UWRF hosts 93rd annual MAA-WI Sectional meeting

 

UW-River Falls hosts 93rd annual Mathematical Association of America-Wisconsin Sectional meeting 

Event featured mathematics competitions, presentations and awards 

April 16, 2026 — The University of Wisconsin-River Falls hosted the 93rd annual Mathematical Association of America-Wisconsin Sectional Meeting April 10 and 11. The event marked the first time the sectional meeting was held at UWRF since 1997 and drew nearly 200 students, educators and mathematicians from across the Midwest. 

The meeting kicked off the morning of April 10 with the inaugural Math Modeling Showcase Event. Eleven middle school and high school students from Newman Catholic School in Wausau and New Richmond Middle School presented their work from the 2025 COMAP Math Modeling Contest to a panel of judges, receiving live feedback and encouragement to participate in future competitions. 

The afternoon featured 30 breakout sessions led by mathematics faculty and undergraduate students, covering topics in technology, teaching and mathematical research. Lauren Keough of Grand Valley State University delivered the first of three keynote addresses for the weekend titled "Math Circle Magic for All.”  

The 20th anniversary of the Face Off! undergraduate competition brought together teams of two to four mathematics majors from college campuses across Wisconsin to answer mathematics questions in a game show format. A hybrid team composed of students from UW-Platteville and UW-La Crosse took home top honors.  

At the annual banquet that evening, the association presented the 2026 Outstanding K-12 Teaching Awards to Emily Amundson of Somerset High School (early career), Amy Bartylla of Luck Elementary School (elementary), Maryjo Peirson of New Richmond Middle School (middle school) and Grey Hush of Baldwin-Woodville High School (high school). 

Jenn Kosiak of UW-La Crosse received the 2026 Carol Crawford Excellence in Undergraduate Mathematics Teaching Award, the highest honor bestowed by the organization. The evening concluded with a keynote address by UWRF Mathematics Professor Erick Hofacker, who was honored as the Distinguished Mathematics Teacher in 2025. Hofacker spoke on building and sustaining mathematical communities with a talk titled “Who are the People in Your Mathematical Neighborhood,” including props and music inspired by the “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” TV show. 

Hofacker, who was a student helper the last time the event was hosted at UWRF in 1997, served as co-chair of this year’s event. 

“I wanted to bring the event back to UW-River Falls to provide our department, faculty, students and K-12 teachers an opportunity to engage in the activities that make up this weekend event,” Hofacker said.  

He added that connecting with current and retired faculty, alumni and other friends of UWRF mathematics education made it a special weekend. 

“It gave me a chance to reflect and share with them how proud I am of everything our UW-River Falls mathematics education family has accomplished over the last two decades,” Hofacker said. 

Attendees participated in 24 additional breakout sessions April 11, followed by a keynote address featuring Victor Piercey of Ferris State University, who reflected on interdisciplinary teaching partnerships. 

The final speaker of the weekend was UWRF Assistant Professor of Mathematics Michael Loper, whose presentation was titled, “From Lecture to Learning: Building Community and Engagement in the Classroom.” The talk was part of a Section NExT (New Experiences in Teaching) lunch.  Section NExT is a project aimed at supporting early career mathematicians in their roles as faculty members.  

Loper shared strategies for increasing engagement, such as structured collaboration, purposeful questioning and small shifts in classroom design that encourage participation and accountability. 

“I wanted to share this with early career mathematicians because teaching can sometimes feel isolating at first and many of us default to the methods we experienced as students,” Loper said. “My goal was to offer approachable, research-informed techniques that help instructors build a sense of community in their classrooms where students feel comfortable contributing, taking risks and learning from one another.” 

Attendees at the conference came from Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. 

Photo: Undergraduate math students from around Wisconsin participate in the “Math Face-Off!” competition Friday, April 10, during the Mathematical Association of America-Wisconsin Section spring meeting held at UW-River Falls. The weekend event included presentations by faculty, staff, students and guest speakers.