Mathematician Handout Checklist

Did the handout:

  1. get turned in at the beginning of class on the day of your presentation containing enough copies?
  2. use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation? This is worth more.
  3. flow smoothly when read out loud? Have someone else read it to you, or read it to someone else. You may create a list of bulleted points or a writeup in paragraph form (whichever you prefer). This is worth more.
  4. look professional and contain graphs within the text (not as appendices)? This is worth more.
  5. contain a picture of the mathematician somewhere (except for Fuller)?
  6. contain correct historical facts that relate to the themes below? (Do NOT create a biography).

    Influences, Support, Barriers and Diversity Issues

  7. address the influences that led them to becoming a mathematician, by answering some (or all, if possible) of the following:
    What influences led them to becoming a mathematician?
    Did they have support from family and society?
    Why did they become a mathematician?
    What kind of barriers did they face while becoming a mathematician?
  8. deeply explore this issue?
  9. address gender, racial or multicultural/ethnic issues in this mathematician's experiences?
    If your mathematician is a woman, be sure to also address whether they are married and have a family, and whether their husband is also a mathematician or scientist.
    If your mathematician is a white man with no apparent diversity issues, be sure to address whether they have mentored women or other traditional minorities in mathematics.
  10. deeply explore this issue?

    Mathematical Style

  11. address this issue by answering as many of the following as possible?
    How do they describe the process of doing mathematics and/or mathematical research?
    How do they get the flashes of insight that they need to do research?
    How do their mathematical minds work? Do they have a photographic memory? Are they really good with numbers? Are they good at visualization?
    Does the mathematician often collaborate (ie write papers with other mathematicians) or instead mostly work by themselves?
  12. deeply explore this issue?

    Annotated References

  13. give acknowledgment to references where it is due and contain comments summarizing what was in each reference and how you used it? This is worth more.