliminary or final results that are available. During the event PIs stay at their poster for the duration of the session, usually about 1.5 hours. They give a short summary of the project to attendees as they come by and also answer questions about their projects.
The NSF DUE blog strives to engage readers from all areas of mathematics with each NSF DUE Project in a meaningful way. For this reason, we use a Q&A format for the blog and write with a more informal, conversational voice (i.e. no citations). An editor generates a list of questions about your project and you respond to those questions in writing. The editor then edits the responses for space and clarity to around 700 words for the final post. Examples of the published posts can be found at https://www.mathvalues.org/duepoint to give you an idea of what your finished blog interview might look like.
What should a PI who is interested in the blog or poster session do next?
Anyone interested in being featured on the blog should have a current DUE funded project and can fill out this interest form. If you have questions please reach out to the lead editor Audrey Malagon at amalagon@vwu.edu. Watch for info about the poster session in MAA Focus and MAA Connect in the spring. Abstracts are typically due in June.