FOCUS December 2002

FOCUS is published by the Mathematical Association of America in January, February, March, April, May/June, August/September, FOCUS October, November, and December. Editor: Fernando Gouvêa, Colby College; December 2002 [email protected] Volume 22, Number 9 Managing Editor: Carol Baxter, MAA [email protected] 4 Catch the Buzz: Staging an Integration Bee Senior Writer: Harry Waldman, MAA hwald- By Jonathan Rubin [email protected] Please address advertising inquiries to: Carol 6 Curriculum Foundations Workshop in Engineering Baxter, MAA; [email protected] By David Bigio and Susan L. Ganter President: Ann E. Watkins, California State University, Northridge 8 Curriculum Foundations Workshop in Statistics President-Elect: Ronald L. Graham By Tom Moore, Roxy Peck, and Allan Rossman First Vice-President: Carl C. Cowen Second Vice-President: Joseph A. Gallian, Secretary: 10 Proposal Reviews at the National Science Foundation Martha J. Siegel, Associate Secretary: James J. By Kevin Charlwood Tattersall, Treasurer: John W. Kenelly Executive Director: Tina H. Straley 11 NSF Beat-Centers for Learning and Teaching By Sharon Cutler Ross Associate Executive Director and Director of Publications and Electronic Services: Donald J. Albers 12 PREP Workshops-2003 FOCUS Editorial Board: Gerald Alexan- By Victor J. Katz derson; Donna Beers; J. Kevin Colligan; Ed Dubinsky; Bill Hawkins; Dan Kalman; Peter 15 AP Calculus at the Amusement Park and on the Web Renz; Annie Selden; Jon Scott; Ravi Vakil. By Susan Kornstein Letters to the editor should be addressed to Fernando Gouvêa, Colby College, Dept. of 16 The History of Computer Science on the Web Mathematics, Waterville, ME 04901, or by email to [email protected]. By Linda Becerra and Ron Barnes Subscription and membership questions should be directed to the MAA Customer 18 Treasurer’s Report—2001 Financial Year Service Center, 800-331-1622; e-mail: maahq@ maa.org; (301) 617-7800 (outside U.S. and 20 Short Takes Canada); fax: (301) 206-9789. Copyright © 2002 by the Mathematical 22 In Memoriam: Arnold E. Ross Association of America (Incorporated). Educational institutions may reproduce articles for their own use, but not for sale, 25 Employment Opportunities provided that the following citation is used: “Reprinted with permission of FOCUS, the newsletter of the Mathematical Association of America (Incorporated).” Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to FOCUS, Mathematical Association of America, P.O. Box 90973, Washington, DC 20090-0973. FOCUS Deadlines ISSN: 0731-2040; Printed in the United States of America. February March April Editorial Copy December 14 January 17 February 4 Employment Ads December 10 January 15 February 11 Display Ads December 20 January 29 February 25

2 December 2002 FOCUS AAAS Meeting to Offer Strong Mathematics Program

By Warren Page The 2003 AnnuaI Meeting of the Opening the Mind with Mathematics, The AAAS annual meetings are showcases American Association for the Advancement organized by Carson C. Chow, University of American science. AAAS encourages of Science, February 13–18, in Denver, CO, of Pittsburgh. participation by math-ematicians and will feature many outstanding expository mathematics educators. In representing talks by prominent mathematicians. Modeling the Internet and the World mathematics-related themes to the AAAS These include the following three- Wide Web, organized by Jennifer Tour Program Committee, I have found the hour symposia sponsored by Section A Chayes and Christian Borgs, Microsoft committee to be genuinely interested (Mathematics) of the AAAS. Research in offering symposia on mathematical topics of current interest. Thus, the Predictability and Randomness in Weather Other symposia that will be of interest Section A Committee seeks organizers Forecasting, organized by Cecile Penland, to the mathematical community include: and speakers who can present substantial Prashant Sardeshmukh, and Matthew Challenges in the Statistical Analysis of new material in an accessible manner to Newman, NOAA-CIRES/Climate Dia- Genome Data, Science and Mathematics a large scientific audience. I invite you to gnostics Center. Education of American Indians and Alaskan attend the Section A Committee business Natives, Face and 0bject Recognition in meeting at 7:45–10:45 p.m. on Friday, Math Inside!… An Industrial View, Man, Monkey, and Machine, The Physics of February 14th, 2003 in the Molly Brown organized by Brenda Dietrich, IBM: Extra Dimension, and Security for Life: The Room of the Marriott. I also invite you to Research and Fadil Santosa, University Science Behind Security Technologies. send me and to encourage your colleagues of Minnesota. to send me symposia proposals for future The above symposia are only a few of AAAS annual meetings. Game Theoretic Aspects of Internet the 150 or so AAAS program offerings Computation, organized by Joan in the physical, life, social and biological Warren Page ([email protected]) is Secretary Feigenbaum, Yale University. sciences. For further details about the of Section A of the AAAS. 2003 AAAS program, see the November Mathematical Models for Traffic Flow: 1st, 2002, issue of Science. Phantom Jams and Real Data, organized by Paul Nelson, Texas A & M University.

Reviews Wanted!

How do you search for the right www.mathdl.org/lcp.html. There you will using the form that can be found on pages textbook for your course? Do you find a listing of most textbooks available 23-24 of this issue of FOCUS. The form just look at the books that publishers’ for any given course. Each textbook has a is also available online; see http://www. representatives bring around? Do you link to the publisher’s home page, where maa.org/news/reviews_wanted.html. Tell wander around to each publisher’s booth you will find a description (written by the everyone the strengths and weaknesses of at the Joint Meetings? Do you type in publisher’s PR department) and where the book, the responses of your students, “abstract algebra texts” at amazon.com? you can order an examination copy. and whether you plan to use the book Do you wish there were an easy way to again. We will then post the review online find out whether particular texts would Unfortunately, although there is also a so that others can access it. Even if your be appropriate for your students? The link to “user reviews,” reviews are not yet textbook is not listed in the Catalog, you MAA wants to help you. available for most books posted. So to can still write a review. In that case, we make this Catalog useful to all of us, we can add the book to the Catalog and try We now have online a Catalog of need your help in writing reviews. If you to get a link to the publisher. With your February March April Commercial Materials as part of MathDL, have taught from any of the books listed help, this Catalog of Commercial Materials Editorial Copy December 14 January 17 February 4 the Mathematics Digital Library. You can in the Catalog in the past few years – or are will become a valuable resource for all of Employment Ads December 10 January 15 February 11 access the Catalog through a link from teaching from one of them this semester us and will help us immensely in choosing Display Ads December 20 January 29 February 25 MAA Online or go to it directly at http:// – please consider writing a brief review a book that meets our students’ needs.

 FOCUS December 2002 Catch the Buzz: Staging an Integration Bee

By Jonathan Rubin

To generate excitement about mathematics at the University a ProfCam (see below). We made sure to test out the equipment of Pittsburgh, we decided to stage an Integration Bee. On March ahead of time! 22, 2001, the First Annual University of Pittsburgh Integration Bee took place. Over 100 students, faculty, and family members We recruited as many graduate students and staff members gathered to cheer on 30 Pitt undergraduate participants in as we could get our hands on to help out in the staging of the a suspenseful and competitive display of integration talent event. In the bee’s second year, we began recruitment efforts and skill under pressure. On March 21, 2002, the Second earlier and put students to work. We had students pick up Pitt Integration Bee met with similar success, despite snowy refreshments and door prizes, which we awarded in drawings Pittsburgh streets and competition from a surprise Pitt NCAA to audience members, each of whom was handed a prize ticket men’s basketball tournament appearance that night. upon arrival. Additionally, students helped in a variety of promotional roles. The Integration Bee has raised the profile of mathematics on campus and has given a range of Pitt undergraduates, from In terms of promotion, we felt it would be crucial to the success freshman calculus students to senior mathematics majors, a of our integration bee to get the word out to as many people much-appreciated opportunity to showcase, and be cheered as possible, as many times as possible. We used electronic for, some of their mathematical abilities. An integration bee mailing lists to inform all Pitt math majors, faculty members is a fun, exciting event that could be staged by groups on any and adjunct instructors, staff members, and graduate students campus; as one example, the University of South Carolina Math about the event. We strongly encouraged everyone having any Honor Club held a successful integration bee based on our contact with undergrads, particularly instructors in their math model, last spring. In this article, I describe the logistics of the classes, to spread the message that the Integration Bee was Pitt Integration Bee, as one example of the form a successful coming, to emphasize that it would be fun and exciting, and to integration bee can take. encourage people to sign up as participants or to plan to attend in the audience. Every time I saw an undergrad student in the The idea for the Pitt Integration Bee derived from the Integration halls of our building, I asked if the student had signed up for Bee held between semesters at MIT; a similar event has also the Integration Bee yet, and I mentioned it almost daily in my been held at the University of North Texas. After Carson Chow, Calculus II class. (For an initial staging of an Integration Bee, a mathematics faculty member, staged a successful trial in his having an organizer who teaches Calc II may be helpful; a little Honors Calculus class, Chow recruited fellow mathematics bit of extra credit can go a long way towards boosting turnout.) faculty Jonathan Rubin and Bill Troy to join him in preparing We made sure that the date was set early and that sign-up for a campus-wide version. information for potential participants was clearly distributed. We also made sure that students knew that cash prizes would be Pitt’s spring semester starts in early January. We decided to given to winners; however, we did not advertise the amount of schedule the Integration Bee for late March, late enough in the these prizes ahead of time, and anecdotal evidence suggests that academic year that the first-year calculus sequence would have the high sign-up rate we achieved related more to en-thusiasm finished its treatment of integration techniques, but still well about an actual math competition than excitement over prize separated from final exams. We were quite pleased, however, money. Other important publicity efforts included setting up that the Pitt Honors College enthusiastically provided $500 in a website, with rules laid out, posting fliers clearly displaying support, which turns out to be more than is needed to stage an relevant information (see http://www.math.pitt.edu/~rubin), and integration bee without skimping. We decided to devote $200 contacting campus and city media. to bookstore gift certificates, as prizes for winners. We have been quite pleased with how the two Pitt Integration In parallel to our minor fundraising efforts, we planned the Bees have run. In the format we designed, the first two rounds are format of the integration bee, scaled up to be held in an single elimination. In later “lightning rounds,” everyone races to auditorium for what we hoped would be a large group. We set solve the same problem. To start each of the elimination rounds, a date and then reserved a room; we set the event time at 8 PM, one participant comes forward to attempt to evaluate an integral based partially on the availability of the room that we wanted within a two-minute time limit, similar to a traditional spelling and partially on the schedule of evening math classes at Pitt. bee. If the participant evaluates an integral correctly, then the We arranged for catering and notified campus security, as next participant is assigned a new integral. Otherwise, the next required for large campus events. For the format we envisioned, participant has one minute to attack the same integral. Upon we reserved a variety of equipment items that our campus has a second failure, the troublesome integral passes on to a third available as teaching resources. These included microphones and participant, with thirty seconds allotted. Three strikes on one

 December 2002 FOCUS integral, and the subsequent participant gets a new integral and a paper to attempt integrals themselves, an option that has been full two minutes. The job of the timekeeper, filled by a graduate appreciatively received. student, is an important one! The inactive participants are given paper on which to work each assigned integral if they wish, to Spectators’ attempts to evaluate integrals were in most cases help them all keep their brains active (and nerves down) and to done for their own amusement. However, in some cases these allow a head-start to the participants near the front of the line efforts entered into the competition. Each participant was in case the “active” integral is passed along to them. allowed to use one “lifeline” in the bee, either in the first or the second round; this idea may be familiar from the television show, Participant order is set randomly before the start of the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” The lifelines could be anyone competition. The integrals themselves, which we compiled not on the organizing committee, including faculty members. over about two months (but mostly during a focused couple During a lifeline consultation, a participant’s time countdown of days), are divided into relatively easy first-round problems, was suspended. The lifeline came up to join the participant and intermediate second round problems, and harder problems. was given 20 seconds to convey, on microphone, any information We made sure that all integrals could be evaluated using what desired to the participant. The participant was not allowed to have been traditionally considered as Calculus II methods. No write during this consultation. Interestingly, despite being told path integrals, multivariable integrals, or complex integrals about the lifeline provision ahead of time, many participants were included, for example. However, we did include integrals spontaneously selected lifelines from the audience, which requiring such methods as partial fractions and trigonometric made for some surprisingly suspenseful moments. For future substitutions, which may no longer be emphasized in many competitions, we may decide to prohibit lifelines from directly Calc II classes. Here we took our lead from spelling bees, which stating answers; we are still tinkering with this issue. certainly are not restricted to words that are commonly used! Examples of first round integrands are In designing our integrals, we aimed for about half of the x x +1 x 2 e participants to make it through the first two rounds successfully. , , cos x(1+ sin x), x . x x + 1 sin e Customized certificates of participation were awarded ( ) to all participants. We decided to cap participation at 30 Second round integrals have included undergraduates the first year, to try to finish in two hours. Of 2 x x 2 these, 12 made it through single elimination to the third round. x +e x cos ( ) 2x e ,1n(x ), , 2 . The second year, we held participation down to 25 to aim for a x x + 1 slightly faster finish. The lightning round last year featured All subsequent rounds were lightning rounds, which quickened 2 x x the pace of the competition. The basic idea of a lightning round and . 1 + x3 (x +1)3 is that all remaining participants compete head-to-head on the same integral, with the first n correct answers leading to The audience appreciates “trick” problems, such as the indefinite promotion to the next round, for some specified n. We had to x 2 integral of cos2 x + sin2 x or the integral of e sin x from improvise here, as far as actual numbers, depending on how hard to . Complete lists of integrals used in past University of North the integrals turned out to be for the students. We also imposed Texas Integration Bees are available online at http://www.math. time limits; in one case, an integral was thrown out, when no unt.edu/IntegrationBee/IntegrationBee.html. correct evaluations were completed in the allotted time. Both years, every student who made it to the fourth round ended up We used a ProfCam, a chalkboard, and a supply of pens and with a monetary prize, with the student evaluating the fourth papers to keep the audience involved in the action. A ProfCam round integral fastest winning the competition and earning the projects an image, taken from a platform that sits on a desktop, coveted title of Integration Champ. onto a projection screen. Participants are required to work on their integrals on paper on top of the ProfCam platform. The Acknowledgments: I thank Carson Chow for conceiving of having effectiveness of the ProfCam projection has been varied—some an integration bee at Pitt, and I appreciate feedback on this article students accidentally obscure their writing with their hands or from Carson and from Ellen Rubin. I also thank all of the members move their papers out of view—but audience reaction to it has of the University of Pittsburgh community who have helped to been positive. A nice idea from the University of South Carolina make this event a success. is to project correct answers on ProfCam, after students fail to evaluate a given integral correctly. The chalkboard is used simply Jonathan Rubin is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the to display, in large, clear writing, the integral being considered University of Pittsburgh. His research interests are in dynamical by the active participant. Audience members use the pens and systems and computational neuroscience.

