• Introduces the ASU Mathematics Department
• Read about people in the Department and learn about the different programs they are involved in.
• Recognizes outstanding achievements of mathematics graduates and professors.

A Statistician goes to Law School 

 Wexler Awards  

Graduate Studies  

Summer High School Program  

Actuarial Program  

Staff News  

Brain Teaser 

 
If you are an alumnus let us know where you are and where you are currently employed:  we would like to know! 

Please write to us or  e-mail us at:  newsletter@math.la.asu.edu 

Welcome to our first Math Minutes.  We hope this newsletter will keep you up to date with the activities of our faculty, students and alumni. Contributions for future newsletters are welcome. We will publish two issues a year, at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters.  
     This epistle comes one year after the “changing of the guard.” It has been an exciting and busy year as Dr. Dieter Armbruster, Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Eric Kostelich, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Marilyn Carlson, Director of First Year Mathematics, and myself have worked together on numerous initiatives (see their reports inside this issue).  This year sees further change, as Dr. Michael Brilleslyper takes over for Marilyn, a tough act to follow with the successes notched up for First Year Mathematics since 1995.  Thanks to Mike for accepting this challenge.  I am sure his leadership will provide new vision and accomplishments for the program.  
     Spring semester 98 saw many visitors to the Department, as we completed very successful searches for new tenure-track faculty.  Joining us at the beginning of Fall are four new tenure-track faculty and eight visiting faculty.  Their research interests complement existing Departmental strengths, including computational fluid dynamics, numerical modeling, statistics, and operator algebras. Our thanks are due to the staff who facilitated the smooth running of the entire interview process, from travel arrangements, hotels and appointments, to the large amounts of associated paperwork. We hope for an equally successful recruitment period this year. 
      I  hope that this issue will pleasantly surprise the readers; mathematics is far from the reputed dry subject you may suspect. This issue highlights just some of the activities of our faculty and students, from work with talented high school students during summer 98, to news of research projects supported by College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Interdisciplinary Fellowships, actuarial study at ASU, and developments in the education curriculum for pre-service teachers.  Recent grants awarded to our faculty support diverse research areas, encompassing modeling of crystal growth processes in semiconductor manufacturing, quantum transport in semiconductor devices, structure and contamination of geophysical flows, dynamics in biological systems, Fourier series, and visualization for modern applications of vector calculus. 
     Congratulations to Professors Eric Kostelich and John Quigg on promotion to Full Professor.  Best wishes for long and productive retirements to Professors Ned Grace, Tom Sherman, and Alan and Cecilia Wang-combined years of service to ASU: 124  years! Thanks for your numerous contributions to our Department. 
     Lastly, a personal reflection on this first year in the Chair’s office.  A former graduate student visited recently and wondered how I managed all this; I think the response was, “I don’t.”  Yet, all considered, there is an amazing juggling act performed by, I suspect, anyone with a large department to oversee. The ability to catch some of the balls before they drop relies on a supportive team effort by faculty, staff and families, alike.  Many thanks to all for guidance, assistance and patience, and for the latter in particular to Bob, Laura, and Jan.

New Faculty:  
 

•   Dr. Anne Gelb received her Ph.D. from the Division of Applied Mathematics at Brown University under the advisement of David Gottlieb in 1996.  She has since been employed as a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Research in Parallel Computing under the supervision of H.B. Keller at the California Institute of Tech. Her primary interests are solving nonlinear partial differential equations with higher order methods, including spectral and finite difference methods. 

•  Dr. Steven Kaliszewski is an operator algebraist; in particular, he studies crossed product C*-algebras, a field which incorporates a fair amount of algebra and topology as well as analysis.  Kaliszewski received his Ph.D. in 1994 from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, under the supervision of Dana Williams.  Since then he has held a postdoctoral position at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and a visiting position at Dartmouth. 

