DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS The Sum Times Fall 2012 News, notes, and inspiration from Walla Walla University

MAA Honors Thompson om Thompson, longtime professor of T mathematics at Walla Walla University, SEE FOR YOURSELF received the Mathematical Association of Visit our campus to America’s Section Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of discover more about Mathematics in the Pacifc Northwest. the Department of Such recognition is quite signifcant; the MAA has approximately 20,000 Mathematics firsthand. members nationwide, including about 800 It’s simple to schedule in the Northwest, spread throughout fve U.S. states and fve Canadian provinces. a campus visit! Thompson was presented a certifcate at the Call (509) 527-2091, or Pacifc Northwest sectional meeting held at the University of Portland in April 2012. find more information Thompson, who was the WWU and register at Distinguished Faculty Lecturer in 2009, was nominated by Professor Ken Wiggins, wallawalla.edu/visit. chair of the Department of Mathematics. Tom Thompson is in his 42nd year of Along with Wiggins’s initial nomination teaching at WWU. and supporting documentation, further letters of recommendation were sent in by Thompson graduated from WWU and ONE TOUGH TEST a colleague, a university administrator, and frst began teaching in 1971, and later he recent graduate. Interestingly, all of these received his doctorate from the University of Did you know that Walla individuals were also former students of California, Davis. Since then, he has made Walla University is the only Thompson. presentations around the world, including The award from the MAA “helps to put in Brazil and Poland. The book he published Seventh-day Adventist us on the map,” Thompson said. “Today, in 1984, “From Error Correcting Codes university that regularly Christian education is not always an easy Through Sphere Packing to Simple Groups,” sell, especially considering the costs. For is now in its ffth printing with MAA, and offers training for and someone at WWU to be chosen is signifcant. his fundraising efforts were instrumental administers the grueling This is a high honor for the university.” in acquiring the observatory on top of The mathematics enthusiast and Kretschmar Hall. Putnam Mathematics test? amateur astronomer also explained how the Now in his 42nd year teaching at WWU, joy of being a teacher is not about receiving Thompson relishes each day like it is his impressive awards, but rather in working frst on the job. “I tell my students that I am with students. so lucky,” he said. “Walla Walla is my alma “I really enjoy trying to hook students on mater and, quite frankly, I never expected a subject that many of them are required to to be back here. I get to do that which take for another discipline,” he began. seems to suit me exactly. I wake up in the “When you toss out extra problems, some easy, morning and look forward with relish to and some more challenging, and students of what I am privileged to do that day—teach a wide variety of abilities latch onto them, it mathematics, maybe even change attitudes.” really doesn’t get better than that!” DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS The Sum Times