 FOCUS December 2002 Curriculum Foundations Workshop in Engineering

By David Bigio and Susan L. Ganter

The MAA Committee on Curriculum conference that included invitees from ● translate mathematical results Renewal Across the First Two Years all disciplines was convened in November ● work with both the language of (CRAFTY) is conducting the Cur- 2001 to synthesize the workshop mathematics and the language of riculum Foundations (CF) Project, a findings. engineering, transferring readily major analysis of the first two years between the two in any given of the undergraduate mathematics The MAA Engineering Workshop at problem curriculum. The goal of the project is to Clemson University develop a curriculum document that will ● use mathematical models to assist assist college mathematics departments One of the MAA Curriculum Foun- in solving problems, and as they plan their programs for the dations workshops was sponsored and ● manipulate complex equations. next decade. Much of the information hosted by Clemson University on May for this curriculum document was 4-7, 2000. This workshop focused on Engineering students need to understand gathered between Fall 1999 and Spring the needs of engineering from the the physics of a wide variety of problems 2001 through a series of invitational first two years of college mathematics and how mathematical equations can disciplinary workshops, funded and instruction. The workshop had thirty- be used to describe the physics. Then, hosted by a wide variety of institutions. eight invited participants, with roughly they need to solve these problems using This article, focusing on engineering, equal representation from each of four the appropriate tools, understand the is part of a series of reports from these areas in engineering (chemical, civil, solution, and interpret the results. disciplinary workshops. electrical, mechanical) and mathematics. The workshop resulted in four documents, Content and Timing Format of the Curriculum one for each of the four engineering areas, Foundations Workshops addressing the MAA questions specified at the outset of the workshop. The issue of content is a complex one across the engineering disciplines. In Each CF workshop focused on a particular general, the study of engineering can be partner discipline or on a group of related This report focuses on the aggregate divided into three areas: disciplines, the objective being a clear, recommendations of the four groups concise statement of what students in that at the engineering workshop. It is not 1. Statics, including large scale area need to learn in their first two years intended to be a definitive document, stresses and integration principle of college mathematics. The workshops but rather a working paper that generates directions; were not intended to be dialogues discussion among mathematicians and between mathematics and the partner engineers in order to provide additional 2. Dynamics, or a phenomenon in disciplines, but rather a dialogue among feedback for the mathematics com- time; and, representatives of the discipline under munity. Therefore, the authors welcome 3. Non-deterministic problems; i.e., consideration, with math-ematicians comments and additional ideas. those utilizing statistics and present only to listen to the discussions probability. and to provide clarification on questions Desired Student Outcomes about the mathematics curriculum. For Discussions at the engineering workshop this reason, almost all of the individuals Before identifying any guiding principles made it clear that each of these areas invited to participate in each workshop for the mathematics curriculum, the requires different mathematical concepts were from the partner disciplines. workshop participants developed a list of general learning outcomes that should at different times in the learning curve. And since mathematics is the language The major product of each workshop be achieved by all engineering students. of engineering, then as with any “foreign” is a report or group of reports sum- Specifically, the workshop participants language, students that learn math- marizing the recommendations and want students to be able to: ematics years before their current conclusions of the workshop. These were engineering class may no longer be written by the representatives from the ● learn in context facile with the language. So, the workshop partner disciplines and address a series ● conceptualize participants believe it is critical to integrate of questions formulated by CRAFTY. mathematics with applications in specific The reports from each workshop have ● set up equations engineering disciplines. This “just-in- been widely circulated within the specific ● think about and solve time” approach requires co-ordination disciplines as well as the mathematics problems between mathematics and engineering community in order to solicit a broad ● use logic to reason through departments, perhaps resulting in a range of comments. A curriculum problem situations reconfiguration of the current collegiate

 December 2002 FOCUS mathematics curriculum for the first methodologies, it will not be effective provided more specificity and detail two years. in preparing students for engineering about specific mathematics topics in courses. Interdisciplinary team teaching the full workshop reports (see http:// In engineering disciplines, problem can be used to promote the integration academic.bowdoin.edu/faculty/B/barker/ solving requires the ability to understand of mathematics and engineering content. dissemination/Curriculum_Foundations; a physical problem, place it in a Student teams also can help instructional there are four reports from this workshop, mathematical context, solve the necessary effectiveness. covering Civil, Chemical, Mechanical, equations, and interpret the results. and Electrical Engineering). The basic Particularly in the first two years, students To accomplish these objectives, the mathematical foundations presented are more comfortable and adept at using workshop participants propose that in the reports are mostly the same as a sample problems to understand concepts. mathematics departments consider decade ago, but the methods for helping However, a full understanding of the developing small projects within students learn the ideas promoted by the problem solving process requires students mathematics courses that require team reports implies the need for a pedagogical to move through Bloom’s Taxonomy work and active learning so that the transformation that is critical to the from mechanics to con-ceptualization students have more opportunities to learn training of engineers for the future. to integration. This learning process can fundamental mathematics principles, be solidified by extending the required beyond simple examples. One such mathematics courses for engineers into project could utilize ordinary differential David Bigio is a member of the Mechanical the third year, so that the material can equations, moving from simple to complex Engineering Department at the University be coordinated with major engineering mathematical situations. Projects also of Maryland. Susan L. Ganter is in the courses. could cut across multiple engineering Department of Mathematical Sciences at areas to further develop connections Clemson University. Instructional Techniques between disciplines.

Instruction should be done in the context Summary of physical concepts, not as isolated This issue includes two articles on theoretical exercises. Students with The engineering workshop of the Curriculum Foundations, a project of mathematical training that focuses on Curriculum Foundations Project certainly CRAFTY, the MAA Committee on symbolic techniques have great difficulty raised more questions than the answers Curriculum Renewal Across the First moving to more complex engineering it produced. For example, is it better Two Years. Earlier articles have described problems. These students generally are pedagogically to teach mathematics to the project as a whole (November 2000), too dependent on methodology and are engineers as a homogeneous group, or the workshop on the mathematics unable to conceptualize based on broad together with non-engineering students? courses needed by physics students principles. There was general consensus among (March 2001), computer science students the workshop participants that the (May/June 2002), chemistry students Active learning is an important method mathematics community should look (September 2002), students engaged in for helping students to learn about open- closely at the heterogeneous approach interdisciplinary programs (September ended problems. It also prepares them for to the first two years—as well as other 2002), students in the Life and Health real problems they will encounter in their established traditions of the current Sciences (November 2002), and students future engineering careers. course organization. in technical programs in two-year colleges (November 2002). All of these reports Team Work and Interdisciplinary But one thing is clear: regardless of what can also be found on MAA Online, at Collaboration new teaching methods are utilized, the http://www.maa.org/features/currfound. needs of students and their learning html. Future articles will focus on Educational reform in engineering—being processes are different than even just other client disciplines. CRAFTY is a driven in large part by ABET2000, the new ten years ago. Students will work in subcommittee of CUPM, the Committee standards of the Accreditation Board for a complex technological world and on the Undergraduate Program in Engineering and Tech-nology—supports interface with problems from many Mathematics, which is undertaking the use of active learning, problem- disciplines. They need to understand a review of the whole undergraduate based experiences, and team work. This how to use fundamental concepts in a curriculum. has led to the use of problems that are variety of settings—and to appropriately open ended in engineering courses. The integrate calculators, computers, and paradigms for teaching in engineering are other technologies when solving physical evolving to include more varied methods, problems. and to address a wide variety of student learning styles. If mathematics is taught Although this report is very general, the in a way that does not support these new engineering workshop participants have

 FOCUS December 2002 The Curriculum Foundations Workshop in

By Tom Moore, Roxy Peck, and Allan Rossman

Readers of FOCUS are well aware of Workshop at Grinnell College. The group students had in mathematics courses. For the pedagogical reform that has impacted included statisticians from academia, example, courses that include some real, collegiate mathematics in the past 15 business, and government and from two- applied examples help students learn to years, especially in calculus. These same and four-year colleges and universities. draw connections between the language readers may be less aware of a similar of mathematics and the context of an reform in statistics education, which by The workshop considered two sets of application, a skill that is invaluable for and large, the statistics community has questions. The first—considered by all statistical work and that is better learned embraced. Richard Scheaffer, the past CRAFTY workshops—asked what aspects incrementally than through a single president of the American Statistical of the undergraduate math-ematics statistics course. But, including such Association (ASA), said in 1997, “With curriculum are of most value to statistics. examples may mean covering fewer regard to the content of an introductory The second set came from our belief topics. Similarly, statisticians routinely statistics course, statisticians are in closer that statistics—is unique as a partner turn to technology to explore properties agreement today than at any previous discipline in that—statistics is a part of of proposed statistical procedures and so time in my career.” (Moore, D. S. the mathematical sciences and should we recommend that early mathematics and discussants, “New Pedagogy and be represented within the curriculum courses give students experiences in using New Content: The Case of Statistics,” of a mathematics department. Indeed, technology to explore. International Statistical Review, 65 (1997), at many institutions, statistics resides page 156.) within the mathematics department. So What can statistics contribute to the we asked, what is the role of statistics in mathematics curriculum? In a seminal 1992 article (“Teaching the mathematics curriculum? Statistics,” in Heeding the Call for Change: Here we considered the role of statistics in Suggestions for Curricular Action, Lynn The workshop participants achieved both the mathematics major and in general A. Steen, ed., MAA Notes #22, The consensus on all issues considered, of education. Regarding general education, Mathematical Association of America, which we give here some highlights. we urge mathematics departments to pages 3-43), George Cobb articulated the The full report can be found at: http:// consider that students who take only one principles of statistics reform pedagogy academic.bowdoin.edu/faculty/B/barker/ college course in quantitative reasoning that are so much in evidence today: dissemination/Curriculum_Foundations/. may be better served by a modern course on introductory statistics than by a ● “More data and concepts, fewer What do statisticians need from traditional college algebra or pre-calculus derivations and recipes; automate mathematics? course. calculations using a modern statistical package.” The two highest priority needs of statistics For the mathematics major, we dusted ● “Emphasize statistical thinking: the from the mathematics curriculum are off an old recommendation from the omnipresence of variability and the to: 1991 CUPM Report, which said: “Every importance of data production.” mathematical sciences major should ● “Foster active learning: student (1) Develop skills and habits of mind include at least one semester of study of projects, group work, activities, for problem solving and for gen- probability and statistics at a level which writing, oral presentations.” eralization. Such development toward uses a calculus prerequisite.“… The independent learning is deemed major focus of this course should be on A recent article (Garfield, J., Hogg, B., more important than coverage of data and on the skills and mathematical Schau, C., and Whittinghill, D. “First any specific content area. tools motivated by problems of collecting Courses in Statistical Science: The (2) Focus on conceptual understanding and analyzing data.… any statistics Status of Educational Reform Efforts,” of key ideas of calculus and linear course taught now should use a nationally Journal of Statistics Education, Volume algebra, including function, available software package.” 10, Number 2, (2002), online at http:// derivative, integral, approximation, www.amstat.org/publications/jse/v10n2/ and transformation. Even though this recommendation has garfield.html) surveys the extent to been almost universally ignored, our which these recommendations have been Given our principles of good statistics workshop re-affirmed it. We felt there implemented. pedagogy, it seems fitting that we would were even more compelling reasons for not make strict content demands of the recommendation today than there On October 12-15, 2000, 22 statisticians the mathematics curriculum. We were were 10 years ago: (1) Data analysis plays and 5 mathematicians met for a much more concerned with conceptual a crucial role in many aspects of academic, Curriculum Foundations (CRAFTY) understanding and with the experiences professional, and personal life. (2) The job

 December 2002 FOCUS market for mathematics majors is largely report we describe several innovative Dept. of Statistics at California Polytechnic in fields (e.g., business) that use data. (3) courses from around the country that State University at San Luis Obispo. Future teachers will need knowledge of differ greatly in their focuses: a time series Together they organized the CF Workshop statistics and data analysis to be current course, a course that applies statistics to in Statistics at Grinnell College. with the new NCTM Standards and with archeology, a course in Bayesian analysis, the new and highly popular AP Statistics and a course in experimental design, course. (4) The study of statistics provides among others. In other words, just as we an opportunity for students to gain argued for development of conceptual frequent experience with the interplay under-standing and habits of mind What does statistics need from between abstraction and context that with mathematics courses, we similarly mathematics? Students with the we regard as critical for all mathematical do not believe in prescribing specific habits of mind and skills to solve sciences students. content for this statistics course. We hope problems, generalize, and model. that relaxing the calculus prerequisite We are less concerned with specific We agreed with the 1991 re- and providing curricular models will content coverage. commendation’s emphasis on real enable more institutions to implement data. A first statistics course for majors this important recommendation. We What can statistics do for should adhere to the principles of good also trust that this is one way in which mathematics? Develop data-driven statistics pedagogy in order to show statistics and mathematics can cooperate courses of two kinds: (1) Those students the essence of statistics. We to their mutual benefit. that fulfill the general education felt strongly, however, that we need not requirements of the non-major, and mandate a calculus prerequisite. Those Tom Moore is in the Dept. of Mathematics (2) Those that fulfill the statistics principles leave room for a variety of and Computer Science at Grinnell College. requirement that we see as vital for first statistics courses and in the full Roxy Peck and Allan Rossman are in the all undergraduate majors in our data- intensive world.

