Dear Friends,

What follows is a monthly informational newsletter related to the department of Mathematics and Computer Science. It contains highlights of some of recent news and upcoming events. I hope this information helps you support our departmental mission.

Table of Contents

1. Class of 2008 Senior Spotlight
   1. DennisRoss
2. Recent News and Upcoming Events:
   1. Students Participate in Denison Spring Programming Contest
   2. David Anderson Speaks At Odd Topics Society Meeting
   3. Pi Day
   4. Pizza and Pamphlets
   5. April is Mathematics Awareness Month
   6. Lower Michigan Mathematics Competition
   7. Admissions Visit Day
   8. Admissions Visit Day
   9. Elkin Isaac Research Symposium
   10. International Plaid Day

Class of 2008 Senior Spotlight

Name: Dennis Ross
Hometown: Oscoda, Michigan

Dennis Ross after giving a Math/CS colloquium talk.

Whether playing Frisbee in a foot of snow or sitting in an upper level math class, Dennis Ross has made himself very comfortable at Albion College.

Dennis is a mathematics major with a passion for discrete mathematics, specifically combinatorics and graph theory. He also enjoys the computer science field of algorithms. He says he came here due to the high placement rate into medical school but was impressed by the Mathematics Department. "If it weren't for the quality of mathematics at Albion I would have taken no mathematics courses beyond Calculus II."

If it weren't for the quality of mathematics at Albion I would have taken no mathematics courses beyond Calculus II.

His biggest achievement as a student here was attending Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, in which he spent a year in Budapest taking math courses. "I was able to take a large number of advanced mathematics classes, while also being able to extensively travel, and meet mathematics undergrads from all over the USA."

Dennis also works as a tutor for the Quantitative Skills Center (QSC) which is available to all students who need help with math or science courses. "I used the QSC very often as a freshman. I love the people you meet there, who instill a love of mathematics in you."

In the Math/CS Department, the professor that Dennis credits most for his involvement in mathematics is Dr. Darren Mason. "Dr. Mason has been my most influential professor. He taught me some of the most fundamental mathematics courses, and he always was willing to help or encourage." In addition to Dr. Mason, Dennis also notes that Professor Connamancher was a great help to him. "Not only did Professor Connamancher introduce me to graph theory, but he also has been a great mentor as I attempt coursework that is quite challenging."

After graduating from Albion, Dennis plans on attending graduate school and earning a PhD in mathematics. While he has applied to a number of graduate programs in the USA, he would love the opportunity to return to Budapest.

There is every indication Dennis will be successful in graduate school. "Dennis has a voracious appetite for mathematics," says Dr. Mason. Professor Connamacher also speaks highly of Dennis, stating "Dennis is very passionate about mathematics, and he is not afraid of challenges."

As far as getting into the Math/CS Department, Dennis has some good advice for incoming first years. "Undergrads can join the math club, or compete in various mathematics and computer science competitions. It is a perfect way to meet one's fellow mathematics students, and learn new exciting areas of mathematics." Mathematics and programming competitions are attended several times a year. The professors in the department are also very friendly and very approachable. "One can also just strike up a conversation at department events like the Mathematics/CS colloquium series."

The professors and fellow students at Albion are a friendly group ready to give help where ever they can. "Never being afraid to ask a question or for help. There are more resources here to help a student than most people realize. As a student you learn more by asking a question then by writing down a class's worth of notes."

Dennis has also been active in a variety of extra-curricular organizations on campus. He was a member of the varsity swimming team, the Albion Ultimate Frisbee club, and the Albion College Mathematics Society.

Story by Michael Smar, `09.

Recent News and Upcoming Events

• 
  Rachel Spangle, Tim Rambo, and Justin Willbrandt work on solving one of six problems at the Denison Spring Programming Contest.
  
  Albion's team comprised of students Tim Rambo, Rachel Spangle, and Justin Willbrandt participated in the 19th Annual Denison Spring Programming Contest held at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. This year, 21 teams from 11 schools (Denison, Albion, Baldwin-Wallace, Oberlin, Mount Vernon Nazarene, Westminster, Wittenberg, Muskingum, Ohio Wesleyan, Olivet and Toledo) competed against one another. At the beginning of the competition, detailed descriptions of six challenging problems were given to all participants. Teams were given four hours to correctly write computer programs to solve as many of the problems as possible. This was the first programming competition for all three Albion students. While they were unable to correctly implement solutions that satisfied the judges data, the Albion team was able to partially solve two of the problems. Professor David Reimann coordinated Albion's participation in the contest and traveled with the students to Denison University. Albion has regularly competed in the contest since 1997, with a total of sixteen teams participating in eleven of the past twelve years. Final standings for all teams are available at the contest site.
  