• Dr. Juan Lopez received his Ph.D. from the Department of Mathematics, Monash University, Australia in 1985. He spent eight years as a Research Scientist and a Senior Research Scientist at the Aeronautical Research Laboratory, Melbourne, Australia, working on computational  fluid dynamics of vortex dominated flows.  During that time, he was also a visiting scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. In 1993, he joined the Department of Mathematics, Penn State, continuing his research in vortex dominated flows, as well as numerical bifurcation theory and the dynamics of fluid flows.

• Dr. Yijun Zuo received his Ph.D. degree in Statistics from the University of Texas at Dallas in May 1998.  Currently he is interested in Multivariate Data Analysis, Nonparametric/Robust Statistics, and Numerical Analysis. 

• Andrzej Czygrinow is visiting from Emory University.
• Dr. Nancy Eaton is a visitor  from the University of Rhode Island and is working with Dr. Glenn Hurlbert for the fall semester.
• Dr. Eugene Izhikevich is visiting  for the Fall semester and  has a post-doc here in the spring.
• Dr. Hristo Kojouharov is visiting from the University of Wyoming.
• Dr. Fátima Silva Leite is a visiting associate professor from Coimbra University in Portugal and will be here for the spring semester.
• Dr. Yongkun Li is a visitor from Yunnan University in China.
• Dr. Marcos Lizana is visiting from the Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela. 
• Dr. Iuliana Oprea is visiting from the University of Bucharest.
• Dr. Sergei Suslov is a visiting associate professor.
• Dr. Kwan-Leung Tse is a post-doctoral research associate working with Dr. Alex Mahalov and Dr. Basil Nicolaenko.
• Dr. Xiao-Qiang Zhao is visiting from the University of Alberta in Canada

• Haitham Alkhateeb     Instructor
• Richard Campbell        Instructor
• Marc Fabbri                 Instructor 
• Marcus Garvie             Instructor 
• Joel Keranen                Instructor
• Dawn Tomlinson          Instructor
• Edward (Ted) Coe        CUSP program
• Suzette Takas              CUSP program

The division of First Year Mathematics (FYM) resides within the department of Mathematics and has the responsibility of providing effective mathematics instruction in all 100 level courses. These include intermediate algebra, college algebra, precalculus, college mathematics, university mathematics and mathematics for elementary education majors. The scope of the program is enormous with a projected Fall 98 enrollment of 7,000 students spread over 160 sections. The vast majority of classes are covered by lecturers, instructors and graduate teaching assistants. The twenty-six lecturers and senior lecturers form the core of the instructional effort, both in teaching and through their leadership as coordinators, mentors and dedicated education professionals. The lecturers are a diverse pool of individuals with unique talents and abilities. All have demonstrated their effectiveness to provide the students with a high quality educational experience that combines technology, group activities and traditional instruction in a demanding, yet supportive environment. 
     In addition to teaching, the lecturers and instructors are involved in a wide range of professional activities in support of better instruction. These include curriculum development, participation in workshops, outreach to high schools and community colleges, use of the Internet, writing projects and mentoring student teachers. Many of the lecturers are directly involved in the instruction of future elementary school teachers. Lecturers and instructors have received both internal and external grants to develop instructional materials, buy computer equipment, and run workshops. 
     First Year Mathematics has grown and developed over the past four years. Some of the many positive changes that have occurred in 100 level courses include smaller classes, effective use of graphing calculators and computers,  and the development of a department testing center. The testing center is a large scale operation that smoothly handles up to 35,000 tests per semester. Benefits of the testing center include flexible exam times for students and three to four extra class days of instruction each semester. The Mathematics Department Tutor Center also provides considerable support to all FYM courses, offering free assistance to thousands of students each year.  
     The FYM division plays an important role in the Mathematics Department’s overall instructional mission. The department serves many other schools and colleges on campus, as well as their own majors. The scope of the department’s mission requires that regular faculty, FYM faculty, and graduate teaching assistants all work together toward the common goal of providing high quality mathematical experiences for students.  
     Additional information on FYM faculty, courses and other activities may be found on the FYM home page at  
http://math.asu.edu/fym