Saint Joseph College Department of Mathematical Sciences

The Department of Mathematical Sciences should have a doctorate in mathematics or Resources, Mathematical Sciences Search at Saint Joseph College announces two full- a closely related field (or be well advanced Committee, Saint Joseph College, 1678 time tenure track positions at the assistant in a doctoral program) and have a strong Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT professor level beginning August 2003. commitment to undergraduate education. 06117-2791; E-mail: [email protected]; Fax: Expertise in mathematics is essential; 860.231.8273. Review of applications will Computer Science: Candidates should knowledge of information technology begin immediately and continue until the have a doctorate in computer science, or computer science and an interest position is filled. mathematics or a closely related field (or in pedagogy are highly desirable. Res- be well advanced in a doctoral program) ponsibilities include teaching courses in Saint Joseph College is an equal opportunity and have a strong commitment to mathematics at all levels (e.g., probability, employer that values diversity. Women, undergraduate education. Expertise in statistics, real and complex analysis, minorities, and persons with disabilities computer science is essential; knowledge of fundamentals of mathematics) and an are encouraged to apply. mathematics and information technology occasional course in computing. is highly desirable. Responsibilities include Saint Joseph’s College, Connecticut’s only four- teaching courses in computer science at all For both positions, other work includes year women’s college is located in residential levels (e.g., introduction to programming, participation on committees, directing West Hartford, midway between Boston data structures, algorithm analysis, object student research projects and engaging in and New York City. The College provides oriented programming) and an occasional scholarly activity, but the primary focus is a rigorous liberal arts and professional course in mathematics. The computer on teaching. The standard teaching load education for a diverse student population science program has been selected for is 12 credits per semester. while maintaining a strong commitment to enhancement; the successful candidate will developing the potential of women. have the opportunity to take an active part Send vita, statement of teaching in the development of new directions for philosophy, graduate transcript and the program. three names of references to: Human

Mathematics/computer science: Candidates  FOCUS December 2002 Proposal Reviews at the National Science break for most panelists. The budget was important, but only caused concern Foundation if costs appeared high. There were By Kevin Charlwood proposals where one or more of the PIs’ backgrounds did not appear to be a good I n July, I had the opportunity to between $25,000 and $50,000 per year. Of fit for the project, in terms of prior grant participate on an NSF review panel for the 35 national dissemination proposals, work, publications, and related activities. proposals designed to improve one or five were to be funded. Only about $20 In this case, it seems wise for PIs to more aspects of undergraduate science, million in funding was to be awarded out explain that their proposed project will technology, engineering, and math- of roughly $108 million requested. take them in a new direction, rather than ematics education. It all took four days, leaving the panel to wonder why exactly including travel to and from Arlington, The rating system works as follows: they are applying for funding in the first VA. As it was my first such experience, I Excellent–should receive top priority for place. In one instance, it appeared that was very curious to see how the review funding; Very Good–strong proposal in a PI was planning a project at someone process worked, and to get a first-hand most respects, deserving of funding if at else’s behest, and that caught the eyes of look at what qualities separate those all possible; Good––worthy of support; several panelists. proposals that get funded from those Fair––proposal is lacking in one or more that do not. areas; Poor–seriously deficient. Our For those seriously thinking about panel was set up for us to give individual committing to writing a grant proposal, There were about 300 total reviewers ratings to each proposal, but not a it is important to research other similar for proposals from across the sciences– panel rating. As we read each proposal, projects. Laying out specifics of how your biology, chemistry, engineering and we noted the project’s “intellectual work will forge a new path, together with mathematics. In the mathematical merits” and”“broader impacts” and statements showing how your work will sciences, reviewers were placed on five wrote individual summaries to share at be distinct when compared with similar different panels: teacher education; deve- our panel meeting. Each proposal also projects will not only help the reviewing lopmental and precalculus mathematics; had one panelist assigned to serve as panel to understand the nature and scope lower division courses (calculus, linear “scribe”, who took complete notes on the of your proposal, but higher ratings algebra, differential equations); upper- panel’s discussion and entered the panel’s should result. Two proposals that we read division courses, and one for large, summary into the NSF system for later contained lengthy details about prior national dissemination models. The panel review, along with their own personal successful grant work; several panelists of eight reviewers on which I served was summary and rating. viewed parts of that as superfluous. responsible for 13 proposals. Succinctness is crucial, so as not to eat Each proposal contained some initial up too much of the allotted 15 pages The first meeting gathered all reviewers pages with the name(s) of PI(s), a one- discussing past work instead of carefully with NSF staff to introduce us to the page proposal summary, 15 pages of detailing the new project. Since obtaining review process. The second was a meeting project description, a budget along with funding is so difficult, first-time applicants of reviewers from individual disciplines justification, PI(s) qualifications for the should be prepared for rejection and to with NSF program directors in that study, and references to related work. For read reviewer’s comments to help them discipline. Next, individual panels met to me, the one-page summary was of vital rewrite and resubmit their proposals to set meeting times for the next day and to importance––the overall essence and a future call. decide which proposals reviewers would scope of the project needed to be clear up discuss in detail. Once the preliminaries front. With a high volume of proposals to The entire experience was extremely were determined, it was time to read read and limited time to digest each one, worthwhile. Although there is no current proposals and rate them individually. it is incumbent on the proposal’s writers plan to obtain external funding in my We did this for two full days, then on to get the critical details across coherently department for a project, knowing the fourth day we double-checked our and succinctly. The 15-page description how the review process works will be entries on the NSF system. We left our needed sufficient detail about the project’s invaluable to us if and when the need copies of proposals and notes behind for goals and objectives for me to develop a arises. The NSF is always looking for later destruction. feel for how strong an impact the project new reviewers; if you are interested in would have. Concrete examples of reviewing proposals for DUE please visit: Across the sciences, 580 proposals were learning modules, abbreviated sample http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub. received by NSF, 35 of which were for text materials, etc., were helpful, as were cfm?form428a. Another useful link is “national dissemination” funding and web links to computer-based learning http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/programs/ the rest of which were two-year”“proof- materials to be incorporated in the general/advice.asp. of-concept” proposals designed to do study. preliminary studies. The former tended Kevin Charlwood is assistant professor to be three years in length, and requests According to the panel discussions in the Department of Mathematics and for funds approached $500,000. The we had for each proposal, the 15-page Statistics at Washburn University in latter proposals sought funds averaging project description was the make-or- Topeka, Kansas. 10 December 2002 FOCUS

NSF Beat: Centers for Learning and Teaching

By Sharon Cutler Ross

The infrastructure of mathematics matics or science teachers. Proposals may One feature of this project is the education, like that of the nation, is aging request up to $2 million a year for five creation of a newsletter related to rural and requires attention and support. Action years. The Foundation’s current budget mathematics education to help publish is being taken in many venues to deal with request contains increased funding for and disseminate best practices. DiME- the shortage of classroom teachers, both CLT. CLT has three components, doctoral/ K-12 and collegiate, but another piece of postdoctoral, teacher and instructional the enterprise also needs replenishment— At present there are ten CLT funded leader education, and research. These the leadership cadre. This group includes projects including four in mathematics components will be integrated through not only teachers and instructors, but also education and one in mathematics and a focus on the ideas of algebra and curriculum and materials developers, science. The Mid-Atlantic Center for issues related to learners from diverse education researchers, supervisors and Mathematics Teaching and Learning backgrounds. co-ordinators, teachers of education (University of Maryland College Park, and discipline courses, and leaders of lead institution) began in fall, 2000, The most recent CLT award for a professional associations. It will not with the first round of grants. Its major mathematics related center was to the be enough to put bodies in front of the activities are the design, implementation, Center for Proficiency in Teaching classroom; well-prepared teachers with and evaluation of a specialist degree Mathematics (University of Georgia). a new vision of possible career paths program utilizing the strengths of the This center will conduct research into the in education are a critical need. And partner institutions, and the development, nature of mathematical knowledge that those who prepare these teachers are a evaluation, and dis-semination of models is important to teaching proficiently and key component of the infrastructure. for the mathematics education of pre- use this knowledge to strengthen pre- and Another key is research into what a well- service and in-service K-12 teachers. in-service education. prepared and effective teacher is. In the second year of the CLT program, As the mathematics teaching community The Centers for Learning and Teaching three mathematics-related projects were reaches the retirement bump created program (CLT) of the NSF is a funded: the CLT in the West (Montana State by the Baby Boomers, as mathematics substantial commitment by the Foun- University); Appalachian Collaborative departments hire more faculty with dation to improve the infrastructure of Center in Learning, Assessment, and mathematics education degrees, as new mathematics education. The specific Instruction in Mathematics, ACCLAIM, knowledge about effective instruction goals of the program are (1) the increased (University of Tennessee Knoxville), and becomes available, and as more demands number of well prepared K-12 teachers Diversity in Mathematics Education CLT, are made on mathematics educators, in mathematics and science through DiME-CLT (University of Wisconsin a strengthening of the mathematics pre- and in-service activities; (2) the Madison). CLT-West addresses issues education infrastructure through the replenishment of the leadership cadre related to the mathematics education of collaborative efforts of mathematics in mathematics and science education, under-represented students, in particular departments, schools of education, especially at the doctoral level; and (3) those in inner city or rural schools. school systems, and other stakeholders augmented opportunities for research is not an option, but a necessity. into teaching and learning. Proposals By increasing the number of qualified for the CLT program must integrate these mathematics and science teachers and A revised call for CLT proposals is goals by making connections among improving support for teachers in low- expected in December 2002. graduate programs in mathematics income, high-minority schools, the and science education, mathematics project aims to build an infrastructure and science departments, and school that is likely to be institutionalized in systems. the three states involved. In a different Correction cultural setting, ACCLAIM also focuses The NSF is seeking to fund centers with on rural education with commitments The deadlines for applications to non-overlapping areas of focus that will to increase both capacity and expertise the student paper sessions and the together cover the spectrum of needs through advanced degree programs and PME sessions at the 2003 MathFest related to reinvigorating the mathematics to develop collaborative networks for given on page 11 of our November and science education infrastructure. All middle and high school mathematics issue were incorrect. Both deadlines projects must be collaborative efforts of teachers. are June 27, 2003. institutions and groups involved in the professional development of mathe-

11 FOCUS December 2002 PREP Workshops – 2003

By Victor J. Katz There are many wonderful opportunities Once you have determined the rates, outlines and syllabi for an appropriate available to you through the MAA’s PREP you will run a simulation and find out course. program to spend a week in a congenial whether your “insurance company” will atmosphere learning about mathematics survive or fail. After you use these ideas If you are the chair of a mathematics or mathematics education during this in your own classes, you will be able to department, or about to become one, you coming summer. We are sure that all share your results with others at the Joint should come to Tina Straley’s workshop of you will find at least one of these Mathematics Meetings in 2004. on Leading the Academic Department: workshops to be of great value in your A Workshop for Chairs of Mathematical future teaching. You may learn new Since regression analysis is The Heart of Science Departments. Through a series ways of teaching old courses, develop Statistical Methodology, Richard Scheaffer of case studies ranging from dealing with ideas for research projects for yourself and Jeffrey Witmer will be conducting adjunct faculty to creating departmental or your students, or learn how to teach a workshop with that title at Oberlin strategic plans, you will learn how entirely new courses that your students College. If you teach statistics, the experienced department chairs have are demanding. material in this workshop will help you dealt with these issues and how your develop the principles of both classical fellow participants would do so. At times If you missed the workshop in Knot and modern regression methods with during the workshop, you will have the Theory last summer, you now have your students and provide you with a opportunity to discuss problems with another chance to take it. Colin Adams large number of good examples. You will participants in institutions like yours, will repeat this highly successful program work with real data from observational while at other times, you will be in this coming summer at Wake Forest studies and designed experiments, using sessions with chairs from all types of University. Whether you want to be able various types of statistical software. You institutions. In general, the workshop to teach an undergraduate course in will then plan your own lessons and be will concentrate on the leadership skills knot theory, or direct student research able to discuss these by email with the so necessary to becoming a successful in knot theory, or even begin to do other participants and the directors chair. The participants in last year’s research yourself, you will learn enough during the school year. workshop all felt they had strengthened about the subject in five intensive days these skills and highly recommend that to enable you to get started. There are Do you teach prospective computer others experience the same professional lots of open problems in the subject that science majors? If you do, you need to growth. can be understood by those with only a be aware of the new recommendations minimal background in the field. You will of the ACM/IEEE for a course in Discrete Do you teach algebra or precalculus? be introduced to many of these and have Mathematics. These recommendations, Would you like your students to the opportunity to start work on them. as well as the complementary re- understand some important applications Of course, knot theory is not learned commendations of the Curriculum of the mathematical ideas in the course to just through books and pictures. There Foundations Project of CUPM, will real-world problems such as population will be plenty of opportunity to play with be discussed in the workshop Discrete growth, fuel economy, or carbon dioxide real knots, and you will be encouraged to Mathematics: An early foundation for concentration? Then consider the experiment and make wild conjectures. the study of Computer Science. This workshop A Versatile Technology-Intensive You will even be able to make “human workshop will be offered by William Earth Math to be conducted by Nancy knots.” Marion, Henry Walker, Susanna Epp, and Zumoff, Chris Schaufele, and Paul Peter Henderson at Valparaiso University. Latiolais at Portland State University. Did you ever wonder why your automobile Given that computer science departments You will work through the earth math insurance was so much more expensive now demand an early course in Discrete materials that have been developed over than your cousin’s insurance? Or why Mathematics and that prospective the past several years and learn how your rates went up so much last year? mathematics majors need to be exposed to incorporate them into your classes. Then come to the workshop Topics in to the same material, it is imperative You will then have the opportunity to Applied Casualty Actuarial Science, led that mathematics de-partments take identify other en-vironmental concerns, by Tom Struppeck this coming summer the lead in developing a course which especially those of particular interest in Austin. You will work through the meets the ACM guidelines. This to your students, and begin to develop process of ratemaking, which computes workshop will explore the role of discrete your own materials to implement these insurance rates from prior history, and mathematics and algorithmic thinking ideas in classes. Professor Schaufele see how actuaries estimate the credibility in the undergraduate mathematics himself is modifying the materials for of past experience. Then, working in major, expose under-graduate faculty use in tribal schools of the Navaho small teams, you will determine the rates to the thinking of computer science nation, so this workshop will be of for a particular population of drivers. departments, and begin development of particular importance to those of you

