How to Earn Mathematics Cultural Participation Points

(a.k.a. cults)

In order to be awarded cults for a particular activity, a student must submit a brief, approximately one page, write-up addressing the following topics: 

• A description of the activity and a summary of what the student’s participation entailed (e.g., for a talk this would include a summary of the details of the talk; for a solved problem, this would mean a complete solution to the problem).

• For an activity (e.g. a colloquium presentation), a description of how the specific activity deepened their understanding/appreciation of mathematics, in particular if it connected to their current course material. 

The better the write-up, the more cults awarded.  In grading the cults, you will not receive the full cults score if you do not use proper spelling and grammar in your write-up.  If anything is misspelled or if there is at least one instance of improper grammar, you will not receive the full cults score.  If another one of your professors is awarding cults, a student may use the same activity to earn cults in more than one class.  However, the number of cults a particular assignment will earn is completely up to the professor who receives it.  In other words, the same assignment may earn a different number of cults, depending on the professor who grades it.

Cults will be awarded for the following activities.  The maximum amount of points available is listed parenthetically after the activity.  In the following descriptions coherence of the write-ups and non-trivialness of solutions will be considered when awarding credit. Write ups for any activities (colloquium, attending a meeting, etc.) must be received by two class periods after the activity. 

• Submitting a non-trivial solution to a new PotM or a new Problem Solving Competition problem (+2 cults)

• Attending a Math Club or ACM Club meeting (you may only get credit for this once during the semester - 2 cults)

• Attending an LU or HSC Math/CS colloquium (+2 cults)

• Participating in the Virginia Tech Regional Math Competition [only available during the fall semester] (+2 cults)

• Participating in the ACM Programming Contest [only available during the fall semester] (+3 points)

• Participating in the COMAP Mathematical Modeling Competition [only available during the spring semester, training usually starts in the fall semester] (+6 cults)

• Attending an MAA regional conference (+3 cults)

• Submitting a non-trivial solution to a new problem in a math journal (+3 - 4 cults)

• Presenting a poster at a mathematics conference (+5 cults)

• Giving a talk at a mathematics conference (+5 cults)