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Happy 2023!

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Happy new year to everyone who still visits this site! It has been a long time since I have posted regular updates and my plan/resolution is for that to change in the new year. The reality is that I started this site/blog as a way to process my own thoughts on the integration of Christian faith and mathematics as someone wrapping up seminary who had an undergraduate degree in mathematics. I was wrestling with how my love of God and love of math went hand in hand. I have by know means “figured it out” but I believe I have grown a lot since those early days. At the very least I have had the opportunity to live out what were once just conceptions in my mind:

  • I have been blessed to work at a Christian school for the past decade and to lead the entire K-12 math program for the past few years. The time I haven’t spent writing here has been been spent putting ideas into action at my school – writing curriculum, crafting philosophy and vision statements, training and leading teachers, engaging with students and parents, etc. I hope in 2023 to do a better job of sharing more of the things we do at school here in this space.
  • I have been blessed to take the lead as the president of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences. So again, a lot of the energy I might normally put toward writing here has been directed elsewhere. We are currently in the process of revamping the ACMS website. I hope that it will become a landing spot for those seeking resources on the integration of faith and mathematics much like this site has been in the past (and maybe still is?).
  • Finally, I have actually been asked to write a book on faith and mathematics! This came as quite a (pleasant) surprise. I had always envisioned writing a book, but never thought a publisher would come seeking me out. Needless to say, this is yet another venture that will take my time away from here. However, I hope to process my book writing on here this year. The daunting part of writing a book, at least for me, is its (seeming) finality. The words and sentences need to be perfect – at least in my mind. The reality is that I just need to sit down and start writing and for some reason it feels easier to that here.

I hope to share more of what I have been working on and once again post and update this site regularly.

I’m excited to see what this new year brings!

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ACMS Conference 2022 – Call for Proposals

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The below information was sent to the membership of the ACMS recently. If you enjoy the content on this site, then I strongly encourage you to check out the the conference and consider attending.

It is a great privilege that my first email to you all as acting president is to officially announce the 23rd Biennial(ish) ACMS conference at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, CA on June 1-4, 2022. Details are now posted on the acmsonline.org website. I encourage you to visit the website for complete details as I will only address some highlights below.

Before getting to those highlights, I want to thank Dave Klanderman (president for the past two years) and Bryant Mathews (APU host) for all their work in organizing this conference during these unprecedented times. Speaking of unprecedented times, I know we all hope for “life as normal” by next June, but we can’t be certain that will be the case. ACMS plans to comply with whatever public health policies are in place in Azusa at the time of the conference and the board will keep registrants apprised of what those policies are in a timely manner.

On to the highlights:

Call for papers:

The ACMS is now accepting parallel session proposals. Please use this form to submit your proposal. Most talks will be 15 minutes, but we may be able to accommodate a limited number of 25-minute talks. If you would like to be considered for a 25-minute slot, then please indicate that on your proposal. The deadline for presentation proposals is February 1, 2022, but early submissions are encouraged. Those who present at the conference will have the option to submit a paper by August 31, 2022 for the conference proceedings, which will be peer-reviewed.

Pre-conference workshops:

Three pre-conference workshops will be held concurrently from Tuesday morning until Wednesday early afternoon. Participants may choose one of the following options:

  • Mathematics in Context: its History, Philosophy, and Connections with the Christian Faith
  • Integrating Ethics into Your Courses
  • Professional Development for graduate students and early career faculty

Costs:

A full breakdown of costs can be found on the registration form. I did want to emphasize that registration fees will be waived for all first time attendees – this is the year to invite those colleagues you always wanted to invite!

Travel and Child Care Grants:

The ACMS will provide a limited number of reimbursement grants of (up to) $250 for childcare or travel. To be eligible for these grants, you must join the ACMS or renew so that your membership is current through December 31, 2022 and register for the 2022 conference. To apply, complete this form. Applications will be accepted until March 1, 2022. Final decisions on recipients will be made on or before April 1, 2022. All grant funds will be provided in the form of a check which will be issued at the ACMS conference.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Thank you. 

Josh Wilkerson

God and Math: A High School Chapel Talk

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This year my school is doing a series in chapel addressing how the Christian faith brings itself to bear on the different disciplines of our school: math, science, history, literature, language, fine arts, and athletics. God and Math was up first in the series and I was delighted to be asked to speak on this topic. You can see the talk in its entirety below. There are certainly things I could have spent more time on, but I was limited to 20 minutes. Enjoy.