12 December 2002 FOCUS having substantial populations of Native With the mathematics of biology Cantor’s proofs about infinity. Before, Americans in your classes. And if you assuming increasing importance, both during, and after the workshop, you will cannot come to the workshop in person, for educating biologists and for doing develop your own presentations of some you will also be able to participate research in biology, it is imperative important ideas and then discuss these online. that mathematics departments meet with the other participants as well as with the needs of their biology colleagues in the directors. Although we have all been using providing the appropriate mathematical technology in our mathematics classes education for biologists. Janet Andersen If you are teaching pre-service teachers, over the past decade, many of us are and Eric Marland will offer a workshop you will have the choice of two workshops still not completely convinced of its entitled Creating and Teaching Courses this summer. Those teaching pre-service effectiveness. One place to learn more that Integrate Biology and Mathematics secondary teachers should consider the about new technology from those who at Hope College. repeat of the successful Mathematical have used it effectively in lower level Methods and Modeling for Secondary courses is at the workshop Integrating Typically biology majors were required Mathematics Teacher Education workshop, Technology into Classroom Activities: A to take a course in calculus and perhaps led by John Dossey, Frank Giordano, and Focus on Precalculus/Calculus, organized one in statistics. But since our calculus Sharon McCrone. In this workshop you by Jacqueline Giles and directed by Wade courses were geared toward engineers will discuss the latest NCTM and CBMS Ellis in Houston. The program will focus and our statistics courses toward social re-commendations for the mathematical on case studies of successful technology- scientists, these courses were often not education of secondary teachers, and based mathematics courses and help very useful. But this is changing. Colleges then develop ideas for a methods class participants learn how to create their around the country are developing new featuring modeling. Since learning how to own effective lessons using technology. In courses for biologists that more closely apply mathematics to real-life situations particular, the presenters and participants meet their needs in such areas as data is crucial for secondary students, you will will deal with the implications of the use analysis and linear algebra. exlore techniques of developing methods of CAS systems in precalculus and how for modeling such situations with your this use forces some real changes in the To be most effective, these courses pre-service teachers. By the end of your curriculum and in our expectations for should be developed with and, ideally, week in this workshop, you will already that course. co-taught with members of the biology have a supply of models, with many department. But establishing inter- more coming over the next months via An emerging focus in the college disciplinary courses is difficult. This the e-mail network. Many of these will mathematics community is the notion workshop will address the issue of be usable in your methods course and, of Quantitative Literacy, the idea that all developing strategies for cooperation with slight modification, in the secondary educated adults should be “numerate” with biologists as well as give you an classroom. And perhaps Terror Bird will enough to participate in the important introduction to some current topics in again be one of the models. decisions in our society that involve biology that use interesting mathematics. numbers. Quantitative literacy is not You will then be encouraged to work with If you are teaching pre-service elementary something that can be accomplished solely others to develop course syllabi or even or middle school teachers, then this new in mathematics courses, so Emily Decker, just course modules that incorporate workshop is for you: Active Learning Gillies Malnarich, and Kim Rheinlander both biology and mathematics. A list- Approaches to Teaching Mathematics are leading two workshops in Quantitative serve of participants will be established Content Courses for Elementary and Literacy Across the Curriculum: Everybody’s to facilitate ongoing discussions of Middle-School Teachers, led by Laurie Project, one in the northeast and one in participants’ progress at their home Burton and Maria Fung. You have the northwest. Participants will enroll institutions. probably read Liping Ma’s Knowing and in teams of 2 to 4 people, with at least Teaching Elementary Mathematics and one participant in each team being a If you have taught the “liberal-arts” perhaps wondered how to integrate her non-mathematician. After discussing the mathematics course and have been insights into your teacher preparation ideas in two recent books, Mathematics frustrated with its outcome, you should courses. Burton and Fung will enable and Democracy: The Case for Quantitative attend the repeat of the workshop you to do so, by helping you create new Literacy, edited by Lynn Steen, and Presenting Mathematics Masterpieces lesson materials, structure activities, and Radical Equations, by Robert Moses, and Powerful Techniques of Effective develop effective assessment techniques. the participants will begin to develop Thinking to Non-Science Students, to You will also be able to view some actual quantitative literacy materials for use at be conducted by Edward Burger and classroom vignettes on a video developed their own institutions. Presenters from Michael Starbird. They will introduce by the presenters. Since we would all several successful quantitative literacy you to methods of presenting the great like our future teachers to understand programs will help the participants not ideas of mathe-matics to students with elementary mathematics like most of only with curricular issues but also with a limited mathematics background. For the Chinese teachers described by Ma, practical con-siderations such as working instance, you will play Dodge Ball as a we owe it to ourselves, our students, and with colleagues across the institution. method of introducing the concepts in our children to develop better methods

13 FOCUS December 2002 at the college level. This workshop will leads students to formulate an incorrect There are other workshops still in the help you do so. conjecture. The online software will be set planning stage as of this writing. So up so you can communicate directly with check MAA Online frequently under If you cannot get away this summer, the director and the other participants. Professional Development for the latest you can still sign up for a workshop to And by the end of the workshop week, information, including dates, locations, be offered entirely online. If you have you should have enough project material and application forms. And since many wanted to teach your abstract algebra to use weekly in your own course. of last summer’s workshops were over- course using constructivist principles, but subscribed, you should sign up as early did not have enough material available A second online workshop, directed by as possible to assure yourself a place. for your students to explore, you should Lang Moore, David Smith, and Frank You and your students will benefit consider the online workshop on Abstract Wattenberg, is designed to get you enormously. Algebra with GAP led by Julianne Rainbolt Authoring Online Interactive Materials in and Russell Blyth. After learning how Mathematics. The directors will assume Victor J. Katz is spending this year as to use the GAP software, which you that you know the basics of web page Visiting Mathematician at the MAA. His can download for free, you will work construction. Then you and a partner or article on this year’s PREP workshops through several computer projects as if two from your institution should plan a appeared in the November FOCUS. you were a student. For example, you project to be developed. With the help of will see why the alternating group on six the directors and the other participants, elements is simple and discover that the you will use some flexible applets to number of Sylow p-subgroups of a group create and demonstrate the usability of is congruent to 1 modulo p. You will an interactive web page designed to teach even work through a project that often some interesting piece of mathematics.

14 December 2002 FOCUS AP Calculus at the Amusement Park and is collaborating with MAA to promote professional development opportunities on the Web and share reviews in AP Central’s By Susan Kornstein Teachers’ Resource Catalog and MAA’s MathDL, http://www.mathdl.org, Catalog mission to support and connect AP of Commercial Products. The College Calculus will always conjure images Professionals. With now over 110,000 Board is a member of the Mathematical of limits, derivatives, and integrals, but registered members (registration is Sciences Conference Group on Digital for the 153,721 students who took the free!), including at least 12,000 registered Educational Resources. AP Calculus AB Exam and the 40,840 for Calculus AB, AP Central provides a students who took the AP Calculus BC wealth of information on the Advanced This collaboration is part of an ongoing Exam this year, they will probably also Placement Program, as well as the free- and fruitful relationship between the be thinking about attendance at an response questions and scoring standards College Board and MAA. Twenty-five amusement park. Question 2 on both from recent AP Exams for all 35 courses years ago, the two organizations formed the Calculus AB Exam and the Calculus (including Calculus AB, Calculus BC, The College Board – Mathematical BC Exam asked students to apply many Statistics, Computer Science A, and Association of America Committee important concepts of the calculus, Computer Science AB.) This year 657 on Mutual Concerns. The Committee including the Fundamental Theorem, Readers (341 college faculty and 316 AP meets annually at the Joint Mathematics to a problem involving functions which teachers) graded AP Calculus Exams at Meetings to consider topics of mutual model the rates at which people enter and Colorado State University in June. The interest and has addressed issues such as leave an amusement park. Reading is a unique collegial experience changes to AP Calculus, the introduction where exam questions are scored, ideas of AP Statistics, SAT calculator use policy, Of course, this is not the first time that are exchanged, and friends are made. and various mathematics content issues AP Calculus Exam questions have asked AP Central has information on the related to SAT, CLEP, and AP. students to apply calculus concepts opportunities to be a Reader and to serve to real world situations. There were as a workshop consultant. Working together with MAA, the College problems concerning a trough (1987), an Board always has been and continues oil well (1989), the Jay and Tee building The website also spotlights teacher to be in agreement with the position (1991), the wolf population (1993), profiles and feature articles and has a articulated in its statement of September, cola (1996), the Crescent Island (1996), Teachers’ Corner for each subject. Some 1986 (and the National Research Council a skydiver (1997), air conditioning of the articles of interest to mathematics in its 2002 report) that when calculus is (1998), a pond’s temperature (2001), teachers are Larry Riddle’s “Women in taught in high school, this should only just to name a few of the more’“famous” Mathematics,” Bernie Madison’s “Math at be as a college-level course that prepares free-response problems. All of these the School-to-College Transition,” David students to place out of a comparable problems are in keeping with the goals of Bressoud’s series of articles’“The History college class, and that calculus taught AP Calculus for students to understand of Calculus Before Newton and Liebniz,” in high school should never replace multiple representations of functions, Janet Anderson’s “Try This! Calculus or shortchange instruction in algebra, communicate mathematics in well- Teaching Tips,” George Rosenstein’s “A geometry, or trigonometry. written sentences, mathematically model a Century of Calculus Teaching in the physical situation, and appreciate calculus US,” Mark Howell’s “Lies My Calculator So now while students learn the calculus as a coherent body of knowledge. Told Me,” and a teacher profile titled “A of amusement park admission, teachers Calculus Family.” All of these are available can read reviews of teaching resources. David Bressoud of Macalester College in the Calculus AB and Calculus BC AP Calculus and AP Central reflect the (and current Chair of the AP Calculus Teachers’ Corner at AP Central. efforts and expertise of college faculty and Development Committee) has written high school teachers working together an article to help the mathematics A highlight of AP Central is the Teachers’ to enhance the teaching and learning of community–AP Calculus teachers, as Resource Catalog–a searchable database calculus. well as college faculty–understand how of reviews of articles, books, calculators, AP Exam questions are written, edited, professional associations, software, Susan Kornstein is Senior Content Editor scored, and evaluated. “Adventures in textbooks, videos, websites, etc. with for AP Central/Associate Director at the the Amusement Park: AB2/BC2 from complete information on how to access College Board. the 2002 AP Calculus Exam” gives an each resource. The reviews for the inside look at the multi-year process of mathematics resources (there are over College Board, Advanced Placement exam question development. The article 350 for each of the AP Calculus courses) Program, AP, SAT, and CLEP are registered can now be found on the College Board have been written by over 50 high school trademarks of the College Entrance website, AP Central, http://apcentral. and college teachers–short bios are Examination Board. AP Central is a collegeboard.com/. provided with the reviews. And with a trademark owned by the College Entrance common goal to support excellence in Examination Board. AP Central, launched in December mathematics teaching, the College Board 2001, is part of the College Board 15 FOCUS December 2002 History of Computer Science on the Web 31 chapters divided into 4 sections: Pre- Historic Era, Antiquity, Pre-Industrial By Linda Becerra and Ron Barnes Era and Industrial Era. Clicking on specified dates within each section result Since computer science courses are The Computer History Association of in corresponding annotated timelines of taught in a number of mathematics California, http://www.chac.org/chac/ development in that time frame, often departments or combined mathematics chhistpg.html, has among its objectives: with pictures and other related links. and computer science departments, to collect and archive computer hardware, The final page in the Industrial Era and often by mathematics faculty, in- software and documents significant to consists of a three dimensional color formation on the history of computing their history; to participate in an informal pie chart of the Languages of the World web resources may be of considerable network of institutions specializing in Wide Web. An addition – History of interest to readers of FOCUS. If one computer history; and to correspond Computing by Country was to appear in thinks the web is a good starting point electronically, through the USENET November 2002. The site also includes to find information on the history of newsgroup alt.folklore.com-puters, with a “Biographies of Computer Pioneers” computing, one will not be disappointed. computer historians worldwide. The section. An Index of Hardware is also A recent Google search on “history of CHAC “History Pages” consist of a list given. The site notes “There are not always computing” came up with over 39,500 of web pages that cover various topics active or linked pages present as yet, but hits in 0.26 seconds! From general history in computer history, pre-electronic they will be added in the future”. This is sites to special sites dedicated to one computing and electronic calculator a new and evolving site and shows real individual or topic, the selections vary history. The topic index alone for these promise and is actively seeking more not only on subject matter but also on “History Pages” is 13 pages long and editors and contributors to continue its the types of materials available, including breaks down each subject into almost development. timelines, virtual museums, photo- every possible subcategory. For example, graphs, videos and emulators. Moreover, the computer category breaks down the The Internet Society, http://www.isoc. many of the sites are hyperlinked to hardware machines subcategory into: org/internet/history/, in ad-dition to numerous other useful and relevant sites. general, mainframe, supercomputer, imformation about its organization We have compiled here an annotated mini, micro, laptop, sublaptop (although and membership, also has two pages of short list of useful web sites to help the the last two categories are just being Histories of the Internet that include interested reader navigate the vast array addressed). The topic index includes related histories such as of the Web, email, of available materials. hardware, software documents, museums USENET and more. There is also material (physical and virtual) and folklore. on the Internet development worldwide The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI), The virtual museums include survey including some on its growth in Austria, http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html, is history and chronology, oral and video Germany and Central Europe. This site a historical archives research center of history and images. An entire page of is updated often. the University of Minnesota. Among links is given to just survey history and its missions it maintains archives of chronology resources. This is a very rich The History of Computing, http://ei.cs. materials relating to the history of environment with many fascinating vt.edu/~history/, was initiated by J.A.N. information technology including records resources and sites. CHAC is also active Lee as part of a course at Virginia Tech of professional associations, oral history in plans to develop a major public University. A large, varied and rich interviews, photos, films, videos and Museum of Computing to be located in collection of materials and links (over other reference materials. CBI holds over Silicon Valley. This is an excellent website 200) is available at this site. It includes 300 research grade oral history interviews and has many interesting, well-written biographical sketches of pioneers in (history in the making) relative to the links. In addition, CHAC through its computing, the history of programming history of computers, software and informal network of institutions and languages and the Internet, computer networking. The website also has three the USENET subgroup noted above history organizations and museums, pages of links for “finding aids for facilitates correspondence among university courses in computer history, archives and manuscript collections”, computer historians both regionally and archives and collections, emulators of which range from the ENIAC Trial worldwide. historical systems, and general histories of Exhibits Master Collection to various computing. The links are organized into ACM and Association of Women in The History of Computing Project, several categories and many of the links Computing sites. In addition, there are http://www.thocp.net/, is a site being are annotated as to content and type of numerous corporate sites including developed and maintained by the History materials available: biographies, virtual IBM, Digital, Sperry Rand-Univac, of Computing Foundation. It was formed museums, videos, timelines, simulations, and CDC (“collection finding aids”). in 2000 to secure the continuity of the conferences, publications, games, etc. While the institute holds almost 150,000 project “The History of Computing” photographs, only photos from the initiated by Cornelis Robat in 1986, in The Computer History Museum, http:// Burroughs Corporation collection can Holland. Among the most interesting www.computerhistory.org/, is a non-profit be searched online. sections of this site is the “Chronology entity that maintains a broad range of of Computing History” which consists of artifactual, documentary, and media- 16 December 2002 FOCUS based sources in computer history. One evolution of electronics, and the impact For example, see the website: http:// of the main components of its website of electronics on computing with photos www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/index. is a timeline that explores the history of and biographical sketches. htm. Brian Smith and Mary Robinson computing from 1945 to 1990. Features compiled related useful materials for include innovations in hardware and As noted by Professor Andrew Leahy in his their short course, Teaching the History software technology, biographical sketches article on the “History of Math-ematics” of Mathematics Using the World Wide of the responsible pioneers and numerous on the Web in FOCUS (February 2002), Web (MAA Winter Meeting 1998) that photos of these individuals, as well as of peer review of web sites and evaluation can be adapted to a “teaching the history hardware and other relevant items. The of web-based materials are probably the of computer science using the world wide timeline is conveniently organized by year biggest issues facing the development web”. and by topic. In addition, it is a host for and use of websites. While we found both real and virtual exhibits. Currently the websites reviewed here to be rich The authors have compiled a more extensive there are two Computer History Online resource materials, we of course cannot bibliography of history of computer Exhibits: a History of the Internet and vouch for the accuracy of every page nor science websites which is avail-able at the Microprocessor Evolution. Also, the of every single link. http://cms.dt.uh.edu/Faculty/BecerraL/ History Center is digitizing its collections Mycourses/HIS-TORY_WEB%20SITES.htm. catalogs on an ongoing basis. To help address these issues, we offer Many of these websites are overloaded for consideration two suggestions. A with information and so this presents The Living Internet , h t t p : / / metasearch engine searches other search a new challenge: how to effectively ww.livinginternet.com, was developed by engines and often searches smaller, utilize “dense” websites? The authors are Bill Stewart, a systems engineer, to make less well-known search engines and currently carrying on investigations along available comprehensive and in-depth specialized sites. For example, we utilized these lines—for example, integrating such information about the history and other the metasearch engine ixquick, http:// websites into the History of Mathematics aspects of the Internet. There are brief www.ixquick.com, to search for the and Computer Science course. biographical sketches of computing “history of computing.” It found 18 pioneers, photographs and many links unique top ten pages selected from at Linda Becerra ([email protected]) and to other relevant sites. least 73,947 matching results. Half of our Ron Barnes ([email protected]) are reviewed sites were listed in ixquick’s’top members of the Department of Computer A History of Computers, http://www. ten compilation and each of these was and Mathematical Sciences at the University maxmon.com/history.htm, is maintained listed in the top ten of one or more of Houston-Downtown. by Maxfield & Montrose Interactive Inc. search engines. To the extent that top ten and are notes abstracted from the book listings of search engines reflect relevance Bebop BYTES Back. The site is organized or comparative value of websites, the as a chronological index or timeline ixquick search may indicate the value and with information on the development quality of our reviewed websites. Criteria of numbers, the introduction of for evaluation of Internet information mechanical aids to calculation, the and resources have also been developed.

