Franklin & Marshall College

Students Honored for Math Excellence

Diana A. Aulisa '13 has received the Ronald K. Stuart Mathematics Prize for 2013.  The Stuart prize is the highest honor the department bestows and is “awarded to the student who has completed major work in the field of mathematics with greatest distinction.”  

The prize is awarded every year to the senior or seniors who accomplish the best mathematical work of all students in the graduating class.  The prize is endowed by funds donated to the department, and includes an honorary stipend.

Eight students were designated as 2013 John Kershner Scholars.  This honor is awarded to students of good and regular standing in the College for "proficiency in mathematics," and includes an honorary stipend.

Mathematics Chair Prof. Iwan Praton awarded the honor to:  Diana A. Aulisa '13, Shangqin Cheng '14, Michael G. Irving '13, Donghui Li '14, Ran Liu '13, Alec P. Regulinski '13, John C. Schreiber '13, and Niriksha P. Shetty '13. Aulisa, Irving, and Liu are second-time recipients.

The Kershner Scholarships were established in 1937 through the bequest of Dr. Jefferson E. Kershner, who was head of the College’s Department of Mathematics and Director of the Scholl Observatory for many years.  Kershner was an 1877 graduate of F&M.

Pi Mu Epsilon Inducts New Members

During the spring 2013 semester, Franklin & Marshall College's Eta Chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon welcomed 23 new members at the annual induction ceremony.  The Pennsylvania Eta chapter was chartered at F&M in 1963.

Pi Mu Epsilon is a nationally recognized honorary society dedicated to furthering knowledge of mathematics.  The organization has a rich history of promoting scholarly activity in mathematics among students in academic institutions. For example, there is a journal of student mathematical research, and there are opportunities to receive funds to attend national mathematical meetings.

Chapter Advisor Prof. Annalisa Crannell and Co-Presidents John Schreiber '13 and Manil Bastola '14 presented membership certificates to: Arya Bhattarai '15, Ryan K. Brenner '15, Henry A. Carr '13, Andrew B. Dippel '14, Joshua E. Finkel '15, George G. Gallo III '14, Aaron M. Gillette '13, Kun Huang '14, Zheng Jin '15, Minji Kim '15, Arielle E. Leider '14, Yichin Liu '14, Yibin Liu '15, Rachel A. Myer '14, Alec P. Regulinski '13, Molly A. Reynolds '13, Jacqueline K. Sager '13, Niriksha P. Shetty '13, Hanyu Sun '15, Joshua S. Wesalo '13, Anthony D. Wishard '13, Jingjing Xu '15,  and Yueyang Zheng '14.

Putnam Exam

The Putnam Exam is a prestigious, difficult competitive mathematics exam administered annually on the first Saturday in December to students at colleges and universities across the US and Canada. Franklin & Marshall has made good showings in recent years, and we hope to continue the tradition this year!

Interested students should contact Academic Department Coordinator Cynthia Dinger at cdinger@fandm.edu for more information.

Mathematics Colloquium Talk Series

F&M and our colleagues down the road in Millersville jointly present a quasi-weekly mathematics colloquium talk series on Thursday afternoons during the academic year. All are welcome! Talks vary in their intended audiences: Some are moderately specialized and technical, while others are very student-friendly.

Tetrahedral Geometry-Topology Seminar

Topologists, geometers, and other interested colleagues from F&M, Millersville, Elizabethtown College, and Lebanon Valley College (the four vertices of our "tetrahedron") also co-sponsor a monthly geometry and topology research seminar series. We generally meet on the first Friday of each month at Hempfield High School (the approximate barycenter of our tetrahedron), in a math classroom festooned with inspirational Garfield posters. We then relax with a nice dinner out.