Marcia Birken Professor Emerita, School of Mathematical Sciences College of Science Rochester Institute of Technology		Anne C. Coon Professor Emerita, English Department College of Liberal Arts Rochester Institute of Technology

Marcia Birken and Anne C. Coon have collaborated for over twenty years, exploring the connections between mathematics and literature in their research, writing, and team-teaching. The co-authors of numerous scholarly articles and book chapters on problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, and interdisciplinary linkages between literature and mathematics, their most recent publication is the book Discovering Patterns in Mathematics and Poetry (Editions Rodopi, 2008). They have given professional presentations together at local, national, and international conferences. For further information about Anne Coon, including a listing of her poetry publications, visit Anne's personal web site. For further information about Marcia Birken, including information on her current career in nature photography, visit Marcia's ciaPhoto web site.

JOINT PUBLICATIONS
Coon, Anne C. and Marcia Birken. "Developing Analogical Thinking and Creativity in University Students," Consciousness, Literature and the Arts, Peer-Reviewed Online Journal, April 2003.

Coon, Anne C. and Marcia Birken. "Reflections on a Long-Term Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Literature and Mathematics," Journal for the Art of Teaching. IX.1 (Spring 2002): 121-130.

Birken, Marcia and Anne C. Coon. "The Pedagogical and Epistemological Uses of Analogy in Poetry and Mathematics," Consciousness, Literature and the Arts, Peer-Reviewed Online Journal. April 2001.

Coon, Anne C. and Marcia Birken, "Crossing Academic and Social Boundaries through Technology," Theories of Learning: Teaching for Understanding and Creativity, Selected Papers from the Fourth Annual Conference of the Institute for the Study of Postsecondary Pedagogy 1994 (ed. R. Kelder), The State University of New York at New Paltz, February 1996.

Coon, Anne C. and Marcia Birken, "A Dialogue Across the Disciplines: Two Voices on Problem Solving," Chapter Seven of The Critical Writing Workshop  (ed. T.L. Capossela), Boynton/Cook, Portsmouth, NH, 1993.

Birken, Marcia and Anne C. Coon, "A Freshman Course in Problem Solving," Proceedings of the Northeast Regional Conference on the Freshman Year, White Plains, NY, April 1988.

Birken, Marcia and Anne C. Coon, "Enriching Mathematical Problem Solving: Interdisciplinary Linkages," ASEE Conference Proceedings Vol. 5, American Society for Engineering Education, Portland, OR, June 1988, pp. 2089-90.

Coon, Anne C. and Marcia Birken, "The Common Denominators: A Collaborative Approach to Teaching Reasoning Skills through Literature and Mathematics," Innovative Higher Education, 12 (2), Spring/Summer 1988, pp. 91-100.

INVITED LECTURES AND JOINT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
"Fractals in Poetry and Mathematics," Mathematical Association of America Seaway Section Meeting, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, November 2004

"Patterns in Poetry and Mathematics," 4-hour workshop at Writers and Books Literary Center, Rochester, NY, October 2004.

"The Mandelbrot Set: Representations in Mathematics, Art, and Poetry," Invited Speakers for Mathematics Awareness Month 2003: Mathematics and Art, Rochester Institute of Technology, April 2003.

"Fractal Patterns in Poetry and Mathematics," National AMS/MAA Joint Mathematics Meeting, Baltimore, MD, January 2003.

"Fractals and Poetry." PiRIT - Association of Student Mathematicians and Statisticians, Rochester Institute of Technology, November 2002.

"Developing Creativity and Analogical Thinking in University Students." Eighth International Society for the Study of European Ideas Conference. Aberystwyth, Wales, July 2002.

"How Mathematical Ideas are Presented in Literature." Invited speakers for The Mathematics Literacy Series sponsored by The Association of Mathematics Teachers of the Rochester Area (AMTRA). Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, March, April 2002.

"Developing the Interdisciplinary Course 'Analogy, Mathematics, and Poetry'." National AMS/MAA Joint Mathematics Meeting, San Diego, CA, January 2002.

"Of Sestinas and Tessellations: The Interplay Between Fixed Form and Creativity," Panel Presentation and Master Class, “The Shape of Discovery: Exploring the Chaos and Complex Systems of Creation in Writing and Science,” Nimrod/Hardman Writing Awards Celebration, Tulsa, OK, October 2001.

"Mathematics and Poetry: Surprising Intersections." Keynote Speakers for Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society, Nazareth College, Rochester, NY, April, 2001.

"The Pedagogical and Epistemological Uses of Analogy in Poetry and Mathematics." Seventh International Society for the Study of European Ideas Conference, Bergen, Norway, August 2000.

"A Formal Debate: New Educational Technologies Enhance Research, Teaching and Learning in the Undergraduate College Curriculum," , Institute for the Study of Postsecondary Pedagogy, New Paltz, NY, November 1996.

"Crossing Academic and Social Boundaries Through Technology" Institute for the Study of Postsecondary Pedagogy, New Paltz, NY, November 1994.

"Infusing Quantitative Reasoning into all Disciplines," Co-chairs of discussion group, Institute for the Study of Postsecondary Pedagogy, New Paltz, NY, November 1994.

"Critical Thinking," Invited Speakers for The Association of Mathematics Teachers of the Rochester Area, Rochester, NY, April 1994.

"Overlapping Classroom Experiences for First-Year Students," Invited Colloquium Speakers for the College of Liberal Arts, RIT, Rochester, NY, November 1993.

"When Two Cultures Converge: Faculty Collaboration as a Model for Student Interaction," National AMS/MAA Joint Mathematics Meeting, San Antonio, TX, January 1993.