MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT
To: All Missouri Mathematicians
From: James Guffey, Chair of the MAA Missouri Section
The Division ofMathematics and Computer Science at Truman State University is looking forward tohosting the Spring Meeting of the Missouri Section of the MathematicalAssociation of America on April 12 and 13, 2002. We encourage you and your students tosubmit abstracts for contributed papers for the meeting.
The Seventh AnnualMissouri MAA Collegiate Mathematics Competition will be held on Thursdayevening, April 11th, and Friday morning, April 12th. Complete details appear later in thisnewsletter and on the Section web page.
I have been unable toreach either of our leads concerning featured speakers, so those plans remainincomplete at this time, but I can tell you that I have been able to confirm LouGrimmof the Universityof Missouri-Rolla forthe dinner speaker as our last year's recipient of the 2001 Missouri SectionAward for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.
We at Truman State arelooking forward to hosting this year's Missouri Section Meeting and hope to seeyou in Kirksville!
FutureMeeting Sites
TheSpring Meeting is held at various locations around the state. As part of its long-range planning, theExecutive Committee is entertaining invitations for future meetings in 2007 andthereafter. The meeting sites forthe past several years and the next three years are listed below for yourconvenience. If your campus wouldbe willing to host a Spring Meeting, please contact James Guffey, Chair.
1985 Central Missouri State 1986 Southwest Missouri State 1987 Truman State 1988 Washington University1989 University of Missouri-Columbia1990 College of the Ozarks1991 University of Missouri-Rolla1992 Northwest Missouri State 1993 Westminster 1994 Missouri Southern State 1995 Central Missouri State1996 Southeast Missouri State1997 Missouri Western State1998 Southwest Missouri State 1999 Rockhurst2000 Central Missouri State2001 University of Missouri-Rolla2002 Truman State2003 Washington University2004 Southeast Missouri State2005 Missouri Western State2006 University of Missouri-Columbia
CALL FOR PAPERS
You are invited topresent a paper at the Spring Meeting. Papers are to be between 15 and 20 minutes in length and may be onresearch topics or expository in nature and may deal with any topic inmathematics or mathematics education. For example, papers may pertain to your current mathematical scholarlyactivity, new courses that you have developed, or successful techniques youhave found useful in teaching. Youmay opt to design a presentation directed to the undergraduate and graduatestudents attending the meeting.
Also, faculty are urgedto assist honors students in presenting papers at the meeting. MAA student memberships will be awardedas prizes for the top student papers.
Abstract forms areavailable on the web at http://momaa.math.umr.edu/forms/abstract.html. Abstracts should be submitted using oneof the following two methods: Mailto:
JamesGuffey
Division ofMathematics and Computer Science
Truman StateUniversity
Kirksville,MO 63501
or send the abstract as a Microsoft Wordattachment to an e-mail to jguffey@truman.edu.
Please include all of the information requestedon the abstract form: presenter’s name, title, affiliation, contact information, titleof paper, abstract, AMS subject classification, and special accommodationsneeded (overhead projector, computer, etc.). Also please indicate if the speaker is a student and if thepaper is directed toward a student audience. Deadline for receipt of abstracts is February 15, 2002.
Congratulations to Professor Lou Grimm and
Professor Edward Spitznagel
As noted earlier in this newsletter, theMissouri Section of MAA awarded Dr. Louis Grimm of the University ofMissouri-Rolla the 2001 Missouri Section Award for Distinguished College orUniversity Teaching of Mathematics. Dr. Grimm, who was honored at the banquet last Spring, has had adistinguished teaching career at UMR. He will be our guest speaker at the banquet at the 2002 Spring Meetingof the Missouri Section of MAA.
Congratulations also go to Dr. Ed Spitznagel,the winner of the 2000 Missouri Section Award for Distinguished College orUniversity Teaching of Mathematics, who in addition to being recognized by theMissouri Section, was also given a Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award forDistinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics by the nationalMAA. He will be recognized andwill speak at the January 2002 Joint Meetings.