Fifteen Theorem Makes Bhargava One of the “Brilliant Ten”

Popular Science, in the November issue, dissertation dealing with the “Fifteen all positive integers. Bhargava not only introduced its “first annual celebration theorem” as “one of the strongest he’s simplified the proof, but also generalized of scientists who are shaking up their seen in 20 years.” the result in several ways. fields, PopSci’s “Brilliant 10.” Among these groundbreaking researchers was The Fifteen theorem, originally proved Popular Science reports that Bhargava’s Manjul Bhargava, the winner of the 1996 by Conway and Schneeberger in 1993, preferred place to contemplate the beauty AMS-MAA-SIAM Frank and Brennie states that if a positive definite quadratic of mathematics is in the woods near the Morgan Prize for Outstanding Research form whose associated symmetric matrix Institute pond, a locale frequented by in Mathematics by an Undergraduate has integer values represents all positive many other famous mathematicians. The Student. Since winning the prize as an integers less than or equal to 15, then MAA congratulates Manjul on his honor undergraduate at Harvard, Bhargava has it is “universal,” that is, it represents and looks forward to learning more completed his Ph.D. at Princeton, where all positive integers. However, the number theory from our member of the he is currently a visiting research scholar discoverers were not happy with their “brilliant 10.” The”Popular Science article with a joint appointment at the Institute proof, so never published this result, a can be found online at http://www.popsci. for Advanced Study. His Ph.D. adviser, far-reaching generalization of Lagrange’s com/science/article/0,12543,364881,00. Andrew Wiles, considers Bhargava’s theorem that x2 + y2 + z2 + w2 represents html.

17 FOCUS December 2002 Treasurer’s Report—2001 Financial Year John W. Kenelly, Treasurer

This report covers an overview of the MAA Operating Funds, but does not include contributions to the endowment or the Building Fund, the Endowment fund1 and brief summary to the Building Fund. statements on Externally funded projects and the General Fund Balance. The Board of Governors approved a combined budget 2000 2001 for 2001 that had a $140,801 deficit. The MAA finished the year with a surplus of $105,838. The Association is financially healthy Dues $2,096,376 $2,212,275 and we have survived a crisis of monumental proportions Contributions $103,679 $633,247 – 9/11 and the major cost of the computer software conversion. Journals (other than member subscriptions)2 $966,171 $938,298 The good news is that as a result of the improved software we Publications other than journals $1,182,179 $1,059,359 are starting to see real savings in several operations and we American Math Competitions/Olympiad $1,174,324 $1,462,860 are dealing with the new economy while staying financially Transfer from Investments and Trusts $84,062 $83,365 healthy. Allocated Indirect Cost Recovery $89,822 $88,000 Indirect Costs on Grants $152,205 $150,786 As we continue to improve our accounting systems we have Meetings/Minicourses/Short Courses $287,223 $379,995 had to make adjustments in the manner that some income and Building Management Fee $35,000 $67,197 expenses items are allocated and labeled. If you compare the Miscellaneous $3,012 $37,408 2000 numbers in this report to last year’s treasurer’s report you will notice some differences. We have elected to construct the TOTAL $6,174,053 $7,112,790 2000 numbers in this report with the same guidelines that we use in constructing the 2001 numbers given here. Thus this report is consistent within itself even if there are differences between ● Journals include non-member subscriptions, sales of it and earlier reports. back issues, advertising, and royalties received. It does not include the portion of dues allocated to journals (see 2 What happened to income in 2001 footnote ). ● Publications income includes sales of MAA books and A number of factors caused income to increase in 2001 by reports, and videotapes. 15.2% to $7,112,790. Increased income typically reflects a ● Investments and Trusts are funds that are transferred from counterbalancing increase in services, i.e.; expenses, and I Investment Funds and Trusts to support specified prizes will attempt to detail the changes in the individual sections and other activities. for income and expenses. A dues increase of 3.5% was joined with a 15.2% growth in paid membership to give an ● American Math Competitions and Olympiad The MAA overall 5.5% increase in dues income. Two major bequests manages two high school and a junior high school national increased contributions by $210,000. In addition, the Akamai mathematics competitions. These activities are managed Foundation became a major sponsor of the MAA and its from our office in Lincoln, Nebraska. Students who American Mathematical Competitions program. This gave an perform well on the high school examination are invited additional $270,000 increase in contributions and a $300,000 to compete for participation on the U.S. Math Olympiad increase in AMC income. Advertising revenues were down and team. This competition takes place through two additional non-subscription journal income was down as was much in the exams, the AIME and the USAMO. Income comes from economy. However non-member subscriptions were the same. sales of the exams and registrations. Income from meetings was improved as a result of an increased ● Indirect Cost on Grants is income on externally funded surplus in the joint meeting ($46,000) and a 27% difference activities that support MAA administrative activities. Not between the Los Angeles ($142,000) and the Madison, Wisconsin all grantors pay indirect costs. ($181,000) MathFests. Building Management now includes new ● Meetings and Courses are registration fees from income assigns and the growth in that line is an accounting minicourses, shortcourses, and the online courses, net change. The staff continues to implement more effective short income from the Joint Meeting and all income from the time surplus cash management methods and this is seen as a summer MathFest. real income increase in the miscellaneous item. ● Building Management Fee is a transfer from the Building Where the money came from Fund to the General Fund for management services. ● Miscellaneous includes various fees that we receive for ● Dues includes member dues, institutional dues, corporate managing activities. dues, and a payment from the Life Membership Fund for life members.

● Contributions include the Greater MAA Fund, the dues supplement and other contributions to the Operating Fund 18 December 2002 FOCUS

What happened to expenses in 2001 ● Governance includes Board of Governor and governance committee support. Accounting changes were made between journal expense and ● Membership Retention/Recruiting includes cost of membership retention allocations and the result is a $730,000 operating the membership department. shift between the two items. Internal cost allocations of the overhead in the publications department were improved to ● Development includes solicitation and staff cost. better reflect activities and that caused a significant shift in ● American Math Competitions and Olympiad The 2001 the Books and Pamphlets expense item. However real expense expenses include cost of preparing and distributing the reductions are reflected in the general programs item and the examinations plus support for the Math Olympiad Dinner staff is to be especially commended for the “belt tightening” and the summer training program. that has taken place throughout the headquarters operation. At the same time, our Information Technology needs continues to Externally Funded Projects grow and we see this realized in a true increase in real expenses here. The increase in expenses in development is an accounting During 2001 the MAA received external project support of construct. Restricted contributions have to be entered as income $3,090,510. This was up from $1,069,600 received in 2000 but and then expensed out as development charges. Accordingly the number first noted above includes Akamai funds of $950,000 this change is somewhat “artificial” and a similar thing took designated for 2001. The appropriately comparable number for place in 2000 when $120,000 from Akamai and $180,000 from 2001 and 2000 are respectively $2,140,510 vs. $1,069,600 – a a major bequest were shifted. AMC had an $110,000 increase substantial increase that reflects well the level of MAA program in expenses as a result of expanded programs that grew out of activities. Indirect cost recovery of administrative expenses was the Akamai sponsorship. Operational overhead is a new item $150,786 up from $137,585 in 2000. This is a positive reflection created in the 2001 accounting changes. It is an aggregate of all of the increased program activities and high visibility that the general service items that support all the departments. the MAA has in the collegiate mathematics activities in the ● Journals include the cost of publishing and distributing nation. the Monthly, Mathematics Magazine, the CMJ, FOCUS, and Math Horizons. Building Fund ● Books and Pamphlets is the cost of our book and video publication program. The Association owns two adjoining townhouses and a “carriage house” at 1527 and 1529 Eighteenth Street NW, Washington, DC. ● General Programs and Services includes the cost of The MAA Washington office occupies 1529, all of the carriage awards, minicourses, MAA portions of the Joint Meeting, house and a small amount of 1527. The remainder of 1527 is the summer MathFest, section support, SUMMA, student rented to other organizations including the AMS and CBMS. chapters, and project support. In 2001, we “charged” ourselves $225,000 for the space that we ● Executive, Finance and Human Resources includes staff occupied. That amount is included in Building Fund income. salaries in these departments. The rent we “charge” ourselves and the rents that we charge the other occupants are designed to reflect market conditions in ● Information Technologydepartment salaries and the neighborhood. expenses. In 2001 depreciation on the building was $73,026 and the Where the money went building fund received contributions of $1,230. Substantial renovations are needed on the carriage house and a proposal is 2000 2001 being prepared that will detail the cost of the needed renovations Journals $1,761,201 $1,030,238 and new plans for using the facility. The long-term financial Books and Pamphlets $715,268 $1,045,845 health of our building operations needs constant attention and Inventory Allowance $14,960 $12,395 additional revenues. Currently, the building fund balance is General Programs, Services and Projects $735,806 $695,985 not growing enough to cover the future renovation needs that Executive, Finance and Human Resources $831,513 $831,275 are inevitable. Information Technology $145,971 $296,093 Governance $159,268 $163,748 Membership Retention/Recruitment $165,144 $882,517 Development $256,282 $430,778 Transfer to Investments $171,287 Operations Overhead $284,322 American Math Competitions/Olympiad $1,120,342 $1,231,183 Miscellaneous $90,889 $102,573 TOTAL $6,167,931 $7,006,952

19 FOCUS December 2002

Endowment Fund General Fund Balance

The MAA Endowment Fund includes both restricted and The General Fund Balance is the cumulative sum of yearly unrestricted funds. At the end of 2001 the Endowment was balances in the General Fund. It is a measure of how the valued at $2,513,610. During 2001, $53,662 was transferred from Association has done over time. The decrease last year by these funds to support prizes and other activities designated by $125,839 as a result of the troubled national economy and a the original donors to the MAA. An additional, $37,203 was continuation of the association absorbing significant cost in transferred from the Sliffe Trust.3 our software conversion.

