Dear math/CS/mathematical economics majors and minors,
On behalf of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Welcome Back! returning Math majors,
Computer Science majors, Math-Econ majors,
prospective majors/minors, and
friends of the department!
welcome back for another challenging, rewarding, and (hopefully) fun year of courses and activities. This letter provides an overview of our faculty and what they are up to, upcoming courses, and the many opportunities for you as students to get involved with mathematics and computer science in ways that will engage and challenge you.
We will start out with our traditional Fall Welcome Back Picnic – don’t miss it!
WELCOME BACK PICNIC
Friday September 1 4 th at 1 2 noon
TUTT SCIENCE CENTER ATRIUM
The picnic will be followed at 1:00 by our first student-level Fearless Friday talk, by our own Matthew Whitehead.
Here is an overview of news and happenings in the department for the coming year:
Our New Paraprofessional :
Evan Ranken takes over the position of paraprofessional. Evan graduated from CC last year with a double major in math and physics. He has a passion for mathematics, pure and otherwise, and knowledge of what it takes to get through your math major or minor. Evan can tell you about the fascinating topics that await you in the mathematics classes you have yet to take. He will also keep you tuned in to the many mathematical and social activities going on for students in the department. If you don’t already know Evan, drop by TSC 210 and introduce yourself.
Our Faculty:
We are very pleased to welcome a new visitor this year, Beth Malmskog. Beth’s research interests include arithmetic geometry, number theory, combinatorics, and cryptography. Beth grew up in Wyoming and got her Ph.D. in 2011 from Colorado State. In addition to her love of mathematics, Beth is a music junkie; listen for her on KRCC in the near future! Beth will be occupying Amelia Taylor’s office (TSC 206F) while Amelia is on sabbatical this year; please drop by and say “Hi”! We will also have two block visitors this year: Ben Katz-Moses will be coming down from CU-Boulder to teach several sections of calculus, and Professor Emerita Kathy Merrill will be returning to teach an extra section of linear algebra in block 5.
We are delighted that Matthew Whitehead is our new tenure-track computer scientist. Many of you know Matthew because he was a visiting professor last year; after a nationwide search, he rose to the top of our list to be a long-term member of the department. Matthew’s research interests include artificial intelligence, machine learning, and finding patterns in complex data sets. He has worked on many interesting areas of application, from automatic text extraction to evolving computer game bots. Drop by his office (TSC 206H) or take a class from him if you want to find out more about the amazing variety of problems that computer scientists work on.
We’ll have to muddle along without Amelia Taylor this year. She is on sabbatical, a reward for earning tenure last year. Amelia will be spending time in Oregon and New Zealand, working with collaborators on her research in computational algebra and phylogenetics.
It is business as usual for the rest of us in the department: - Marlow Anderson, David Brown (that’s me – the department chair), Andrea Bruder, Stefan Erickson, Steven Janke, Jane McDougall (associate chair), Mike Siddoway and Fred Tinsley.
Amy Pacheco, our technical director, will continue to be there to help us with any problems arising from technology and to think about creative ways to use technology in and out of the classroom. Marita Beckert, our staff assistant, will continue to be there to help us with everything necessary for the department to run smoothly.
Courses:
We have the usual wide range of excellent course offerings for the 2012-13 school year. Here are some of the highlights:
Pure Mathematics :
· MA251 Number Theory (Tinsley – block 3 and Erickson – block 6)
· MA300 Geometry (Anderson – block 6)
· MA340 Algebraic Number Theory (Erickson – block 7)
· MA321/322 Abstract Algebra I and II (Anderson – block 4 and Siddoway – block 5)
· MA375/376 Real Analysis I and II (Brown – block 1 and Tinsley – block 2)
· MA400 Topology (Tinsley – block 8)
· MA408 History of Mathematics (Siddoway – block 7)
· MA410 Complex Analysis (McDougall – block 6)
Applied Mathematics and Statistics:
· MA217 Probability and Statistical Modeling (Janke -- block 2 and Tinsley -- block 6)
· MA218 Analysis of Environmental Data (McDougall -- block 7)
· MA220 Linear Algebra (Bruder – block 1 and Malmskog/Merrill – block 5)
· MA313 Probability (Siddoway – block 3)
· MA315 Ordinary Differential Equations (Bruder – block 4)
· MA316 Partial Differential Equations (Brown – block 5)
· MA417 Mathematical Statistics (Janke – block 8)
Computer Science:
· CP215 Application Design (Whitehead – block 4)
· CP275 Computer Organization (Janke - block 7)
· CP341 Machine Learning (Whitehead - block 8)
· CP342 Distributed Systems (Whitehead – block 1)
· CP360 Computer Graphics (Janke – block 4)
· CP405 Theory of Computation (Janke - block 5)
Note that CP215 will provide math and science majors (as well as CS majors) with useful computational and information processing skills. The prerequisite is CP122 Computer Science I, or MA126 Calculus 1. Computational tools will be approached using various languages (such as Python and Perl) and using applications such as Mathematica and Matlab.