Missouri MAA Collegiate Mathematics Competition
The sixth Missouri MAA Collegiate MathematicsCompetition will be held Thursday, April 11, 2002 and Friday, April 12, 2002 onthe campus of the Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Any collegeor university in the state of Missouri can send up to two official teams of 1-3undergraduates each to compete in the competition. Unofficial teams will beallowed to compete, depending on the amount of available space, but will not beeligible for awards. They will also be charged the normal registration fee. A one-personteam will only be allowed in the competition if this person is his or hercollege's only representative in the competition. A completed registration formfor each team must be sent one week before the competition begins. Lateregistration will be accepted only if there is room for the team in thecompetition. The registration formcan be found on the MAA Missouri Section web page at http://momaa.math.umr.edu/forms/contest_registration_form.html.
No calculators or computers or referencematerial can be used during the competition. The contest will consist ofchallenging mathematical problems, comparable but not quite as difficult as thePutnam Exam. The Putnam Exam is a national exam sponsored by the MAA and givento outstanding college mathematics students. Previous Putnam Exams can be foundin past October issues of the American Mathematical Monthly.
The first session will begin on Thursday, April11 at 7:30 pm and last until 10 pm and will consist of 5 problems for each teamto solve. The second session will begin on Friday, April 12 at 8:30 am and willend at 11 am. It will also contain an additional 5 problems. Each problem willbe worth 10 points and will be scored by a committee of the MAA Missourisection. The committee consists of the following members: Mangho Ahuja (SEMSU),Jim Bruening (SEMSU), Hang Chen (CMSU), Curtis Cooper (CMSU), Joseph B. Dence(UMSL), Leon Hall (UMR), and Alvin Tinsley (CMSU). Some partial credit may beearned for substantially correct work toward a solution to the problem.
There will be a registration fee of $40 perteam. A complementary continental breakfast will precede the Friday morningcompetition. Each team member and the faculty sponsor are invited to a Fridaypizza party at 11:30 am. Each team member is also invited to be a guestat the MAA Missouri Section Banquet on Friday night. At that time, the resultsof the competition will be announced. A traveling trophy will be awarded to thefirst place team. In addition, each member of the first place team will receivea plaque. Certificates will also be given to each participant in thecompetition.
Any questions about the competition can be sentto
Curtis Cooper
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Central Missouri State University
Warrensburg, MO 64093-5045
(660) 543-8851
fax: (660) 543-8006
email: cnc8851@cmsu2.cmsu.edu
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
2002 MISSOURI SECTION AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHEDCOLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY TEACHING
OFMATHEMATICS
Nominations for the 2002Missouri Section Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching ofMathematics are now being accepted. The award recognizes teachers of mathematics at the post-secondary levelwho have been widely recognized as extraordinarily successful.
The Section SelectionCommittee will review all nominations and determine which candidate, if any,best fulfills the guidelines given below. (If no nominated candidate is found to have outstanding qualifications,then the award will not be given.) The Missouri Section awardee will be honored at the Spring 2002 meetingof the Section and will be widely recognized and acknowledged within theSection.
The awardee will also bethe official Section candidate for the pool of Section awardees from which thenational recipients of the MAA Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Awards forDistinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics will be selectedexcept that one of the national winners may be selected from another source.There will be at most three national awardees, each of whom will be honored atthe national MAA meeting in January 2003 and receive a $1,000 check and acertificate.
Eligibility
Nominees must satisfythe following criteria:
· Collegeor university teachers assigned at least half-time during the academic year toteaching a mathematical science in a public or private college or university(from two-year college teaching through teaching at the Ph.D. level) in theUnited States or Canada. Those onapproved leave (sabbatical or other) during the academic year in which they arenominated qualify if they fulfilled the requirements in the previous year.
· Atleast five years teaching experience in a mathematical science.
· Membershipin the Mathematical Association of America.
Guidelines forNomination
The nominees should
· bewidely recognized as extraordinarily successful in their teaching*
· haveteaching effectiveness that can be documented
· havehad influence in their teaching beyond their own institutions**
· fostercuriosity and generate excitement about mathematics in their students.
*"teaching" isto be interpreted in its broadest sense, not necessarily limited to classroomteaching (it may include activities such as preparing students for mathematicalcompetitions at the college level, for example, the Putnam Prize Competition orthe Mathematical Contest in Modeling, or attracting students to become majorsin a mathematical science or to become Ph.D. candidates).
**"influence beyondtheir own institution" can take many forms, including demonstrated lastingimpact on alumni, influence on the profession through curricular revisions incollege mathematics teaching with national impact, influential innovative bookson the teaching of college mathematics, etc.