MATH FUN This year’s Mathematics WWU Mathematics: A Family Tradition

Club has been busy hosting ow much does your family have in fun activities for members, H common? If you are the Foster family, you attended the same college, and you also mathletes, and mere mortals graduated with the same major. alike. Club members had Meet the Fosters, all Walla Walla University alumni. Beverly (Rippey) fun getting lost in the local Foster is a 1978 mathematics graduate. corn maze and enjoying Her husband, James Foster, is a 1980 mathematics graduate. treats from the much-loved Twenty-fve years after they sat in Colville St. Patisserie. Current the classrooms of Kretschmar Hall, their children, John and Laura, started their club president Becky Picard mathematics studies at Walla Walla. says this year’s activities will Beverly’s family connections to Walla Walla began almost 100 years ago. Beverly’s include service activities, grandfather, Edward Rippey, was a 1920 sledding with the Biology graduate. Her grandmother, Margaret (Holden) Rippey, graduated in 1914 with The Foster family, from left, Laura Club, a photo scavenger a diploma in music, and in 1916 with Foster ’08, John ’07 and Bethany bachelor of music degree. (Miller) Foster ’08, James Foster ’80, hunt, and gatherings for and Beverly (Rippey) Foster ’78. Beverly’s father, 1950 graduate William homemade ice cream. Rippey, was a biology pre-med student at completed medical studies at Loma Linda WWU. Beverly says, “I took it for granted University, and is currently in a neurology that I would go to Walla Walla. The hard residency at the University of Minnesota. part was choosing a major.” All four Fosters took classes from Tom STAY CONNECTED She chose mathematics and says it Thompson, and valued the knowledge Check in with fellow math has provided a successful professional and the personalities of their mathematics foundation for her and members of her professors. Although their academic majors, see what our current family. experience has served the family well, for students are doing, Beverly currently works as a human Beverly it was the caring nature of her resources and payroll analyst for Digimarc mathematics professors that was most and receive WWU Corporation in Beaverton, Ore., where she memorable. “The faculty went out of their information. and her husband live. She also has taught way to make us part of the Walla Walla mathematics at the college and junior high family, including being invited to their FindWalla Walla school level. homes,” Beverly says. University on Linkedin. James is a software engineer for VMware. One particular experience conveyed James also has a law degree and spent some to Beverly the caring qualities of her Or, sign up for WWU’s years working as an attorney. His interest professors. alumni e-newsletter at in politics led to his run as a Libertarian “When I was a student, I worked as candidate in a couple of political races, the department secretary. The back of my wallawalla.edu/enewssignup. including a 2012 special election for a seat desk chair had broken off, but it wasn’t a in the U.S. Congress for ’s First big deal. I only worked a couple of hours Congressional District. a day, and I was managing. The next day I John, a 2007 WWU graduate, is came in and discovered that Gordon Hare currently in the doctoral program at the [department head] had given me his chair University of Oregon where he is studying and was using mine. To me that showed representations of quantum groups. how much he cared for us students. He was Laura, a 2008 WWU graduate, truly a servant leader.” Statistician Analyzes Medical Research Data OUR MATH TEAM Broman’s interest in statistics was sparked during her time as a student. Though she originally came to study engineering, Broman also joined the math program her junior year. “Our professors are really Ken Wiggins, Ph.D., Chair interested in helping students Professor of Mathematics understand the material,” she says. “And the smaller class sizes and friendly teachers were a good environment for me.” Broman frst heard about the feld of statistics from a University of Oregon statistician, who gave a lecture at WWU. Tom Thompson, Ph.D. “I wanted to work in a Professor of Mathematics feld that was more applied than mathematics, but not as Aimee Teo Broman works with medical researchers hands-on as engineering,” she at a state university. She and her husband, Karl, says. “Statisticians quantify the have two childen. uncertainty of collected data, hat does a mathematics major do? using mathematical principles.” WAimee Teo Broman (née Teo), a After graduation, Broman spent a year 1995 Walla Walla University mathematics teaching English in Beijing, China, and then Tim Tiffin, DA graduate, analyzes medical data for continued her education at the University of Professor of Mathematics researchers at the School of Medicine California–Berkeley, where she received a and Public Health at the University of master’s degree in statistics. Wisconsin–Madison. She is also part of a Broman and her husband, Karl, have two project studying the effect of genetics on children. In her spare time, she plays viola obesity and diabetes in mice. with the Edgewood Chamber Orchestra.

Academic Pursuits In Full Gear Jonathan Duncan, Ph.D. Professor of Mathematics hese recent graduates have used their Colin Clark ‘07 is working on a doctoral TWalla Walla University mathematics degree in applied mathematics at University studies as a springboard to the next level of of Arizona. academic excellence. Graham Vixie ‘07 is working on a Sharif Ibrahim ‘05 is working on a doctoral doctoral degree in physics at University of degree at State University with Idaho. (Vixie has also worked on the Casini WWU mathematics graduate Kevin Vixie ‘84. spacecraft.) Jason Damazo ‘07 is working on a John Hawkins ‘10 is working on a doctoral doctoral degree in aeronautical engineering degree in computational mathematics at Heidi Haynal, Ph.D. at California Institute of Technology. University of Texas, Austin. Associate Professor of Ross Magi ‘07 is working on a doctoral Anya Davis ’10 is studying physics at Mathematics degree in mathematical biology at the Washington State University. University of Utah. math.wallawalla.edu DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS The Sum Times Share Your Story A LASTING LEGACY eople often ask me, “Ken, what is As far as investments go, these students P happening in the math department?” I are a sure thing! Many of you already have Give future mathematics like this question, especially when someone made investments in our students through students a strong start by asks me at a meal or other occasion that your scholarship gifts. We appreciate does not permit easy escape. That is because your partnership in this endeavor. Beyond supporting scholarships I have a lot to say, and most of what I say fnancial support, your gifts demonstrate to through Walla Walla involves the accomplishments of our our students the spirit of support and caring students and alumni. we hope to impart to them. University. Contact Breanna Among our alumni are teachers, I invite you to come to our department Bork at (509) 527-2635 or actuaries, mathematicians, statisticians, reunion during Homecoming Weekend, physicians, and other successful people from April 25-28, 2013. At 6 p.m., on Sabbath, [email protected] many walks of life. I am proud of all of you, the Department of Mathematics will join the to learn more. and I love sharing your stories. Department of Physics and the Department We have a talented group of students of Computer Science to host an alumni majoring in mathematics, and most of them reunion. are women! One of our seniors is already If you can’t attend, please send me a note teaching at Walla Walla Valley Academy, and keep us up-to-date on your activities and and other majors are planning to become accomplishments. teachers. Another one of our majors, who is the AGA Girls’ Club president, plans to Ken Wiggins, Chair become a physician, and yet another plans Department of Mathematics

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