This is my first report as the treasurer of the association. I want to thank the MAA for the confidence that it has placed in me. The fiscal health of the association is sound. Our financial management team of officers and staff is exceptionally able and experienced. We will continue to improve our reporting The last will and testament of Edith May Sliffe established a fund systems and keep our focus on reports that inform and improve (The Sliffe Fund) to provide awards to selected teachers whose operations. As the years progress, I hope to see the MAA make teams qualified in the American Mathematics Competitions. major improvements in its endowment, use effective building The MAA was selected as the Trustee of this fund. On December management practices to increase its maintenance reserves, 31, 2001 the Sliffe Fund had a value of $557,154. The MAA and find new income streams that will fund growth in services is also the trustee of a trust established by Clinton B. Ford in while reducing our heavy reliance on dues income. I would memory of Walter B. Ford. This trust had a value of $100,908 also like to acknowledge the special appreciation that I have on December 31, 2001. for the members of the budget committee, Jim Daniel and Dan Maki and the tremendous assistance that we all receive from the The MAA is also the beneficiary of two Charitable Remainder Finance staff headed by Neil Beskin. Unitrusts. At the end of 2001 these were carried on our balance sheet at a value of $364,211 in conformance with IRS rules.

1 We use the name “Endowment Fund” to distinguish these assets from the MAA Investment Fund which consists of Endowment assets plus two trusts that the MAA administers. 2 Dues income allocated to journals was as follows: American Mathematical Monthly $458,720.37, Mathematics Magazine $222,077.93, College Math Journal $208,035.27, FOCUS $141,263.23. 3 Investment and Trust Income in 2001 $90,865 were allocated to Sliffe $25,772, awards $28,839, joint meetings $3,541, MathFest $1,654, sections $11,524, finance department $3,035, Publications$8,500, AMC $3,000 and Public Awareness $5,000.

Short Takes college major or minor in the subject. While it is well known that out-of-field teaching is a common problem in high schools, the National Academies Call for Incentives for Teaching report argues that the problem is even worse in middle schools, Careers “where very high rates of misassignment suggest a staggering disregard for whether teachers have the minimal academic A recent report from the National Academies Center for foundation necessary to teach classes in core academic areas.” Education calls for the development of a national fellowship The report also argues that the problem has gotten worse in the program to attract science and mathematics Ph.D.s to teaching last decade and that it is particularly acute in schools that serve careers. The report responds to a projected shortage of science low income and/or minority students. See http://www.edtrust. and mathematics teachers by arguing that a fellowship program org/main/main/index.asp for more information and the full text would attract more Ph.D.s to get involved with K–12 education. of the report. The proposed fellowships would last for two years. During the first year, fellows would get training in K–12 education and would be entirely funded by the program. The second year ZetaGrid Computes 100 Billion Zeros would involve actual teaching, with the schools providing all ZetaGrid is an internet site that organizes large-scale distributed or part of the funding. The full report is online at http://www. computations. Its major project at the moment is the nap.edu/catalog/10433.html?onpi_newsdoc07302002. computation of zeros of the Riemman Zeta function, which provides an empirical check of the Riemman Hypothesis. “All Talk, No Action” ZetaGrid provides a program that can run in participants’ The Education Trust has issued a report entitled”All Talk, No computers, allowing them to take part in the computation. As of late September, there were almost 2500 computers involved. Action: Putting an End to Out-of-Field Teaching. It offers a state by state analysis of the extent to which high school classes are The results so far confirm the Riemann hypothesis for the first 100 billion zeros, verifying that they are all of the form 1/2 + it being taught by teachers who have no formal training in the and that they are all simple zeros (for |t| < 29,538,618,432.236). relevant field. The report defines formal training as having a 20 December 2002 FOCUS

This computation is intended as a “proof of concept” project, to Research to establish a national clearinghouse to collect evidence show that the ZetaGrid system works. Other projects are being on the effectiveness of various educational programs and planned. To join in or to get more information, visit http://www. projects. The goal of the What Works Clearinghouse is to collect zetagrid.net. “the best available research evidence” about programs, products and strategies used in education. The goal is to provide educators NRC Planning Assessment of Doctoral Programs and education decision-makers with solid data that can inform The National Research Council has created a committee to plan their choices. The creation of the clearinghouse is an attempt a new assessment of doctoral programs at research universities. to implement a portion of the “No Child Left Behind Act” that A description of the committee’s goals can be found online at requires school districts to use “scientifically based research” to http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bhew/ResDocs_about.html. support their curricular decisions. For more information, go to The NRC last surveyed doctoral programs in 1995. See http:// http://www.campbellcollaboration.org. bob.nap.edu/html/researchdoc/index.html and http://www.nap. edu/catalog/4915.html for more information about the 1995 What Are the MAA Sections Doing? report, entitled “Research Doctorate Programs in the United The MAA Committee on Sections has made available States: Continuity and Change.” information on the activities of the sections. The reports are on MAA Online at http://www.maa.org/sections/officer-info.html. Report Sees Decline in Computational Skills Check it out to see highlights and data about the activities of The Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy MAA sections throughout the country. recently released the 2002 edition of How Well Are America’s Students Learning?, its annual report on American education. Congress Establishes Institute of Education Sciences A major section of the report deals with arithmetic skills. On October 16, Congress approved a bill that replaces the Office The report argues that because the National Assessment of of Educational Research and Improvement of the Department Educational Progress (NAEP) makes basic math skills only a of Education with an Institute of Education Sciences that is small part of the overall test, the problem has not been noticed or expected to be more independent of DoE. (When FOCUS went taken seriously. Tom Loveless, the director of the Brown Center to press, the bill had not yet been signed by the President.) The and editor of The Great Curriculum Debate: How Should We new institute is expected to use scientifically sound studies to Teach Reading and Math?, argues that “these data warn the nation assess what teaching methods are truly effective. A new National that there are consequences to de-emphasizing computational Board for Education Sciences, with members appointed by the skills in the elementary grades.” He also feels that the 1989 President, will oversee the work of the Institute. NCTM Standards are partly to blame for the problem, because they argued that basic arithmetic received too much attention in NSF Announces Math and Science Partnership Awards elementary classrooms. For more on the report, see http://www. Early in October the NSF announced the Math and Science brookings.org/gs/brown/bc_report/2002/2002report.htm. Partnership awards and issued the call for proposals for the next round. Abstracts of all the winning proposals, the guidelines DoE to Establish for new proposals, and other useful information and links many “What Works Clearinghouse” be found at http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/msp. More detailed coverage The US Department of Education has chosen the Campbell of the MSP awards will appear in a future edition of the “NSF Collaboration of Philadelphia and the American Institutes for Beat” column.

21 FOCUS December 2002 In Memoriam Remembering Arnold Arnold E. Ross, 1906–2002 Ross

By Daniel Shapiro A rnold Ephraim Ross died on Wednesday, September 25, at the age rnold Ross told stories about his of 96, after a long and distinguished A early life in Czarist Russia, his study of career in which he made significant con- mathematics as a “youngster” under tributions to mathematics education. the direction of Professor Shatunovsky, His summer program for talented high his success in convincing the Bolshevik school students profoundly influenced authorities that he should be allowed many people early in their lives. Many of to travel to Chicago in 1923, finding them eventually became scientists and jobs in Chicago, taking courses with mathematicians themselves. E.H. Moore, working with L.E. Dickson. He told further anecdotes of his ac- Ross was born in 1906 in Chicago, IL, but complishments at the University of St. spent a large part of his youth in Russia. Louis, his work on proximity fuses for He finished his pre-college education the U.S. Navy, his nearly thirty years as there and was admitted to the University department chairman at Notre Dame of Odessa when he was 16. Shortly after, he Arnold E. Ross and Ohio State, and perhaps most of returned to the United States and attended all, the founding of his summer math- the University of Chicago, where he went lectures in his program on that subject. In ematics program for talented high school on to earn his Ph.D. in mathematics. He addition to the lectures, students engaged students. Most of those stories seemed to wrote his thesis under L. E. Dickson, but in lots of problem solving. have a moral: if you focus persistently on he seems to have been most influenced your goals you can achieve them. by the pedagogical ideas of E. H. Moore, Ross directed his program every year who emphasized a discovery method of until 2000, when he was forced to retire Arnold Ross had strong feelings about teaching mathematics. by poor health. He took his program to what was right and important and he other countries, and several alumni of devoted his considerable energy and After spending some time at the California his program created similar programs of talents toward promoting those goals. Institute of Technology and at the their own. The Ross program for talented One way he accomplished his aims was People’s Junior College in Chicago, he high school students continues to thrive his amazing ability to convince others to joined the faculty of mathematics at the at Ohio State. See http://www.math.ohio- share his vision of what should be done. I University of St. Louis. In 1946, after state.edu/ross for more information. went to his office one day in 1975 feeling working for the Navy during the war, he overwhelmed with research and teaching went to the University of Notre Dame, In addition to the summer program, obligations. After twenty minutes of where he was professor and chair of the Ross was involved in many other aspects discussion I left with the happy conviction mathematics department until 1963. of mathematics education. His con- that I could help make a difference by He moved to Ohio State University in tributions to the MAA and to math- teaching math to elementary school 1963. He remained at OSU as chair of ematics education earned him the kids on Saturdays. After hearing several the mathematics department until his Association’s Award for Distinguished colleagues’ stories of similar experiences, retirement in 1976. Service in 1985. A description of his I realized that Arnold Ross had a gift for career up to that point can be found convincing others to share his goals, by Ross’s summer program was first in the April 1986 issue of the American being passionately devoted to what he started when he was at Notre Dame, Mathematical Monthly. knew was important. and subsequently followed him to Ohio State. The program was initially aimed at The Ross family has asked those who wish Daniel Shapiro is Professor and Vice high school teachers, but slowly changed to make gifts in Arnold Ross’s memory Chair at the Department of Mathematics its focus to talented high school students. to make contributions to the Ross of Ohio State University, and is currently Ross decided that number theory was Mathematics Program, Department of the Director of the Ross Mathematics accessible with little background and Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Program. at the same time offered significant 231 West 18th Ave., Columbus, Ohio. challenges, so he chose to center the

22 December 2002 FOCUS

Review Form Listing of Commercial Materials

The Reviewer Name of Reviewer Institutional Affiliation Mailing Address Email address ** Telephone Number ** ** For internal use only.

The Book Title of Book Author(s) Publisher ISBN

Relationship(s), if any, to the author(s) of the text. Close friends and arch rivals of the authors should not submit reviews. ______

The Course Title of the course in which the book was used Other materials used in course Description of class Length of course ______Meetings per week ______Number of students ______Instructional style(s) ______Technology used ______

Other comments about the class (e.g., general purpose of the course, general level of the students, etc.)

23 FOCUS December 2002

The Review

General Comments (including accuracy, clarity of exposition, coverage, quality of exercises, and particularly strong or weak points)

Comments on supplementary materials

Other Comments

Will you be using the book again?

