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Joint Mathematical Meetings, San Diego, CA

The paper is motivated by N.N. Taleb essays on randomness of real world. In particular, we are interested in the “rare” events. Some data from the social world (economic, financial, and the internet) are analyzed with well known normal distribution. Models based on “thick tailed” distributions are useful in explaining ”winner takes all” effect in the 21st century global economy. Some variations of normal and Pareto distributions are considered. However, the asset pricing with a thick tailed return model cannot result in an arbitrage-free world.

Joint Mathematical Meetings, Denver, CO

Many researchers strongly advocate active learning as an essential part of educational process. Numerous studies have concluded that active learning improves student retention, understanding, performance, and attitudes toward the overall learning experience. In the Mathematica classroom, requiring students to create problems of their own is a simple and fun way to introduce active learning. This paper presents some examples and ideas for engaging students in this way, illustrating the ease with which active learning can be implemented in mathematics instruction.

National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Edmond, Oklahoma