The division of First Year Mathematics (FYM) resides within the department of Mathematics and has the responsibility of providing effective mathematics instruction in all 100 level courses. These include intermediate algebra, college algebra, precalculus, college mathematics, university mathematics and mathematics for elementary education majors. The scope of the program is enormous with a projected Fall 98 enrollment of 7,000 students spread over 160 sections. The vast majority of classes are covered by lecturers, instructors and graduate teaching assistants. The twenty-six lecturers and senior lecturers form the core of the instructional effort, both in teaching and through their leadership as coordinators, mentors and dedicated education professionals. The lecturers are a diverse pool of individuals with unique talents and abilities. All have demonstrated their effectiveness to provide the students with a high quality educational experience that combines technology, group activities and traditional instruction in a demanding, yet supportive environment. 
     In addition to teaching, the lecturers and instructors are involved in a wide range of professional activities in support of better instruction. These include curriculum development, participation in workshops, outreach to high schools and community colleges, use of the Internet, writing projects and mentoring student teachers. Many of the lecturers are directly involved in the instruction of future elementary school teachers. Lecturers and instructors have received both internal and external grants to develop instructional materials, buy computer equipment, and run workshops. 
     First Year Mathematics has grown and developed over the past four years. Some of the many positive changes that have occurred in 100 level courses include smaller classes, effective use of graphing calculators and computers,  and the development of a department testing center. The testing center is a large scale operation that smoothly handles up to 35,000 tests per semester. Benefits of the testing center include flexible exam times for students and three to four extra class days of instruction each semester. The Mathematics Department Tutor Center also provides considerable support to all FYM courses, offering free assistance to thousands of students each year.  
     The FYM division plays an important role in the Mathematics Department’s overall instructional mission. The department serves many other schools and colleges on campus, as well as their own majors. The scope of the department’s mission requires that regular faculty, FYM faculty, and graduate teaching assistants all work together toward the common goal of providing high quality mathematical experiences for students.  
     Additional information on FYM faculty, courses and other activities may be found on the FYM home page at  
http://math.asu.edu/fym

 Funding from Eisenhower, ACEPT (Arizona Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers) and the Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) provided support for cooperative efforts to improve the preservice secondary experience for future high school mathematics teachers.  During a three day conference in late May, national and state mathematics education faculty shared research insights and curricular innovations.  Local high school teachers provided information regarding local needs and current curriculum focus.  The workshop also facilitated sharing of expertise and curricula innovations among universities and local schools, and provided background information for guiding the summer writing activities.  
     During June and July, seven local high school teachers and five ASU faculty are working collaboratively to develop modules that attempt to impart deep understanding of secondary mathematics content and concepts (e.g., geometry, functions, derivatives, etc.).   The modules will be used in preservice methods courses at ASU and will be designed to build important understandings, skills and methods for becoming effective high school mathematics teachers.  The module writers will build questions based on recent research revealing common obstacles in students' concept development.  
     O.n July 30 and 31 the team of local high school teachers and ASU faculty presented the modules in a second workshop to national leaders (e.g., Dick Stanley, UC Berkeley; David Molina, UT Austin) and state leaders, (e.g., David Gay, UofA Mathematician; Armando Martinez-Cruz, NAU Mathematics Educator) and local USI teachers 
An assessment plan is also being devised to provide insights into preservice high school teachers' mathematical behavior and concept formation, as well as feedback for future module refinement.  