Reviews should be emailed to:

Professor Lang Moore of Duke University: [email protected]

24 December 2002 FOCUS

Employment Opportunities invited for a tenure track position in Mathemat- ematics Department, CSPU Pomona, 3801 ics at the level of Assistant/ Associate professor, W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA 91768-4007; starting June or September 2003. Ph.D. in [email protected]; 909-869-4008; ARIZONA Mathematics with a strong background in Fax: 909-869-4904; http://www.csupomona. Algebra is required. Doctorate degrees must edu/~math. AA/EEO. NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY be from an accredited institution of higher Department of Mathematics and Statistics education. Successful candidate should be able Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Mathematics to teach a range of undergraduate mathematics Mathematics Education. Tenure-track positions Education beginning August 2003. Requirements: classes. Publications in peer reviewed journals beginning Fall 2003. Doctoral degree completed by 8/03, evidence of and/or grant activity is required. CSULA is on Salary commensurate with qualifications and high quality teaching, potential for a productive the quarter system. Review of applications will experience. research program. Review begins Nov. 15, start January 22, 2003 and continue until posi- Responsibilities include teaching content 2002. Send letter, CV, graduate transcripts, tion is filled. Send a letter of application and vita courses for prospective K-12 teachers, teaching teaching and research statements, a teaching to Dr. P. K. Subramanian, Chair, Department other mathematics classes, teaching methods evaluation summary, if available, and three of Mathematics, California State University at courses for prospective secondary teachers, re-commendation letters to: Mathematics Los Angeles, 5151 State University Drive, Los supervising student teachers, running teacher Education Screening Committee, Box 5717, Angeles, CA 90032. An Equal Opportunity, Title in-service programs, and working with the Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ IX, Disabled, Employer. All qualified applicants teacher education programs of the university. 86011-5717. See http://math/nau.edu for further are encouraged to apply. Excellence in teaching and a strong commitment details. Position subject to availability of funds. to continued scholarly activity are expected. NAU is an EOE/AA employer; women and Requirements: Doctorate in mathematics minorities are encouraged to apply. CAL STATE POLYTECH. UNIV., POMONA education with the equivalent of a master’s Department of Mathematics degree in mathematics, or a doctorate in CALIFORNIA Four tenure-track positions mathematics with demonstrated com-mitment Mathematics Education (Two positions: Assistant to teacher education. Pre-college teaching CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, Professor and Associate/Assistant Professor). experience is desired. FULLERTON Teach undergraduate courses in math education, Mathematics The Department of Mathematics collaborate with others on campus involved in Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo at California State University, Fullerton, has math education. Opportunity to teach lower and Cal Poly, part of the state university system an opening for two tenure track positions at upper division math courses, provide in-service of California, is noted for its programs in the the assistant and/or associate professor levels, programs for local schools, help to develop sciences and engineering. The campus is located beginning August 18, 2003. Responsibilities master’s in math teaching, advise students on the central coast of California and has an include teaching courses in Mathematics and/or seeking secondary teaching credential. Minimum enrollment of 18,000 students in undergraduate Mathematics Education, and being active in qualifications: Doctorate in math education with and masters degree programs. The Mathematics research related to Mathematics or Mathematics master’s degree in mathematics (or equivalent) or Department has 32 tenure-track faculty, 15 Education. Doctorate in an area directly related Ph.D. in mathematics, with strong background in graduate students, and 250 undergraduate to Mathematics Education or in Mathematics math education. ABD’s will be considered. Must majors with half of the students preparing awarded by the appointment date, and a Masters know about trends in math education, uses to teach secondary mathematics. Currently Degree or equivalent in Mathematics, or a of technology in math education. Preference there are three full-time faculty in the area of Bachelors Degree or equivalent in Mathematics to those able to supervise student teaching. mathematics education and the department has with substantial graduate coursework in Mathematics (Two positions: Asst Prof) Teach a goal to increase that number to six. There is a Mathematics is required. Rank and salary will be undergraduate, graduate, and service courses in computer equipped classroom devoted to math commensurate with experience. The Department math, participate in curriculum development, education and plans for a future math education has a significant number of faculty who are and advise undergraduate and graduate students. center. The department web site is http://www. active in all aspects of teaching and research Preference to those with expertise in one or more calpoly.edu/~math. in Mathematics Education (please visit us at of: algebra, control theory, differential equations, http://math.fullerton.edu). Candidates should estimation theory, geometry, number theory, Submit Cal Poly application form (request send a letter summarizing their background in stochastic differential equations, topology. via [email protected]), rÈsumÈ, statement of teaching and research, along with a curriculum Minimum qualifications: Ph.D. in Mathematics professional goals, teaching statement, three vita and three letters of reference. Please include or Statistics. Completion of terminal degree letters of reference, and transcripts (unofficial for a personal Mission Statement describing specific by 9/03. All positions: Expected to serve on initial screening and official for final candidates) interests and background in work related to department and university committees, engage to: Math Ed Screening Committee, Mathematics Mathematics Education, along with transcripts in scholarly activities. Required: Evidence of, Department, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA of graduate and undergraduate work. Women or potential for, teaching excellence, directing 93407. (Refer to Recruitment Code #4622 on all and minorities are especially encouraged to master’s theses, engaging in scholarly activities, correspondence.) Review of applications will apply. Please send all materials to: working with diverse student body. Salary begin 1/2/03, and applications received after Chair, Search Committee in Mathematics dependent on qualifications. Initial review of that date may be considered. Cal Poly is strongly Education applications 1/8/03. Review will continue until committed to achieving excellence through Department of Mathematics position is filled or closed. Submit application cultural diversity. The university actively California State University, Fullerton form indicating position area (available at encourages applications and nominations of Fullerton, CA 92834 http://www.csupomona.edu/~academic/faculty/ all qualified individuals. EEO. Applications will be reviewed beginning January open_faculty_positions.htm), curriculum vitae, 6, 2003. transcripts, and minimum of three reference MATHEMATICS. Tenure-track positions CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, letters to Faculty Search Committee, Math- beginning Fall 2003. Assistant professor LOS ANGELES Department of Mathematics - Applications are 25 FOCUS December 2002 appointments anticipated, but higher levels professional activities to: a personal commitment to diversity and our will be considered. Salary is commensurate Donna Small, Administrative Assistant mission of Christian higher education. with experience and qualifications. Excellence Mathematics Center in teaching and an active program in research/ Trinity College Interested applicants should submit a letter of professional development are expected. Hartford, CT 06106. intent, current vita, transcripts, and four names Doctorate in mathematics or closely related Evaluation of applications will begin December and addresses of references to: Alice Iverson, field is required. Preferred areas of interest are 1 and continue until the position is filled. North Park University, 3225 W. Foster, Chicago, algebra, numerical analysis, applied mathematics, Applicants who will be at the January math IL 60625-4895. By fax to: 773-244-4952 or combinatorial and discrete mathematics, and meetings should so note. Trinity College is email to: [email protected]. 773-244- dynamical systems. However, well-qualified an EO/AA employer. Women and minority 5654 (phone) Review of applications will begin candidates in other areas represented in the candidates are particularly encouraged to immediately and continue until the position is department will be considered. apply. filled. For more information on North Park access our website at: www.northpark.edu Submit Cal Poly application form (request via GEORGIA [email protected]), resume, brief statement North Park is an equal opportunity employer. of professional goals, teaching statement, GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY three letters of reference (at least one of Department Chair, Department of Mathematics INDIANA which addresses teaching experience), and and Computer Science transcripts (unofficial acceptable initially) to: Applications are invited for Department Chair, BUTLER UNIVERSITY Chair, Screening Committee, Mathematics Department of Mathematics and Computer Lecturer, Mathematics and Actuarial Science Department, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA Science. At least five years of teaching experience Three-year lectureship available, fall 2003. 93407. Review of applications will begin is required and administrative experience is Ph.D. preferred with demonstrated excellence 1/2/03,and applications received after that date desirable. Applicants must have a doctorate in in teaching required. Area of specialization is may be considered. Refer to Recruitment Code mathematics, computer science or related field. open. Butler University is a regionally ranked, #4623 on all correspondence. Cal Poly is strongly The department offers undergraduate degrees in comprehensive, medium-sized, liberal-arts- committed to achieving excellence through mathematics and computer science and minors based institution, with a beautiful campus cultural diversity. The university actively in mathematics, computer science, actuarial located in a residential area of Indianapolis. encourages applications and nominations of all science and quantitative analysis and has excellent More information is available at http://www. qualified individuals. EEO. teaching and laboratory facilities. There are butler.edu. Send vitae and three letters of twenty-one faculty positions in the department recommendation, at least one addressing CONNECTICUT distributed as follows: five computer science, two the applicant’s teaching effectiveness and mathematics education, thirteen mathematics, capabilities, by January 1, 2002 to: Dr. Judith TRINITY COLLEGE and one chair. As the University System of H. Morrel, Department of Mathematics and Hartford CT Georgia’s designated public liberal arts university Actuarial Science, Butler University, 4600 Lecturer in the Math Center and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46208, e-mail: Full-time, contract position beginning late Arts Colleges (COPLAC), GC&SU is committed [email protected], fax: 317-940-9363. August 2003. to combining the educational experiences typical Butler University is an equal opportunity The Math Center at Trinity College is a math of esteemed private liberal arts colleges with employer and is committed to enhancing the resource center for the college that administers the affordability of public higher education. diversity of the student body and its faculty Trinity’s quantitative literacy requirement, GC&SU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative and staff; therefore, women and minorities are offers courses by which students can meet the Action Employer. Review of applications will strongly encouraged to apply. requirement as well as upper level quantitative begin December 6, 2002 and continue until the literacy courses, works with non-mathematics position is filled. For additional information and Iowa faculty to enrich the quantitative content of their the application procedure, go to: http://www. courses, and houses a peer tutoring center. gcsu.edu/facultyjobs University of Northern Iowa Head, Department of Mathematics Lecturer responsibilities include teaching small Applications are invited for the position of ILLINOIS sections of quantitative reasoning courses, Head of the Department of Mathematics to developing courses and course materials, North ParK University begin on or about July 1, 2003. We are seeking working with faculty at the college to provide Professor of Mathematics an effective leader of a diverse department. The quantitative support for their classes, initiating North Park University, located on the north side ideal candidate will be capable of leading a and participating in Math Center programs and of Chicago, invites applications for a department large department consisting of mathematicians, appropriate professional activities. chair/tenure-track position in mathematics. Rank applied mathematicians, statisticians, and dependent upon qualifications. Responsibilities mathematics educators. Initial one-year contract; contract renewal and include teaching introductory and advanced multi-year contract possible. Five courses per courses in mathematics, functioning as the Required: Doctorate in Mathematics, Applied year teaching load. Ph.D. preferred, Master’s chair of the department, and supervising Mathematics, Statistics, or Mathematics degree in Mathematics and college teaching undergraduate research in mathematics. Ideal Education with a strong background in experience required. Experience in creating candidates will have demonstrated excellence mathematics, excellence in communication curricula and working with faculty across in teaching and administration. Ph.D. in and administration, qualifications to teach all departments is particularly desirable. mathematics required. levels of undergraduate mathematics, credentials warranting a senior level position, substantial Please send a vita, letter of application, and three North Park is sponsored by the Evangelical evidence of excellent undergraduate and/or letters of recommendation on teaching and Covenant Church and we seek applicants with graduate level teaching.

26 December 2002 FOCUS

Duties: Leading and serving the Department; 2,000 students. The teaching load is two courses site: http://www.hillsdale.edu. some teaching, advising, and scholarly activity; per 12-week semester and a winter term course budgeting and planning; assigning and evaluating every other January. In addition to excellence Send a letter of application, which should include faculty; facilitate faculty development; conducting in teaching, an active and successful research a personal statement addressing the applicant’s external relations; recruiting mathematics program is expected. teaching philosophy and qualifications for the majors. position, curriculum vitae, graduate transcript, To apply, please send a vita and have three letters a short summary of teaching evaluations, and The Department of Mathematics consists of of recommendation on teaching and research at least three letters of recommendation to: 26 tenured and tenure-track faculty members sent to the Hiring Committee, Department of Professor Mark J. Watson, Chair, Department and offers undergraduate degrees with con- Mathematics and Statistics, Williams College, of Mathematics and ComputerScience, Hillsdale centrations in mathematics, applied mathematics, Williamstown, MA 01267. Teaching and research College, Hillsdale, Michigan 49242. Review of statistics and actuarial science, and mathematics statements are also welcome. Evaluations of applications will begin November 1, 2002, and education (both elementary and secondary). applications will begin on or after November 25 will continue until the positions are filled. EOE The department offers masters degrees in and will continue until the positions are filled. mathematics and mathematics education (both Williams College is dedicated to providing a NEW HAMPSHIRE elementary and secondary). welcoming intellectual environment for all of its faculty, staff and students; as an EEO/AA DARTMOUTH COLLEGE The University of Northern Iowa is one of three employer, Williams especially encourages John Wesley Young Research Instructorship state universities in Iowa and has the principal applications from women and underrepresented The John Wesley Young Instructorship is a mission of providing high-quality education minorities. For more information on the two-year post-doctoral appointment intended to undergraduates. Located in a metropolitan Department of Mathematics and Statistics, visit for promising Ph.D.’s whose research interests area with a population of about 125,000, the http://www.williams.edu/Mathematics. overlap a department member’s. Current University serves a student population of departmental interests include areas in algebra, approximately 14,000. MICHIGAN analysis, algebraic geometry, combinatorics, differential geometry, logic and set theory, Complete applications received by January 6, HILLSDALE COLLEGE number theory, probability, and topology. 2003 will be given full consideration. Salary Mathematics and Computer Science Instructors teach four ten-week courses will be commensurate with qualifications Two Positions Available distributed over three terms, though one of and experience. The Department encourages 1.) Applied Mathematics and these terms in residence may be free of teaching. applications from minority persons, women, 2.) Mathematics The assignments normally include introductory, disabled veterans, and Vietnam-era veterans. Applications are invited for positions in Applied advanced undergraduate, and graduate courses. Send a letter describing in pertinent detail how Mathematics and in Mathematics. Entry-level, Instructors usually teach at least one course your qualifications and experience match our tenure-track positions with initial ap-pointments in their own specialty. Nine-month salary of mission and requirements, a curriculum vitae, made at the assistant professor level beginning $43,800.00 supplemented by summer research and the names, mail addresses, e-mail addresses in August 2003. stipend of $9,733.00 for instructors in residence and telephone numbers of three references to: for two months in summer. To be eligible for a Mathematics Head Search Committee Chair, Candidates for Applied Mathematics position 2003-2005 Instructorship, candidate must be able BRC 50, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar required to have a Ph.D. in mathematics with to complete all requirements for the Ph.D. degree Falls, IA 50614_0181. E-mail inquiries may be specialty in applied mathematics and willing before September, 2003. Applicants should get sent to [email protected]. See our to teach especially mathematical modeling, a copy of the application information and the website at www.math.uni.edu. Applications by differential equations, numerical analysis, and required response-form at http://www.math. e-mail will not be accepted. vector analysis in addition to other undergraduate dartmouth.edu/recruiting/. Or, sub-mit a letter mathematics courses. of application, curriculum vitae, graduate school The University of Northern Iowa is an Equal transcript, thesis abstract, statement of research Opportunity Employer with a comprehensive Candidates for Mathematics position required plans and interests, and at least three, preferably plan for affirmative action. to have a Ph.D. in mathematics and be willing four, letters of recommendation to Donna to teach various undergraduate mathematics Black, Department of Mathematics, Dartmouth MASSACHUSETTS courses. College, 6188 Bradley Hall, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-3551. Applications received WILLIAMS COLLEGE Candidates for either position must by January 5, 2003 receive first consideration; The Williams College Department of have a strong commitment to excellence in applications will be accepted until position Mathematics and Statistics invites applications teaching undergraduate mathematics. Duties is filled. Dartmouth College is committed to for two positions in mathematics and one for each position include a 12 hour (3 course) diversity and strongly encourages applications position in statistics, beginning fall 2003, all at teaching load per semester which will include from women and minorities. the rank of assistant professor (in exceptional teaching all levels of undergraduate mathematics, cases, more advanced appointments may be academic advising, college service, and continued DARTMOUTH COLLEGE considered). We are seeking highly qualified mathematical activity. The Department of Mathematics seeks to recruit candidates who have demonstrated excellence at the senior level in Applied Mathematics in teaching and research, and who will have a Hillsdale College, founded in 1844, with an initial appointment in the 2003-2004 Ph.D. by the time of appointment. is an independent, coeducational, four-year academic year. The successful candidate will liberal arts college of 1,200 students. Hillsdale be acknowledged leader in his/her field with Williams College is a private, residential, has traditionally upheld two concepts: academic proven ability to work across disciplines and highly selective liberal arts college with an excellence and institutional independence. For attract outside funding. Applicants with any undergraduate enrollment of approximately additional college information check our web of a wide variety of interests ranging from