• Professor David Anderson gave a talk "Hitting Herman on the High Seas" at the monthly meeting of the Albion College Odd Topics Society. In the talk, David gave an overview of the difficulties of accurate targeting of naval targets through WWII. Some challenges faced by fire-control systems include relative ship motion, wind velocity, the Coriolis effect, projectile drift due to rifling, and ship pitch and roll due to wave action. As continual advancements were made to control-fire systems, such as gyroscopic and gear-based computers, the firing range increased from several hundred yards to over 20 miles. The Albion College Beta chapter of the Odd Topics Society is sponsored by the Friends of the Albion College Library and meets monthly to provide a forum for individuals to share their more unusual interests with others.
  
• March 14: Pi Day celebrates one of the most famous mathematical constants, pi.
  
  Click on the above picture for your very own printable Pi poster.
  
• March 20:
  
  Pizza and Pamphlets is the event where the Mathematics and Computer Science Department provides information about fall courses in Mathematics and Computer Science. All Math majors/minors, Computer Science majors/minors, Math/Physics majors, Math/Econ majors, prospective majors, and friends of the department are invited to join us. This year the event will be held at 3:10 pm in Palenske 227. Bring your friends; bring your questions; bring your schedule.
  
• April: April is Mathematics Awareness Month and the theme for 2008 is "Math and Voting."

  Mathematics Awareness Month is held in April each year to increase public understanding of and appreciation for the power of mathematics. It is sponsored by the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics, a collaborative effort of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the American Statistical Association (ASA), the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).

  In a presidential election year, the term "voting" brings to mind national elections. Candidates are vying for attention in debates and primaries, polls are taking the pulse of the electorate, blogs are offering opinions on everything candidates say, and, ultimately, a general election leads to the selection of the next President of the United States. Many citizens are deeply engaged in these processes; others pay varying degrees of attention. Voting is not just about electoral politics, however; it's part of everyday life. "Voting" is something that happens in many contexts not related to politics. In any situation in which preferences are expressed—where to have dinner, how to raise money for a charity, who makes the team, etc.—voting in some way occurs. Surprisingly, different voting systems often yield different outcomes.

  Mathematics Awareness Month, held each year in April, was created to increase public understanding of and appreciation for mathematics. It began in 1986, when President Reagan issued a proclamation establishing National Mathematics Awareness Week. Activities for Mathematics Awareness Month generally are organized on local, state and regional levels by college and university departments, institutional public information offices, student groups, and related associations and interest groups.
  

• April 5: The 32nd Lower Michigan Mathematics Competition will be held at Lawrence Technological University. Teams of three students represent small colleges in lower Michigan in solving a set of ingenious math problems. Albion College is the defending LMMC champion, and our 2007 championship team of Whitney Patton, Jeremy Troisi, and Carmen Weddell will return intact to defend their title and keep the Klein Kup in Albion where it belongs. We have room for several additional three-person teams. Contact Mark Bollman if you are interested in attending this year.
  
• April 7: Prospective students are invited to discover the distinctive features that make Albion College a truly special and exciting place. Professors will be available at the departmental table to talk about courses, majors, undergraduate research, special opportunities, alumni success stories, and career options. Prospective students are encouraged to learn about how mathematics and computer science, in collaboration with other disciplines, will lead many of the technical advances during the 21st century. If you are interested or know a potenial student who might be interested, see the admissions Visitation Day page.
  
• April 18: Prospective students are invited to discover the distinctive features that make Albion College a truly special and exciting place. Professors will be available at the departmental table to talk about courses, majors, undergraduate research, special opportunities, alumni success stories, and career options. Prospective students are encouraged to learn about how mathematics and computer science, in collaboration with other disciplines, will lead many of the technical advances during the 21st century. If you are interested or know a potenial student who might be interested, see the admissions Visitation Day page.
  
• April 24: The Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium recognizes excellent student research, scholarship, and creative activity. The participants, all Albion College students, are nominated by their faculty sponsors after having participated in independent research that results in the significant synthesis of new knowledge. The research must have been performed under the direct supervision of an Albion College faculty member, or in a College-approved off-campus program.
  
• April 25: One of the highlights of Mathematics Awareness Month at Albion College is International Plaid Day. We have contacted people around the world who will join faculty, students, and staff on campus in wearing plaid to show their support of mathematics. In past years, even the Rock took on a suitable color scheme.
  

Please feel free to contact me or visit our website (http://www.albion.edu/mathcs/) for further details on any of these items.

Sincerely,
David A. Reimann
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
517-629-0426