Extended Format Courses
MA228 – Mathematical Problem Solving: Mathematical Modeling (Bruder – blocks 1-4). Students are encouraged to compete (in teams) in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling in February after learning about mathematical models in a number of trial scenarios through the fall. The course runs late block 1 – block 4, with some commitment for final contest preparation in block 5. Students with strong interest and varying levels of experience are encouraged to participate. Approximately weekly meeting times to be arranged, often accompanied by pizza.
MA228 – Mathematical Problem Solving: Putnam (Erickson – blocks 1-- 4). Students may elect to take the Putnam exam in late fall after working on problem-solving techniques during the first semester. These meetings will take place on Mondays at noon, and will frequently be accompanied by pizza.
CP248 - Robotics. Make your own robot, and train it to run the maze (or perhaps just to turn a corner or two). (Janke and Whitehead – blocks 5 -- 8)
The “Capstone Experience” Requirement (for Mathematics Majors)
The capstone experience requirement is a crowning course or activity that mathematics majors pursue in their senior year. The capstone experience is a graduation requirement of all students who have declared a major in mathematics. There are two different ways to fulfill the requirement:
· MA408 – History of Mathematics taken as a senior (Michael Siddoway – block 7)
· A project concluding with a thesis and seminar during block 7. (The student should select a faculty adviser for this as soon as possible – no later than of block 3 of the senior year.) For more information about the thesis, please consult the department web page or any faculty. Note that math majors pursuing distinction must select this capstone option.
Caution juniors: Do not use the first option MA408 as a junior unless you are absolutely sure that you wish to complete the paper and project option as your capstone-fulfillment activity when you are a senior.
Fearless Friday Seminars:
Our departmental seminar series includes presentations each Friday, except for block breaks. Some talks are given by our faculty, some by students, and some by visitors. We rate each seminar (G – XXX) to give you an idea of its level of difficulty, but you can almost always gain some understanding from the first 10 – 15 minutes of our talks, even from those that eventually move on to more technical material. Our seminars will often introduce you to mathematical topics not normally studied in our regular courses.
We will schedule a student-oriented seminar on the second Friday of each block at noon (accompanied by pizza). These seminars should stir your interest in new topics and often bridge different areas of mathematics. Talks that are more research-level are held on other Fridays at 2:30 pm; students are always welcome.
All Mathematics majors and Computer Science majors are required to attend at least 4 seminars and submit a written one or two-page summary to the staff assistant (Marita Beckert) within two weeks of the seminar. Needless to say, we hope you will attend many more than four seminars over your four years at CC! Associate Chair Jane McDougall will be overseeing the review process to see that your essays are suitable - sample essays can be found on the department web page. Reminder: All summaries should be completed by the end of block 7 of your senior year.
Pizza Problems and Other Events :
As you may know, we pose (and post) a Pizza Problem each block. The earliest correct solution earns a pizza. Watch for both mathematical and computer science problems posted each block on one of our several bulletin boards as well as the department website.
Expect a number of game nights to be organized again this year, and other events including a bowling outing (more details to follow from Evan). Also watch out for the spring picnic, date to be determined.
Tutors and Graders:
The department hires graders for many of our courses, and the QRC hires tutors. If you would like to try your hand at these rewarding jobs, please let Evan know. This work is essential to guiding many of our students through their mathematics courses, and this is an opportunity for you as tutors and graders to gain a deeper understanding of the material as well.
Math Email List:
Throughout the year, we will contact you about seminars, schedule changes, parties, picnics and other math/cs related activities. Most of the announcements go out by e-mail, so make sure you are on our list.
Wishing you all another productive and enjoyable year,