Workshop organizers:  Marilyn Carlson and Michelle Zandieh 

Workshop participants:  Scott Adamson, Chandler H.S.; Irene Bloom, ASU; Barbara Boschmans, ASU; Marilyn Carlson, ASU; Beth Cheney, Dobson H.S.; Angie Chomokos, Gilbert H.S.; Ted Coe, Mountain Pointe H.S.; Trey Cox, Chandler H.S.; David Gay, UofA; Susan Gay, Univ. of Ks.; Matt Isom, ASU; Dick Olsson, Desert Vista H.S.; Nora Ramirez, Phoenix Urban Systemic Init.; Chris Rausmassen, Purdue Univ.; G.T. Springer, San Antonio, TX; Dick Stanley, UC Berkeley; Suzette Takas, Mountain View H.S.; Sharon Walker, ASU; Larry Welch, ASU; Michelle Zandieh, ASU; Pam Zimmerman, ASU

During the past three years numerous FYM faculty have been supported in the development of curricula materials through grant initiatives (see table). These grants have provided funding for FYM faculty to attend national conferences and receive summer support to develop new course materials.  Once these materials were written, they were piloted, refined and disseminated nationally at conferences and on the web.   These FYM faculty should be commended for their initiative in contributing to the continued improvement of our FYM courses.  
     The mathematics course for future elementary school teachers (MTE 180) has undergone dramatic reforms through the support of both Eisenhower and ACEPT funding.   For the past three years, national and state leaders in developing curriculum for preparing future elementary teachers have assisted ASU writers in developing curricula modules.  These efforts have resulted in a student workbook and instructor manual which are used in MTE 180 at ASU and disseminated nationally.  Irene Bloom and Beth Jones have led the writing team in piloting and refining these modules.  The number of sections of MTE 180 taught in our department has doubled, with 11 sections of MTE 180 offered for the upcoming fall semester.  
     Mike Brilleslyper and Matt Isom were selected to participate with other SMET faculty to develop math/science integrated projects.  The newly developed modules were used in MAT 170, freshman chemistry, and freshman biology during the past academic year.  
     Sharon Walker and Scott Surgent  led a team of FYM faculty in working with ACEPT Co-PI’s,  community college faculty, and high school math and science faculty to better understand how to reinforce math content in physics, and physics content in mathematics.  The newly developed modules were used in college algebra and introductory physics during the past academic year. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Professor Bruno Welfert and Instuctor Stefania Tracogna had a baby girl, Monica Michelle, 6lbs. 1oz.,  on April 11. 

Delbert Leroy Ward was born to Instructor Lance Ward and his wife Denene Ward on Feb 23. 

Graduate Student Paul Mayfield was married to Amalia on June 20. 

Professor Glenn and Karen Hurlbert were married on June 27 in Hartford, Connecticut. 

Graduate Student Adil Al-Rabtah and his wife had a baby girl, Marah Adil Al-Rabtah, 7lbs. 7oz., on July 10. 

Graduate Student Heather Lamka was married to Gary Horst  Loechelt on July 11

Zachary Burtch, 7lbs., was born to Instuctor Mark Burtch and his wife Audra on July 17. 

Graduate Student Jodi Mead and her husband Thomas had a baby boy, Barrett, 7lbs. 12 oz., on July 19.  

Executive Assistant, Marlene Salvato became a grandmother on August 1.  Her son Vincent and daughter-in-law Kari had a baby  girl Haile Jane, 8lbs 12 oz. 

First Year Math Coordinator Mike Brilleslyper and his wife Maryann are expecting their first child in Aug. 

 
photo Courtesy of Pam Zimmerman and Sharon Walker 

Joel Hindorff, a senior in our applied mathematics program, was awarded the Wexler prize for an outstanding undergraduate mathematics student. Joel is a Goldwater Fellow supported by a highly prestigious Goldwater National Scholarship at Arizona State University, the first ever in Mathematics. 
     As a part of his Goldwater Honors thesis Joel Hindorff has been working on some aspects of Lagrangian chaos and advection in rotating and stratified fluids. This is in parallel with experiments conducted at the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at ASU, with the assistance of Professors H.J.S. Fernando and S. Voropayev.  The results presented in his Honors thesis are in amazing agreement with experimental observations and are raising new  mathematical issues in Lagrangian dynamics. 
     This fall Joel will be joining graduate programs at the University of Washington where his research will be funded by a NASA graduate fellowship. 
 
