Math Happenings
... at Franklin and Marshall College
Group Theory Conference:
The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Franklin and Marshall College was pleased to host the 2009 Zassenhaus Group Theory Conference on May 28 – 31, 2009. This conference continued the series of Ohio State-Denison Mathematics Conferences first organized in the 1960's by Hans Zassenhaus.
Pi Mu Epsilon Inducts New Members:
During the spring '09 semester, Franklin & Marshall College's Eta Chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon welcomed 21 new members at the annual induction ceremony. Pi Mu Epsilon, a national mathematics honor society, promotes and recognizes mathematical scholarship among students in postsecondary institutions. The society elects members on an honorary basis according to their proficiency in mathematics and engages in activities designed to promote the mathematical and scholarly development of its members.
Prof. Iwan Praton, chapter advisor, and Ahsan Ashraf '10 and Erica Spangler '09, chapter co-presidents, presented membership certificates to: Ronald N. Bogdasarian '09, Linda Clarke '10, Brian M. Devour '10, Daniel R. Droz '10, Michele C. Jowanna '10, Rebecca J. Keyes '11, Ajin Kim '10, Kaitlin R. Leach '09, Ruochuan Liu '10, Xiaoqiong Liu '10, Corinne M. McCarthy '09, Arjun V. Menon '11, Elizabeth E. Meyers '10, Lin Nie '10, Kartikeya Rao '09, Kartik Sarin '10, Daniel J. Selig '09, Emily E. Smith '11, Xiaodi Sun '11, Youzhi Wang '11, Xinyi Xie '10, Xiaoyu Zhang '11, and Xiaofei Zhou '10.
Congratulations!
... to our very own Professor Annalisa Crannell, winner of the 2007 James P. Crawford EPADEL Teaching Award !
EPADEL is the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware section of the MAA, and the Crawford Award honors a college or university math teacher who is "widely recognized as extraordinarily successful in [her] teaching", "has had influence in [her] teaching beyond [her] own institution", and "fosters curiosity and generates excitement about mathematics in [her] students". Professor Crannell certainly fits the bill!
And Super-Duper Congratulations!
Professor Crannell's regional prize put her in the running for the prestigious Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics, and she was chosen as one of three winners to receive the prize at the national MAA/AMS joint meeting in San Diego in January 2008.
For more on the award and the winners, see the prize booklet for the meeting (page 27).
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 Professor Brody for more information.
Mathematics Colloquium Series with Millersville University
F&M and our colleagues down the road in Millersville jointly present a quasi-weekly mathematics colloquium talk series on Thursday afternoons during the semester. 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.