Procedures
· Nominationsmust be submitted on the "Nomination Form" found on theMissouri Section web page athttp://momaa.math.umr.edu/forms/MAATeachAwardForm.pdf. Anyone may nominate an eligiblecandidate, but self-nomination is not permitted.
· Pleasefollow the instructions on the form precisely to assure uniformity in theselection process both at the Section and national levels. If a file on a Section awardeesignificantly exceeds the prescribed limits (as found athttp://momaa.math.umr.edu/forms/teaching_award_guidelines.html), it will not beconsidered for a national award and will be returned to the Section.
· Nominationsfor the Missouri Section Award should be sent to Rhonda McKee, Chair of theSelection Committee, at the address below so as to be received no later than December1, 2001. Nominations for candidates who are notmembers of the Missouri Section should be sent to the Secretary of thenominee’s Section.
RhondaMcKee
Dept. ofMath & Computer Science
CentralMissouri State University
Warrensburg,MO 64093
Minutes of Missouri Section Executive Committee Meeting
April 6, 2001
The Executive Committeemeeting of the Missouri Section was held in Centennial Hall on the campus ofthe University of Missouri-Rolla. Chair Ilene Morgan called the meeting to order after the banquet. David Stone, Chair of the MAA Committeeon Sections, attended the meeting along with the following officers:
Chair IleneMorgan (UMR)
Vice-Chair JamesGuffey (Truman)
Governor VicGummersheimer (SEMO)
Newsletter Editor JimBruening (SEMO)
Past Chair CurtisCooper (CMSU)
Secretary-Treasurer SusanCallahan (Cottey)
1. SusanCallahan expressed some concern about the long-term health of the Section'sfinances. There is a large balancein the bank account now, but, without an Exxon Grant, expenses for the meeting,competition, and newsletters exceed the Section's income. Possibilities discussed wereincreasing the team registration fee for the competition, increasing the numberof exhibitors at the meeting (TI and Casio sometimes exhibit), includingadvertising (for graduate schools) in the newsletter, and having the newsletterentirely on-line to lower mailing costs.
2. Optionsfor the newsletter were discussed. The spring newsletter could go out earlier if the meeting schedule werenot included. A meetingannouncement could be sent in January and the newsletter, including a report onthe meeting, could be sent after the meeting. Jim Bruening wanted to ask for suggestions at the BusinessMeeting. If there are nosuggestions, we will go with three mailings: fall newsletter, meeting announcement, spring newsletter.
3. Effortsare being made to establish a section NExT program. A couple of get-togethers were held at Rockhurst two yearsago and Ilene Morgan made arrangements for a panel and breakfast at thismeeting. A group consisting of KimMcHale (Columbia College), Tim Ray(SEMO), Paula Shorter(Rockhurst), and Ileneis working on a grant to support additional NExT activities. The first draft has been submitted. David Stone noted that about half thesections have NExT programs. Hesuggested that senior people in the Section be involved in planning Missouri'sNExT program. Copies of a letterregarding fund raising for the national Project NExT were distributed toExecutive Committee members.
4. Ilenedistributed copies of a letter she received from Kevin Hopkins (SouthwestBaptist) asking whether College Algebra is acceptable under the MissouriCoordinating Board for Higher Education's new general education policy. Vic Gummersheimer has just beenappointed to the CBHE's Mathematics Technical Advisory Committee.
5. UMCwould like to get more involved in the Section. We last met there in 1989. The Executive Committee approved UMC as the host of the 2006meeting.
6. ShingSo would like to be reappointed as H.S. Contest Coordinator. His term is not over for another year,but no one objected to his being reappointed at that time. Curtis Cooper distributed copies of theresults of the 2001 American High School Mathematics Examinations.
7. Adraft of the agenda for the Business Meeting was distributed. It was suggested that Al Tinsleyannounce the results of the 5K Run/Walk. The customary prize is $15 toward an MAA book.
8. Nextyear's Missouri Section meeting will be April 12-13, 2002, at Truman StateUniversity.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Callahan
Secretary-Treasurer
Minutesof MAA Missouri Section Business Meeting
April 7, 2001, University of Missouri-Rolla
(Approval will beconsidered at the Spring 2002 Business Meeting: April 13, 2002)
The Business Meeting of the Missouri Section washeld in McNutt Hall Room 204 on the campus of the University ofMissouri-Rolla. Chair Ilene Morgancalled the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m.