 

By Misty Madero and Jennifer Vasquez 

 
Photo courtesy of Pam Zimmerman and Sharon Walker 
 
 On April 24, the ASU Mathematics Department hosted the 21st Annual Charles Wexler Mathematics Awards.  The awards were established in 1977 in memory of Professor Charles Wexler, who was the founding chairman of the department, as well as a professor since 1930.  
     Each year a faculty member and an outstanding undergraduate student receive the awards. The recipients of the Wexler Award receive a plaque and $1,100. Their names are also placed on plaques that remain on display in the Mathematics Department Office. Wexler Award nominations for outstanding teachers and undergraduates in the math department are solicited from students and faculty.  The awards committee reviews the nominations and selects the most qualified individuals for the awards.  The Awards and Prizes committee chair, Zdzislaw Jackiewicz and committee members, Harvey Smith, Basil Nicolaenko, and Katalin Kolossa received nominations for 24 different teachers in the department this year.   In attendance at this year’s ceremony, were Charles Wexler’s widow Helen Wexler and his son Dr. Jonathan Wexler. 
 

The ASU Math Department tutor centers are in a state of change.   Currently there are two tutor centers:  one in PSA 108 for Math 106, 117, and 170, and one in the UASB (the UASB is northeast of the Memorial Union) on the second floor in the back, for Math 114, 194, 119, and 210.  Tutoring is always free for students in ASU math classes.  Also, both tutor centers offer wheelchair access.  In Spring 1999 the two tutor centers will be combined in part of the space that is currently PSA 116.  Until that room is renovated, however, the tutor centers will continue in their current locations.  Fall and spring hours of operation are 8:00-8:00 M-Th and 8:00-4:00 Fri. You can find more information about the tutor centers on the WWW at:    http://math.la.asu.edu/%7Efym/TutorCenter/TutorCenter.html  

If you have a question or concern about either tutor center, please contact: 

   Terri Miller—hiring/scheduling of Undergraduate Assistants and tutors.  
      terri@asu.edu  965-0549 

   Richard Ruedemann—PSA 108 Tutor Center  
      rick@asu.edu  965-0074 

   Lance Ward—UASB Tutor Center 
      Lance.Ward@asu.edu 965-2256

  I was asked to write an article for the first departmental newsletter as a message from the Graduate Chair. Having made sure that nobody expected a long treatise I agreed.  I shall attempt to be brief as I update you on activities of our graduate program, which is certainly flourishing.  
      Last weekend I was at the national meeting of the “Preparing Future Faculty” (PFF) program. I learned that 80% of all graduate students with advanced degrees in Mathematics will eventually end up teaching, 10% will work for the government and only 10% will work in industry.  Our program would appear to emphasize this teaching role of a mathematics training. Supported graduate students are expected to become competent teachers for the First Year Mathematics program. Up to 50 classes are taught each semester by our graduate students.  These students are required to attend a two week full time teacher training program run by FYM faculty and current graduate students, prior to their first Fall semester at ASU. Ongoing support is provided throughout the semester in the form of tutorials and workshops on instructional reform methods, such as collaborative learning, and technology. 

Lauree Attinger 
  Advisor:  Phillip Leonard 
  MA: Spring 1998 
  Thesis:  “New Z-Cyclic Tirplewhist tournaments” 

Brandon Baldock 
  Advisor: John Jones 
  MA: Spring 1998 
  Thesis:  “A survery of techiniques in cryptananalysis” 
Future employment:  Epic Systems in Madison, WI. 

