Sample Chapter Activities

Activities vary widely from chapter to chapter. Here is a list of what some of the SIAM chapters are doing. (Check out "How to Organize Chapter Activities" for specifics on how some of the other chapters are doing it.)

• Organize talks by students or faculty.
• Sponsor lectures by guest speakers (check out the SIAM Visiting Lecturer Program).
• Host lunch discussions on the training students need for industrial careers.
• Organize team projects such as undergraduate competitions.
• Enter the Mathematical Contest in Modeling.
• Host social functions (lunches, dinners, award ceremonies, picnics).
• Tours of industrial laboratories.
• Field trips to SIAM section meetings.
• Website contests.
• Work with SIAM sections to organize regional meetings.
• Host interdisciplinary activities with other departments on campus.
• Work with other SIAM chapters to plan regional or national projects.
• Present awards for Best Teaching Assistant, Best Course Performance, Most Active in Community, Best Graduate Research Paper, etc.
• Set up chapter website.
• Set up listserve of chapter members.
• Host student activity fair.
• Mentor lunches.
• Host Graduate Student Research Day for Master's and Ph.D. students to give talks on their projects, then award prizes for best papers at annual department banquet.
• Raise funds to award SIAM Graduate Professor of the Year (certificate and plaque).
• Maintain SIAM lounge with computers, furniture, telephone, and refrigerator to facilitate student interaction and collaboration.
• Organize graduate student research seminar.
• Organize undergraduate mini-conference based on VIGRE grant-funded research.
• Host research visitors and prospective graduate students, providing transportation and tours.
• Attend and present papers at SIAM annual and sectional meetings.
• Participate in Student Day session at SIAM Annual Meeting.

How to Organize Chapter Activities

Send us specifics on how you organized an event at your chapter. We will post it here to provide ideas to other chapters who are seeking inspiration. To submit activities for posting, please send an email to whitehouse@siam.org.

CU Boulder Panel of Recent Grads Lends Advice
Submitted 5/13/08 by Dan Kaslovski, CU SIAM Graduate Student Chapter President

Chapter Flyer
Submitted 7/21/06 by Virginia Tech Chapter, Paola Vera, President

Chapter Representative Selection
Submitted 2/2/04 by Auburn University Chapter of SIAM, A. J. Meir, Faculty Advisor

NSF VIGRE Grant
Submitted 4/1/03 by University of Colorado Chapter of SIAM, Anne Dougherty, Faculty Advisor