1. SusanCallahan presented certificates to all students who presented papers at theMeeting.
2. Theminutes of the 2000 Business Meeting were approved as published in the FallNewsletter.
3. IleneMorgan reported on issues discussed at the Executive Committee Meeting. Four people are working on a sectionNExT program. Kim McHale has submitteda proposal for a grant. They hopeto have a full-fledged program next year. The University of Missouri-Columbia will host the meeting in 2006.
4. VicGummersheimer reported on the Board of Governors meeting held on January 9 inNew Orleans. The new MAA presidentis Ann Watkins. The old committeeon placement testing has been replaced by a new standing committee, theCommittee on Articulation andPlacement. Ken Ross will chair theCommittee on Elections to study the timing and method of conducting nationalMAA elections. Please vote--moreparticipation is desirable. A 3.5%increase in dues passed after being hotly debated. There are now three special interest groups: Research in Undergraduate MathematicsEducation, Statistics Education, and BIG (business, industry andgovernment). Departments areencouraged to provide copies of Math Horizons for majors. MathDL is a new web site with manyresources for mathematics faculty. The 42nd IMO will be held in Washington, DC, about July 4. Please try to come to the MathFest inMadison this summer. The MAA isundertaking a fund raising effort for Project NExT.
5. DavidStone, Chair of the MAA Committee on Sections, said that he enjoyed visitingthe Missouri Section. He thoughtit was a good meeting.
6. SusanCallahan distributed the Treasurer's Report. The balance as of April 1, 2001, is $4,422.10. She noted that the Section is currentlyspending more than it takes in. The balance is healthy now, but there could be long-run implications.
7. TheSpring Newsletter came out at the last minute. Ideas discussed included sending the main meeting schedule(without the contributed papers) in January, and sending the fall issue earlierand the spring issue after the meeting.
8. LesReid, Student Chapter Coordinator, reported that he is trying to increase thenumber of chapters in the state. He is thinking of targeting a couple of schools and would be interestedin any suggestions.
9. RhondaMcKee, High School Lecture Coordinator, was attending the KME meeting.
10. Shing So,H.S. Contest Coordinator, said that this year's finances were not yet complete,but he expected it to be the same as last year. The report of the results of the 2001 American High SchoolMathematics Examinations is available at the book sale.
11. Robert Roe,Junior High School Contest Coordinator, reported that 69 schools and 3739students participated in the contest. The average score in Missouri was 8.68, and the average score nationallywas 8.66. There were 4 perfectscores in Missouri and 58 nationally. The governor will present plaques on April 17.
12. JerryWilkerson noted that there is a list of summer workshops on p.10-12 of theSpring Newsletter and encouraged people to take advantage of them. He also noted that the URL for MathDLis included in the third paragraph of p.9 of the newsletter. Jerry is completing a long term asPublic Information Coordinator. The Section thanked him for his years of service.
13. Leon Hallasked people to check and be sure their institutions were correct on the webpage. Material to be included onthe page should be sent to him.
14. CurtisCooper listed the top five teams in the Collegiate MathematicsCompetition: UMC Team A,Washington University, UMC Team B, UMR Team A, and Westminster. A total of 61 students, 15 teamadvisors, and 7 committee members participated in competition activities. Curtis mentioned the possibility ofraising the entry fee because expenses are far greater than revenues and grantmoney is no longer available.
15. BobKennedy, chair of the selection committee, congratulated Lou Grimm on winningthe 2001 Missouri Section Award for Distinguished College or UniversityTeaching of Mathematics. Next yearRhonda McKee will chair the selection committee. All departments are encouraged to make nominations.
16. TheNominating Committee consisted of Al Tinsley, chair, Ken Lee and BobSheets. The following officerswere nominated by the Committee and elected by the Section:
Vice Chair RenatoFeres (Wash. U.)
Secretary-Treasurer KeithBrandt (Rockhurst)
Public InformationCoord. SharonVestal (MWSC)
Renato Feres iscurrently in Paris; Steven Krantz offered his name to the committee. The Section thanked Jerry Wilkerson andSusan Callahan, whose terms end at this meeting, for their service.
