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. MaryBizon
2. Recent News and Upcoming Events:
   1. Dr. Nadiya Fink Receives Award
   2. Darren Mason's Research Published
   3. April is Mathematics Awareness Month
   4. Admissions Visit Day
   5. Elkin Isaac Research Symposium
   6. International Plaid Day
   7. Senior Dinner
   8. Commencement
   9. SOAR 1 Mathematics Placement

Class of 2008 Senior Spotlight

Name: Mary Bizon
Hometown: Battle Creek, Michigan

Mary Bizon in the Math/CS student research room, one of her favorite places to study.

Mary Bizon, A Math and Economics double major from Battle Creek, came to Albion College for the same reason a number of students have: a family member has attended the school previously. Also, like many others, she likes the small class sizes.

Mary has been fond of math for years now, and knew it was of interest to her since her sophomore year of high school. While previously she enjoyed various applied mathematical fields, of late her interest has been with pure mathematical theory.

I love every Math/CS teacher I had. They push you and help you because they care for the students and want students to succeed.

In regards to the professors here, Mary has found them all to be very helpful and motivating. "I love every Math/CS teacher I had. They push you and help you because they care for the students and want students to succeed." In regards to the other students as well, she has nothing but praise. "They are really nice and friendly. Everyone is just so welcoming."

As a student her favorite academic experiences were doing Operations Research with Dr. Mason and taking Abstract Algebra with Dr. Rice. When asked about her more difficult class, however, her response was simply "Real Analysis, enough said."

She also credits the above professors as being the most influential to her while she was here. "When teachers have great confidence in you, it is easier to have confidence in yourself"

Dr. Mason is also very positive about Mary. "In addition to being my advisee, Ms. Bizon was a student in many of my courses during her time at Albion, culminating in Operations Research in Spring 2007. Mary was not only a top-notch student, but she was also dedicated to giving 110% in her academic studies. I was very impressed with her consistently positive attitude in the face of numerous difficult homework assignments and group projects. Mary's excellent disposition towards mathematics was infectious in the classroom; it was always a joy to have her be part of my classes. I see nothing but success in her future."

Mary has worked as a tutor with the Quantitative Skills Center (QSC) and even believes she should have started there sooner. "I just love to tutor people and see how far they have come."

Karla McCavit, QSC Director was glad to have Mary on staff as a QSC tutor. McCavit indicates "students really appreciate being able to come in and work with a tutor like Mary who is both very experienced in the subject and easily approachable. It's really fantastic to have such a strong student sharing her interest in mathematics in a way that helps other students."

Mary says that her biggest accomplishment is simply being a math major. "It takes a lot of hard work and determination but it pays off in the end." While it might be hard work, it helps if there is someone to work with. Mary suggests that students should get a study buddy from every class just to have someone to work with and bounce ideas off of.

Story by Michael Smar, `10.

Recent News and Upcoming Events

• Visiting Assistant Professor Nadiya Fink was selected to receive the Togo Nishiura Award for outstanding achievement in the Graduate Program by the Wayne State University Department of Mathematics, where she earned her PhD in 2007. Congratulations to Dr. Fink!
  
• Darren Mason's research was published in the paper "On Predicting Nucleation of Microcracks Due to Slip-Twin Interactions at Grain Boundaries in Duplex γ-TiAl" in the Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology. Darren's co-authors were T.R. Bieler, D. Kumar, and M.A. Crimp (all of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University), and P. Eisenlohr, F. Roters and D. Raabe (all of Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung — Düsseldorf, Germany). The official citation is J. Eng. Mater. Technol., 130 (2), 2008.
  
• 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 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.
  
• May 4: The Mathematics and Computer Science Department will have its annual dinner for seniors who are majoring or minoring in mathematics or computer science. The dinner will be held from 5-7 pm.
  
• May 10: Come celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating class of 2008 at Commencement.
  
• May 30: All incoming Albion College students participate in Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR). During SOAR, students learn about the academic expectations of our students, take a placement exams, and register for their first semester courses. The department administers a placement test based on the academic background of each student to assist students in selecting the most appropriate mathematics and computer science courses as possible. See our webpage on Preparation for Albion College for more information on the placement process.
  

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