Ivonne Diaz-Rivera 
  Advisor:  Dieter Armbruster 
  Ph.D.:  Fall 1997 
  Dissertation:  “The Dyanmics of Queues of Re-Entrant Manufacturing Sytems” 
  Employed:  AT&T 

Xiaohong Ding  
  Advisor:  Rosemary Renaut 
  Ph.D.:  Spring 1998 
  Dissertation:  “Theoretical and numerical evaluation of convergence acceleration for the stokes problem” 

Douglas Drinen 
  Advisor:  John Quigg 
  MA:  Fall 1997 
  Thesis:  “Finite dimensional Algebras on Graph Algebras” 
  Continuing at ASU for a Ph.D. 

Peter Eide 
  MS: Summer 1998 
  Future employment:  America West Airlines 

Christine Gaster 
  Advisor:  Dennis Young 
   MS:  Summer 1998 
   Future employment:  Good Samaritan Hospital 
 

Kang Hong 
  Advisor:  Dennis Young 
  Ph.D.:  Spring 1998 
  Dissertation:  “Robust multivariate analysis: principal componenets analysis and discriminate analysis” 
  Future employment:  Symatics 

Bingtuan Li 
  Advisor:  Yang Kuang 
   Ph.D.:  Summer 1998 
  Dissertation:  “Analysis of chemo-stat models with distinct removal rates” 
  Future employment: has 2 year post-doc.  at the Institute of Applied Math at the Univ. of Minnesota and a 3 year instructor position at the Univ. of Utah. 

Leigh Little 
  Advisor:  Hans Mittelmann 
  Ph.D. : Spring 1998 
  Dissertation:  “A finite element solver for the navier-stokes equaitons using a preconditioned adaptive BICGSTAB (L) method” 
  Future employment:  Post-Doc, Univ. of Minnesota 

Mariana Maris 
  Advisor:  Hélène Barcelo 
  MA:  Fall 1997 
  Thesis:  “Modularity in the Lattice of F4” 
  Future employment:  Instructor at Mesa Community College and ASU. 

Jodi Mead 
  Advisor:  Rosemary Renaut 
  PhD.:  Summer 1998 
  Dissertation:  “Numerical methods for problems in computational aerocoustics” 
  Future employment: Post-Doc, Oregon State Univ.

Natalia Navarova 
  Advisor:  Horst Thieme 
  MA:  Summer 1998 
  Thesis:  “Modeling and control of a polluted water environment with a single population” 
  
Mark Nelson 
  Advisor:  Dieter Armbruster 
  MA: Summer 1998 
  Thesis:  “Dynamo action forced by periodic velocity fields” 
  
Kern Paark 
 Advisor:  R. Burdick 
  MS: Spring 1998 
  Project:  “Confidence Intervals for the Mean in a Balanced Two Factor Random Effects Model” 

Natalie Rivera 
  Advisor:  M. Reiser 
  MS:  Fall 1997 
  Project:  “The Random Parameter Model as a Latent Variable Model:  An Application to the Health Empowerment Study” 

Christine Shaffer 
  Advisor:  Ed Ihrig 
  MNS:  Spring 1998 

Pu Shen 
 Advisor:  Sharon Lohr 
  MS  Spring 1998 
  Project:  “Estimates of Domestic Violence from the National Crime Victimization” 

Andrew Siefker 
  Advisor:  John McDonald 
  Ph.D.:  Fall 1997 
  Dissertation:  Characterization of Non-Uniformly Spaced Discrete-Time signals from Their Fourier Phase” 
 Employment:  Tenure-track position at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. 
 