17. Al Tinsleythanked Tim Randolph and Rob Roe for laying out the 5K Run course. There were three runners and fourwalkers. Al Tinsley won thedrawing.
18. JamesGuffey said he looked forward to having the Section meeting at Truman Statenext year. The dates of themeeting are April 12-13, 2002, with the competition April 11-12.
19. Fouritems were discussed under Old/New Business.
a. YungchenCheng said that MOMATYC had expressed a desire to begin dialog with the Section.
b. CarolBrowning suggested that the Section try to avoid Passover when schedulingmeetings.
c. Electronicdistribution of the newsletter was discussed. Postcard reminders could be sent when the newsletterappeared on the web. However,David Stone said that didn't work in his section. Liaisons could print and distribute copies of the newsletteron their campuses. But not allliaisons communicate with people under the current system and there is aconcern about members, such as high school teachers, who are not in a collegedepartment. Sending an e-mail toall individuals was suggested. This would require every liaison sending the e-mail address of everyfaculty member to Jim Bruening--not likely to happen. Curtis Cooper expressed a concern that we might be askingJim to do something impossible.
d. Amotion to have the secretary write a letter to the appropriate official at theUniversity of Missouri-Rolla, expressing gratitude for their having hosted themeeting, was approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Callahan
Secretary-Treasurer
Lotto Results from the Rolla Meeting
Those of you who were at the MAA section meetingin Rolla this past April might remember that invited speaker David Stone hadeveryone fill out a Missouri Lotto ticket with the intention of picking two ofthem at random and playing them. One ticket consists of choosing six numbers out of 44 twice and costs $1to play.
The two selected tickets were those of JerzyWojdylo, whose two results were two out of six and zero out of six, and LyndaPlymate, who went zero out of six for both of her results. David also played his own ticket andmatched two out of six for both of his results. Since it takes three out of six to win the minimum prize (afree ticket), there isn't any exciting postscript to this story.
Thanks to all who participated.
From the Governor Vic Gummersheimer(SEMO)
TheBoard of Governors met on August 1, 2001, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. duringMathFest 2001. This was the firstBoard of Governors meeting chaired by the new president of the MAA, AnnWatkins. The next Board meeting will be onJanuary 5 before the Joint Mathematics Meetings to be held January 6 to 9,2002, in San Diego, CA.
PresidentWatkins announced the appointment of three committee chairs:
VictorJ. Katz Subcommitteeon Instructional Uses of the History of Mathematics
BernardMadison Committeeon Articulation and Placement
MarthaJ. Siegel Committeeon Committee Chairs’ Handbook
Thenext six AMS-MAA Joint Meetings will be held during January in San Diego(2002),Baltimore(2003), Phoenix(2004), Atlanta(2005), San Antonio(2006), and NewOrleans(2007).
RonaldGrahamwill assume the office of President-Elect after the January meetings in 2002. He will serve in that capacity for oneyear and will become President of the MAA after the January Meeting in2003. All officers serve atwo-year term. Also, in January2002, Carl C. Cowen will become First Vice President and Joseph A.Gallian will begin his term as Second Vice President.
Toencourage members who are interested in serving on national committees,Governors have been requested to send the names, interests, and specialabilities of potential committee members to the Secretary. To assist me in this task I would askeach member to examine the committees listed on the website www.maa.org andsubmit their own name or the name of someone in the Missouri Section who wouldbe able to work on a particular committee.
TheMathematics Digital Library Project is continuing to develop through the workof Don Albers, Doug Ensley, Lang Moore, and the staff at Math Forum. The first issue of the Journal ofOnline Mathematics and its Applications (JOMA) appeared in January andthe second issue was released during MathFest. This part of the project is under the direction of DavidSmith, editor of JOMA. I am surethat you will find some interesting articles at www.joma.org.
TheMAA office is the process of converting to the new TIMSS Association ManagementSoftware. The project is withinbudget and on schedule to be completed this fall. The new management system will allow many new services suchas processing new or renewed memberships online.
DonAlbers, the Associate Executive Director of the Publications and ElectronicServices Department, reported that book sales continue to be strong and thatseveral new books will appear during the coming year. The latest information on MAA books is available at www.maa.org.
