The Math Major

CSU Fresno Mathematics Department

Vol 2. No. 1

Editor: Dr. Larry Cusick.

Welcome

This is the first issue of the Math Major for the academic year 1997-1998. In it you will find the occasional bit of math news along with announcements of department events and opportunities for math majors (or minors). Each issue will also have a problem corner. Students are encouraged to participate in the problem corner by submitting solutions to posed problems. Comments and/or suggestions about The Math Major should be sent to Dr. Larry Cusick

Math Major Receives $2,000 Downing Scholarship

Math major, and senior, Mathew Bourez was nominated by the Mathematics Department faculty to receive one of six $2,000 Downing Scholarships in the School of Natural Sciences. Congratulations Mathew!

Department Needs Tutors

The math department needs tutors for the tutorial lab Mondays through Thursdays 8 to 10am and/or Fridays 8am to 4pm. The tutorial lab helps students from math 6 to math 81. If you feel you are qualified, come to the math department office (PB 381) to fill out an application.

New Math Faculty Members

The mathematics department would like to welcome two new faculty members: Dr. Elinor Velasquez (Assistant Professor) and Dr. Frieda Ganter (full time Lecturer). In this issue we will profile Dr. Velasquez. We will profile Dr. Ganter in the next issue.

Dr. Velasquez received her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College and her Ph.D. from the University of California at San Diego. Her dissertation was entitled Radon Transformation on Finite Groups, and her current research interest is mathematical physics. Dr. Velasquez has taught previously at U.C. Berkeley and the California State University at Hayward. Her non-mathematical interest is listening to jazz.

Dr. Velasquez has agreed to organize, and be the faculty advisor for, a new campus club that she calls the Math Students Alliance.

Math Student Alliance

The Math Student Alliance will be a campus club that should be of interest to math majors and minors, along with other students from the School of Natural Science. Dr. Velasquez (faculty advisor) envisions activities that would include a weekly brown bag lunch/tea and talks by invited speakers. The first meeting (brown bag lunch) will be Thursday, September 4 at noon, in PB 390, and all students are cordially invited. For more information, contact Dr. Velasquez.

CSU Fresno & Ph.D.'s

In a nationwide National Science Foundation study, CSU Fresno ranked second (behind Cal Poly SLO) among Masters granting institutions in producing the most students in the physical sciences that go on to receive their Ph.D. (Trivia question: How many current CSU Fresno math faculty received their undergraduate degrees from CSU Fresno? Answer: 5)

Advisors

Math department faculty advisors are available to answer questions about course and program requirements, as well as appropriate deadlines. For this year, the advisors are listed below.

Scholarship Opportunities

There are many university scholarships available. Some are need-based and others are non-need-based. For information on scholarships contact the university Financial Aid Office: Joyal Administration, Room 296 (278-2182).

PB 428

Where can you find other math majors? Try PB 428 (Peters Building). The room has been reserved for math majors during all times of the day. If you are a new math major, stop by and meet some of the other mathies. It can be a place to socialize, or study. It's up to you.

A National Eighth Grade Math Test

The U.S. Department of Education has authorized a voluntary mathematics test for all eighth graders in the country. A draft of item and test specifications has been developed by a mixed group of ``teachers, administrators (and) scholars" according to a draft report that can be found in the Department of Education's Voluntary Tests web page. The writers of the draft report are soliciting the input of all concerned regarding the draft specifications and merits of the report.

Polyhedra Web Pages

Polyhedra have been studied since antiquity. But, until recently, it has been difficult to obtain accurate and appealing pictures. What has changed of course is the web. Several polyhedra pages have sprung up that are full of beautiful renditions of even the most complex polyhedra. Here are a few pages:

Problem Corner

Each issue of the Math Major will contain the Problem Corner. Any student who submits a correct solution before the posted deadline will be listed in the following issue. At the end of the semester, the student with the most correct solutions will win $75. There will be a second prize of $50. In case of a tie, the winners will share the $125. Solutions may be delivered to the math department office (for Dr. Cusick) or by e-mail.

Problem 2.1: (Due Thursday September 11, 4pm) Prove that if f(x) is a polynomial with integer coefficents, and there exists an integer k such that none of the integers f(1), f(2), ..., f(k) is divisible by k, then f(x) has no integer root.

Solutions may be delivered to the math department office (for Dr. Cusick) or by e-mail at larryc@csufresno.edu. no later than Thursday Thursday April 3, 3pm. There is a $75 dollar first prize and a $50 second prize to be awarded at the end of the semester to the student(s) who submit the most correct solutions.

CSU Fresno Math Department Home Page

California State University, Fresno