Kelly Stout 
  Advisor:  Dennis Young 
  MS:  Fall 1997 
  Project:  “Comparison of Tests for Heteroscedasticity in Mutiple Linear Regression Analysis” 

Weiqiang Xie 
  Advisor:  Dieter Armbruster 
  MNS:  Spring 1998 

Lirong Yan 
  Advisor:   Genghua Fan 
  Ph.D.:  Spring 1998 
  Dissertation:  “On path decomposition of graphs” 

Weidong Yu 
  Advisor:  Kathy  Prewitt 
  MS:  Fall 1997 
  Project:  “Bivariate Density Estimation with Left Truncated and right Censored Data” 

Tina Zalupski 
  Advisor:  Dennis Young 
  MS:  Summer 1998 
  Future employment:  American Express 

Katherine Zaremba 
  Advisor:  Steve Baer 
  MA:  Spring 1998 
  Thesis:  “Relaxation oscillators and bursters coupled to passive cables” 
 

     Thomas Arnold Bair II 
     Kari Lynn Cerniglia 
     W. Alton Chaney III 
     Clinton Lee Coatney 
     Geoff Eric Fair 
     Todd M. Haas 
     Christina Phelps Hale 
     Andrew James McClellean 
     Scott A. Menor 
     Jeffrey David Mirocha 
     Chandra M. O’Brien 
     Michelle Esme Sinclair 
 
 

     The new examination system will also emphasize economics and finance. In the fall of 1998, Dr. Hassett will teach MAT 494 (Theory of Interest) to cover topics which will be included in the new Part II exam. (That exam will also require knowledge of some basic economics and finance courses.) 
     The actuarial job market is strong at this time, and ASU gets more calls for entry level actuaries than it can fill. Students who would like a career that combines mathematics, business planning and work with other people should seriously consider an actuarial career. Dr. Hassett can be reached by phone at 965-6639 or e-mail hassett@math.la.asu.edu. 
  
 
 

     For the last five weeks I have been meeting with high school students and teachers at Mountain Pointe High School.  This involved four different projects partially supported by SWRIMS (Southwest Regional Mathematics Institute), Ticket Master, ASU, and Mountain Pointe.  First, I taught a class on Challenge Problems in Mathematics for fourteen teachers.  These problems involved various topics in discrete math, number theory, algebra, geometry, probability and computer science, with a heavy emphasis on mathematical induction and recursive algorithms.  Second, I supervised a group of eight high school students who attacked a series of hard research type problems; some of these I suggested, while others were suggested by the students themselves. A major part of their investigations involved using computers to search for possible optimal solutions. These students received small stipends from Ticket Master and SWRIMS. Third, I supervised a group of nine high school students

We are pleased to announce that there will be an addition to the statistics faculty in the Fall 1998 semester.  Yijun (Eugene) Zuo will be joining us from University of Texas at Dallas, where he completed his Ph.D. in the Spring.  His area of expertise is multivariate analysis.  We will be very happy to have him with us. 
     The annual Statistics Week was sponsored by the Committee on Statistics and took place during the week of March 23.  There was a seminar and computer workshop on the National Health Interview Survey which were presented by Dr. Neil Russell and Dr. Jerry Hendershot from the National Center for Health Statistics.  Additionally, Prof. Robert Groves of the Joint Program for Survey Methodology at the University of Maryland presented a talk on "Nonresponse in Surveys:  The Behavioral Foundation for Statistical Errors."  Our Statistics Fair brought representatives from a number of local companies and organizations to campus to discuss how they use statistics.  This year's attendees included Microage, PCS Health Systems, America West Airlines, Motorola, and Health Service Advisory Group. We were happy to see several of our graduates represent their companies. If you would be interested in being part of our Statistics Week activities, please let us know.

     So you want to be a faculty member at a university?  So you want to teach a few classes a semester, and then have tons of time to do research?  Or do you prefer the small, collegiate setting that a private institution affords with all of its attention turned toward teaching?  Well, in any case, prepare yourself because the road ahead is paved with a few surprises and some wide, curvy turns.  You can’t forget the Service! 
     Ever since I was in college I dreamed of being a college professor at a small private university concentrating all of my efforts on teaching. What I did not realize is that there is a lot more teaching going on at places like that than meets the eye of the student.  But in addition, there is a lot of service work going on there too.  While research at places like that seems to be masked by the increased teaching loads, in the closet of spare time (however empty), research happens too. 