The Board of Governors confirmed the selection by theCommittee on the Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Awards for DistinguishedCollege or University Teaching of Mathematics of Dennis DeTurch (U. ofPennsylvania), Paul J. Sally, Jr. (U. of Chicago), and Edward L. Spitznagel,Jr. (Washington U. – St. Louis). On behalf of the Missouri Section, I extend our congratulations to Dr.Spitznagel. The awardees will beasked to speak about their teaching at the San Diego meeting.
Searchesare underway to fill two very important positions: Director of Programs and Services atMAA and Treasurer of MAA. Theseare the positions currently held by Thomas W. Rishel and Gerald J. Porter. Please consider the followingannouncements and make suggestions to the search committees.
TheMathematical Association of America (MAA) is seeking a highly qualified personfor the position of Director of Programs and Services. Candidates should have a doctorate orthe equivalent in a mathematical science or mathematics education and at leastsix years of experience as a collegiate faculty member. A candidate should havesuccessful experiences in all or most of the following areas: grant proposalwriting and project management; administration; improvements in teaching andlearning; and MAA committees, sections, or programs. Appointments may be made for two or three years, with theoption of renewal for multiple years.
The Director will overseeprograms and member services which include professional development activities;program development; support of member run activities, including those ofcommittees, sections, and special interest groups; grant management andsupport; preparation and submission of proposals to foundations and governmentagencies. The Director reports tothe Executive Director. He/she isa key member in the MAA's staff leadership team, and will work closely with theExecutive Director and other staff members, national officers, sectionofficers, committee chairs, and others in strategic planning and programdevelopment.
TheMAA, with 30,000 members, is the largest association in the world devoted tocollegiate mathematics. Membershipincludes college and university faculty and students, high school teachers,individuals from business, industry, and government, and others who enjoymathematics. The Director ofPrograms and Services has responsibilities that encompass all major componentsand activities of the MAA. Theseinclude two annual national conferences, the summer MAA MathFest, and thewinter Joint Mathematics Meeting organized with the American MathematicalSociety; twenty-nine Sectional organizations that hold annual meetings andconduct professional development activities; publication of three scholarlyjournals, two magazines, a newsletter, and 15-20 books annually; over 100committees and councils that are responsible for much of the work of theAssociation; and externally funded projects and programs.
Thedeadline for submission of applications is January 21, 2002. Interviews will be held during themonths of January and February. Itis expected that the new Director will begin work by July 2002, earlier ifpossible. The position is locatedat the national headquarters of the MAA in Washington, DC. Salary will be based upon thecandidate's credentials or current salary for a reassignment position. The MAA offers a generous benefitspackage.
Candidates should send a résumé and letterof interest to: Ms. Julie Kraman,Mathematical Association of America, 1529 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036.
Applicationsmay be submitted electronically to jkraman@maa.org. References will be requested after review ofapplications. Applications fromindividuals from underrepresented groups are encouraged. Additional informationabout the MAA and its programs and services may be found on MAA's Website: www.maa.org. AA/EOE.
TheCommittee charged with the responsibility of recommending candidates for theposition of Treasurer of the MAA seeks input. Members of this Treasurer Search Committee are BarbaraFaires, Chair, Ron Graham, and Barbara Osofsky. If you would like to suggest a candidate or would like to beconsidered yourself, please contact Barbara Faires by e-mail(faires@westminster.edu) as soon as possible.
Theterm of the treasurer position is five years. According to the MAA Bylaws, the Treasurer shall have theusual duties pertaining to the office including the collection of dues and thesupervision and safekeeping of the funds of the Association. The Treasurer shall be responsible forthe control and administration of all investment funds; endowment, trust, andgift funds; and such other funds as the Board may designate. The Search Committee makes itsrecommendations for candidates for the position of Treasurer to the ExecutiveCommittee, who sends nominations to the Board. It is the Board of Governors who elects the Treasurer.
MissouriMathematics Leadership (MML)
Check outthe Missouri Mathematics Leadership (MML) web site (http://mathed.missouri.edu)! This site serves as a central source thatincludes information related to conferences, summer institutes, DESE sponsoredactivities, and math contests. Links to state and national agencies and professional associations arealso available through the site. Reports developed by DESE, K-16 Coalition for Mathematics and the MMLProject can also be read or printed from the site. In addition, this DESEfunded project sponsors a spring leadership conference and provides grantwriting assistance to public schools.
Teachersmay register via the web site to receive newsletters and mailings. The MML staff welcomes your questions/comments. Please contact us via e-mail MML@missouri.edu with your input.
MarilynSoucie
MMLCoordinator
MissouriMath Meetings(Moreinformation available on MML web site)
11/06/2001NCTM Institute on Algebra, Branson, MO
12/7/2001Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference, Columbia, MO
02/21/2002Interface 2002 A (grades K-6), Missouri DESE, Osage Beach, MO
02/24/2002Interface 2002 B (grades 7-12), Missouri DESE, Osage Beach, MO
From the Campuses
Avila College
We did hire a new assistant professor in mathematics thisyear at Avila College. Her name isKathleen Fick and she got her PhD from Auburn University last spring. Her thesis involved ordinarydifferential equations. (Submittedby Don Faurot.)
Central MissouriState University (Warrensburg)
Newfaculty: Dr. Mahmoud A.Yousef, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Ph.D. Louisiana Tech University(Computational Analysis and Modeling)
M.S. Louisiana Tech University(Mathematics)
M.A. Kent State University (Mathematics)
B.Sc. Yarmouk University, Irbid,Jordan (Mathematics and Computer Science)
Mr.Paul J. Plummer, Instructor of Mathematics
M.S. Central Missouri StateUniversity (Mathematics)
B.S.E. Central Missouri State University(Mathematics)
Ms.Deborah Detrick , Instructor of Mathematics
M.S. Central Missouri StateUniversity (Mathematics)
B.S.E. Central Missouri State University(Mathematics)
Promotedto Full Professor: Dr. HangChen, Dr. Phoebe McLaughlin, Dr. Sue Sundberg, Dr. Jean Tao
Tenuredand Promoted to Associate Professor: Dr. Cindy Ramey
Retirement:Dr. Larry Dilley retired in May 2001 after 40 years of teaching at CMSU.
Special Events:
The departmenthosted its third annual Sonia Kovalevsky Day on September 25. Nearly 60 female high school studentsand 15 teachers attended a day of workshops, a problem solving competition, anda career panel discussion. Featured speakers included an actuary from Kansas City Life, anengineering team leader from Cerner Corp., an electrical engineer from Burnsand McDonnell, a B-2 pilot from Whiteman AFB, and an assistant professor inBiometry from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Rhonda McKee, Dr. Sue Sundberg, and Ms. Martha Diehl arethe SK Day directors. Serving onthe steering committee are Ms. Marte Carter, Dr. Terry Goodman, Dr. CindyRamey, and Mr. Steve Shattuck.
CMSU remains infirst place in the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS). Over 600 computers in laboratories andfaculty/staff offices across campus are using idle CPU cycles to search for anew world-record largest prime. Over 20,000 groups are involved in the worldwide search which usessoftware written by George Woltman and implemented on the PrimeNet server byScott Kurowski of Entropia, Inc. The four largest known primes have been found as a result of the GIMPSproject. As of September 17, 2001,Central's team has tested over 7300 exponents and has used over 3700 years ofCPU time. Dr. Curtis Cooper andDr. Vince Edmondson coordinate the GIMPS project on the Central campus.
(Submittedby Ed Davenport.)
ColumbiaCollege (Columbia)
We have a newmathematics professor, Ann Bledsoe, who is finishing her PhD in math educationat the University of Missouri. She replaces Dr. J. S. Huang who is now anactuary. We are also now offering a math degree. We are hoping to attract more math and science majors to ourinstitution with the addition of the math degree. (Submitted by Kim McHale.)
Culver-StocktonCollege
Professor Gary Cochell was part of the team of615 readers that graded the AP Calculus exams this past June in Ft. Collins,CO. He also spent 7 weeks atCornell University as a Visiting Professor in their Mathematics Department.
Kyle Boone a senior mathematicmajor spent the summer at the University of Maryland, College Park, in a REUprogram for Materials Science. (Submitted by Gary Cochell)
Drury College (Springfield)
Our math clubruns a tutoring service for students at Drury and holds several social events,both on campus and at the homes of the faculty members. The sponsor for our club is Dr. CharlesAllen. The student membership inour department has grown to 60 majors and minors. We have an active undergraduate research program.