Congratulations to the new members of PFF for the 98/99 academic year: 
                       John Burke 

Where in the world is Altay, Xinjiang, China?  Altay is a city with a population of 160,000 in northwest China, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. It borders Mongolia and Kazakhstan.  (It is about as far north as one can go in China!) 
     Recently, I had the privilege of visiting this very scenic area, along with a group of six others. Since Altay is not one of the more frequent tourist stops (for foreigners), city officials greeted us with a TV camera and small red limousines to escort us to Altay. 
They also extended their hospitality by arranging banquets for us and accompanying us on various tours of some of the major factories in the town: 
 

Groupoidfest 98 
  Organizers: Steve Kaliszewski, John Quigg, and Jack Spielberg 
  November 7-8, 1998 

Summer 1998 Workshop, Mathematics Instuctional Techonology sponsored by a grant from Ohio State University and ASU’s Department of Mathematics Technology Group on Aug. 3-7, 1998.   
Topics included:  new calculators and flash technology, algebra/trigonometry workshop, physics-CBL activities, and web activities 
Coordinator:  Paul Vaz 
Program committee:  Sharon Walker, Marilyn Carlson, Patricia Dueck, Matt Isom, Nandor Sieben, Scott Surgent, and Mark Burtch 

Hans Mittelmann has given talks  about optimizations methods for 

The Center for Systems Science presented the MICROBIAL ECOLOGY WORKSHOP on Sat. April 25, 1998. 
  Hal Smith gave a talk titled “Wall growth in a plug flow model with applications to the large intestine.” 
Frank Hoppensteadt gave a talk titled “Mathematical Aspects  of Microbial Ecology.” 

In April 1997, at the ASU Graduate Student Forum, Dr. James Turner gave a talk entitled “Using Mathematics to make a Better Computer Chip.” 
Dr. Don Jones also gave a talk titled, Finite Difference Scheme Double-Gyre Shallow-Water Model.” 
Graduate student Erika Livingston gave a talk at the conference titled “Design and Control of the Cz Crystal Growth Process.”

Dr. Kathryn Prewitt 5 years  

Fred Schineller  5 years  

Kathy Brower  10 years  

Marlene Salvato  15 years  

Dr. William Trotter  10 years  

Linda Arneson  15 years  

Dr. Hans Mittelmann 15 years  

Dr. Harvey Smith   20 years  

Dr. Lynn Kurtz  30 years  
  
To graduate student Curtis Storlie, who is participating in a co-op program with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

To graduate students Katherine Zaremba and Eric Stemmons who won TA Excellence in Teaching Awards in April. 
Mark Nelson  who was awarded a NASA fellowship

Kudos: 

Jennifer Vazquez’s (Administrative Assistant) expertise in the use of PC’s, both hardware and software, and her encouragement for the growth and development of the staff in the use of technology has made a tremendous impact on staff productivity and versatility. Her patience in assisting with the administrative network and getting us “hooked” on Outlook has made a tremendous difference in how efficiently we communicate. Thanks Jennifer! 

Special thanks to Melissa Kotel (Office Specialist, Sr.), Misty Madero (Student Staff), Debbie Olson (Administrative Assistant), and Jennifer Vazquez (Administrative Assistant) for all their time and effort in researching, organizing and publishing this first edition of Math Minutes. 

 
Fall Picnic 
Place: Kiwanis Park in Tempe 
Date: Nov. 7 
The event will be catered by Burnt Biscuit and there will  be a potluck of desserts and salads.  

 
Holiday Gathering 
Place: Holiday Inn in Tempe 
Date:  Dec. 5 
Time: 6:00 p.m. 
There will be a full dinner buffet, DJ and Dancing. 
 
 

Coordinators: Melissa Kotel 
                   Debbie Olson 
                   Jennifer Vazquez 

 

Answer in Spring edition of Math Minutes