Dr. RobertRobertson has joined our faculty. Bob comes to us from Huntingdon College in Alabama and fills theposition left vacant by Dr. Pam Reich. Dr. Al Letarte has left Drury for a position in North Carolina. This fall, we will be searching for areplacement for Dr. Letarte to start next fall.
We have a newminor in actuarial science in our department which was designed by Dr. JackieMiller. At present we have severalstudents who are planning on earning this degree and pursuing careers asactuaries.
Dr. Miller was selected asa Project Next fellow, and Dr. Allen had the opportunity to talk the ProjectNext group about problem based learning at Mathfest in Madison thissummer. The department members areactive in research and frequently give presentations at national meetings.
(Submitted by CarolBrowning)
Missouri Western (St.Joseph)
We have two new facultymembers in our department this year. Dr. Kevin Anderson received his Ph.D. in Mathematics in the area ofAbstract Algebra, specifically Map Theory from Kansas State University; and Mr.Jianping Su has a Masters in Computer Science and is currently finishing hisPh.D. in Computational Mathematics.
On March 25, 2001,seventeen new members were inducted into the Missouri Lambda Chapter of KappaMu Epsilon. At the initiationceremony, Dr. Jennifer Hegeman gave a talk entitled “Let Me Count theWays: A Look at Ancient NumerationSystems.”
The studentorganizations of the department, the Math Club and the Computer Science Club,were inactive. This prompted Dr.Sharon Vestal and C.R. Van Dyke to start a department club that would includestudents interested in Computer Science, Mathematics, or Physics. Hence, the Missouri Western Matrix wasformed. For more information aboutthis organization, go to http://www2.mwsc.edu/orgs/matrix/.
In celebration ofMathematics Awareness Month in April, the mathematics faculty sponsored aCalculus Bee for the students at Missouri Western. The format of the event was similar to MATHCOUNTS in thatthere was a written portion and a countdown round. For more information and ideas, the web address ishttp://griffon.mwsc.edu/~sharonv/calcbee/main.html.
The Mathematics facultycontinue to support the Problem of the Month contest. To view the rules, problems, and solutions, go to http://griffon.mwsc.edu/~vestal/POTM/rules.html.
(Submitted by SharonVestal)
NorthwestMissouri State University (Maryville)
Dr. Mary Shepherd (PhDfrom Washington University ) joined our faculty as an assistant professor.
Drs. Christine Benson,Margaret Buerman and Cheryl Gregerson received an NSF grant for PRISM. ThePRISM (Promoting Reasoning and Inquiry in Science and Mathematics) project is athree-year project for middle school mathematics and science teachers. (Submitted by Dennis Malm)
Southeast MissouriState University (Cape Girardeau)
Promotions
Dr.Tamela Randolph was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor beginning inFall 2001.
New Faculty
Dr.Imad Khamis: B.S. Basra University in Iraq, M.S.University of Baghdad, Ph.D. Kansas State University. He comes to Southeast from the Department of Psychiatry andBehavioral Science in the School of Medicine at the University of Miami,Florida. He will be teachingelementary and advanced statistics courses.
Dr.Andrew Lelek: Ph.D. University of Wroclaw, Poland,taught for 10 years at the Institute of Mathematics, Polish Academy ofSciences. In 1970 he came to theUniversity of Houston, and in 1975, became the Editor of the Houston Journal ofMathematics. He retired in 2000,and is teaching part-time this semester.
CherylMcAllisterhas ended her half-time assignment in the College of Science and MathematicsAdvising Office and has become a full-time member of the MathematicsDepartment. She is pursuing adoctorate degree at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in mathematicseducation.
CandideWalton: A.A. Flat River Junior College, B.S. inEducation-Mathematics from the University of Missouri-Columbia, MAT SoutheastMissouri State University. Shetaught mathematics at the middle and secondary level. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in Curriculum andInstruction with an emphasis in Mathematics Education at Southern IllinoisUniversity-Carbondale.
Mathematics and Statistics Searches in Progress
Applications are currently being accepted tofill two Tenure-track assistant professorships in Statistics beginningAugust 2002. Searches to fillother positions in mathematics will be opened soon. Complete details are available at http://www5.semo.edu/math.