27 FOCUS December 2002 traditional applied fields and backgrounds, of pure and applied mathematics. The successful Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Native e.g. signal processing, mathematical statistics, candidate will be a researcher working in core Americans and women. Inquiries about the PDE’s, as well as new application areas such as mathematics who has a proven track record in progress of the selection process may be directed informatics, quantum computing or applied pursuing both the theoretical development of to Dwight Lahr, Recruiting Chair. algebra, are encouraged to apply. Various projects his/her subject, as well as potential applications. are currently funded by NSF NIH, NIMH, and Examples would include (but are not limited to) NEW YORK DoD. Active collaborations with the medical number theorists with interests in cryptography and engineering schools, and programs in or coding theory, representation theorists who St. John’s University computer science and cognitive neuroscience work in signal processing, combinatorialists with St. John’s University, with campuses in the exist. Collaborations and/or appointments in interests in computing, probabilists with interests Hillcrest- Jamaica and Staten Island sections Dartmouth’s M.D./Ph.D. program, as well as in statistics, as well as more classical applied of New York City, is an independent Catholic Dartmouth’s Institute for Secure Technologies mathematicians. Various projects are currently co-educational institution in the Vincentian Studies, are also possible. Lab space in the new funded by NSF and DoD. Active collaborations tradition.The Department of Mathematics mathematics building will also be available with the medical and engineering schools, and and Computer Science, St. John’s College is and future hirings in applied mathematics are programs in computer science and cognitive seeking applications for a tenure-track position anticipated neuroscience exist. Collaborations and/or at the Assistant or Associate Professor rank appointments in Dartmouth’s M.D./Ph.D. in Mathematics on the Queens campus for Candidates must be committed to outstanding program, as well as Dartmouth’s Institute for September 2003. Applicants should possess teaching and interaction with students at all Secure Technologies Studies, are also possible. a Ph.D. in Mathematics. A commitment levels of undergraduate and graduate study In number theory, we have interests in both to teaching and research is essential.Send and be willing to advance applied mathematics algebraic and analytic number theory. letter of application, resume, three letters of across campus. recommendation and undergraduate and Candidates for the position must be committed graduate transcripts to: Search Committee, To create an atmosphere supportive of research, to outstanding teaching and interaction with Dept of Mathematics & Computer Science SJH Dartmouth offers new faculty members grants students at all levels of undergraduate and 334, St. John’s University 8000 Utopia Parkway, for research-related expenses, a quarter of graduate study, and must demonstrate an Jamaica, NY 11439 or email: trainac@stjohns. sabbatical leave for each three academic years exceptional potential for research. Candidates eduSt. John’s University is an Equal Opportunity in residence and flexible scheduling of teaching with several years of experience should be able Employer and encourages applications from responsibilities. The teaching responsibility in to give evidence of a research program that has women and minorities. mathematics is two courses per quarter for two achieved peer-recognition and which promises ten-week quarters or one course for each of future research leadership in the mathematical SUNY Potsdam two quarters and two courses for one quarter. community. Candidates who do not have this SUNY Potsdam invites applications for one The combination of committed colleagues level of experience must have demonstrated anticipated full-time tenure-track position and talented, responsive students encourages the potential for future mathematical research effective September 1, 2003, at the rank of excellence in teaching at all levels. leadership in their Ph.D. work. Assistant Professor. Responsibilities of the position include teaching twelve hours per To apply, a copy of the application information To create an atmosphere supportive of research, semester of undergraduate through first year and required response form may be obtained Dartmouth offers new faculty members grants graduate courses. Required qualifications online from our web site at http://www.math. for research-related expenses, a quarter of are a Ph.D. in any area of mathematics with a dartmouth.edu/recruiting/. Or, send a letter sabbatical leave for each three academic years strong interest in and preparation for teaching of application, curriculum vitae, and a brief in residence and flexible scheduling of teaching undergraduate major mathematics courses. statement of research results and interests; and responsibilities. The teaching responsibility in Candidates from all areas of mathematics are arrange four letters of reference, at least one of mathematics is two courses per quarter for two encouraged to apply. Applications, which which specifically addresses teaching, to Donna ten-week quarters or one course for each of must include a letter of interest, a teaching Black, Recruiting Secretary, Department of two quarters and two courses for one quarter. statement, a curriculum vitae, three letters of Mathematics, Dartmouth College, 6188 Bradley The combination of committed colleagues and recommendation at least one of which addresses Hall, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-3551. bright, responsive students encourages excellence teaching experience and abilities, and a transcript Applications received by December 6, 2002 will in teaching at all levels. (a copy is acceptable) should be sent to Dr. receive first consideration. Dartmouth College is Victoria Klawitter, Staffing Committee Chair, committed to diversity and strongly encourages To apply, get a copy of the application information Department of Mathematics, SUNY Potsdam, applications from women and minorities. and the required response-form at http://www. Potsdam, NY 13676 or email at klawitv@ Inquiries about the progress of the selection math.dartmouth.edu/recruiting/. Or, send a potsdam.edu. To ensure full consideration, process may be directed to Dan Rockmore, Pro- letter of application, curriculum vitae, and a brief complete applications must be received by fessor of Mathematics and Computer Science, statement of research results and interests; and January 22, 2003. For information about the Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 or via arrange four letters of reference, at least one of College and the department, you may go to email at [email protected]. which specifically addresses teaching, to Donna http://www.potsdam.edu/. SUNY Potsdam is Black, Recruiting Secretary, Department of an equal opportunity employer committed to DARTMOUTH COLLEGE Mathematics, Dartmouth College, 6188 Bradley excellence through diversity. The Department of Mathematics anticipates a Hall, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-3551. tenure-track opening with initial appointment Applications received by January 5, 2003 will New YorK City College of in the 2003-2004 academic year. The position is receive first consideration. Technology an Assistant Professorship in number theory, or Position: Instructor/Assistant Professor “applicable mathematics.” The work of candidates Dartmouth College is committed to Affirmative Department of Mathematics in applicable mathematics should straddle the line Action and encourages applications from African Instructor/Assistant Professor

28 December 2002 FOCUS

For appointment as an assistant professor must analysis, fuzzy mathematics, control theory, background and experience in applied appropriate earned doctorate, research experience graph theory, operations research, actuarial mathematics with an actuarial, financial or and interest, college level teaching experience . science, and mathematics education. Send decision-sciences orientation, and (2) applicants Competence to teach introductory mathematics application letter, vita, and three (3) letters with background and experience in mathematics through differential equations, expertise with of recommendation to: Dr. Patricia A. Frick, education. Responsibilities include teaching 12 computers and instructional technology in math Vice President for Academic Affairs, Otterbein credit hours per semester in courses supporting courses. Expertise in curriculum development, College, One Otterbein College, Westerville, OH the schools of business and engineering as instructional technology and innovative 43081; e-mail inquiries to [email protected]. well as majors in applied mathematics and/or pedagogy is desirable. Salary: Instructor: $32,133 Deadline: December 31, 2002. mathematics education, continuing scholarly - $52,123; Asst. Prof: $35,031 – 61,111. Resumes activity, and service to the department and the to: Michelle Harris, Human Resources, New York Otterbein College is an equal opportunity, university. City College of Technology, 300 Jay Street, Namm affirmative action employer. Women and 321, Brooklyn, N Y 11201. EOE minorities are encouraged to apply. (Web page: Candidates should have documented evidence http://www.otterbein.edu). of excellence in teaching across a wide spectrum Ohio of mathematics. Application review will begin Pennsylvania November 8, 2002. All candidates must have Columbus State University documentation and authorization to work in Assistant Professor of Mathematics (Tenure track) Millersville University of the United States. EOE. Begins August 2003. PhD required. (Possible Pennsylvania multiple positions). Responsibilities include Full-time, tenure-track assistant professorship to Send materials, including a c.v, a cover letter teaching lower and upper level mathematics begin August 2003, in a department of 20 faculty specifically addressing qualifications and courses. The specialty area is open. Faculty are and approximately 175 majors in mathematics interests, and three letters of reference, at least encouraged to continue their research and grow and mathematics education. Area of expertise one of which addresses teaching ability, to: professionally. Previous teaching experience is in discrete mathematics with specialization in Len Asimow, Ph.D., A.S.A. preferred and at least one reference should be computational or applied aspects of finite fields, Robert Morris University capable of addressing teaching experience of the geometry, or number theory is required. Ph.D. 881 Narrows Run Road candidate. http://math.colstate.edu (or completion by second year reappointment) Moon Township, PA 15108 in mathematics is required. Must exhibit ([email protected]) Applicants should submit letter of application, evidence of strong commitment to excellence current vita, statement of teaching philosophy in teaching and continued scholarly activity. South Carolina and research plans and the names and contact Must be prepared to teach a broad spectrum of information of three references to Dr. Arthur undergraduate mathematics courses and have COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY Cleveland, Dean, College of Science, Columbus potential to contribute to the department„s Department of Mathematics and Statistics State University, 4225 University Ave., Columbus, programs. Must provide evidence of teaching Assistant Professor GA 31907-5645 (or to: Cleveland_Art@colstate. effectiveness and must complete a successful Applications are invited for at least one tenure- edu) Review will begin immediately and interview and teaching demonstration. track position at the rank of Assistant Professor continue until the position is filled. Additional Duties include an annual 24-hour teaching in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. information may be found at www.colstate. load, scholarly activity, student advisement, Employment would begin in August 2003. edu. CSU, an AA/EEO employer, is committed supervision of student research, curriculum Applicants must have a Ph.D. in Mathematics to diversity and equality in education and development and committee work. Salary/ or by August 2003. The teaching load will be employment. benefits are competitive. Full consideration given 12 credits per semester with the possibility of to applications received by January 24, 2003. a course reduction in the second semester for OTTERBEIN COLLEGE E-mail applications will not be accepted. Send candidates with a strong research program. Otterbein College invites applications for a letter of application addressing qualifications, Candidates from all research areas will be tenure-track, Assistant/Associate Professor curriculum vita, copies of undergraduate and considered, but preference will be given to those position in Mathematics, beginning Sept. 1, graduate transcripts and three current letters of applicants whose research complements the 2003. A Ph.D. in Mathematics is required. ABD reference (at least two of which attest to recent current composition of the department. In candidates will be considered if completion teaching effectiveness) to Dr. Hisa Tsutsui, Search particular, candidates with a background of dissertation requirements is imminent. Chair/FO1202, Department of Mathematics, in Analysis or Industrial Mathematics are Preference will be given to individuals with prior Millersville University of Pennsylvania, P.O. Box encouraged to apply. teaching experience at a variety of levels in the 1002, Millersville, PA 17551-0302. An AA/EO breadth of the field, particularly those who have Institution. Coastal Carolina University is a public, demonstrated success in introductory courses. predominantly undergraduate liberal arts Strong commitment to quality teaching and to ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY institution, located approximately 10 miles from the objectives of liberal arts education is essential. Department of Mathematics Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Department The faculty member will be expected to teach Moon Township, Pennsylvania offers a Major in Applied Mathematics and 35 credit hours per academic year (7-8 courses, Applications are invited for two fulltime several Minors including Statistics and Actuarial quarter system). These will include primarily renewable positions in mathematics at Robert Science. In Addition, the University offers a introductory-level courses, with upper-level Morris University. The starting date is August Master in Education and a Master in the Art of courses selected according to the candidate’s 22, 2003. These positions will be filled at the rank Teaching, both with the option of a concentration background and interests. Scholarship should of Assistant Professor or above, with a minimum in Mathematics. complement the subdisciplines currently qualification of a doctoral degree. represented in the department: topology, Each applicant should submit the standard AMS Priority will be given to (1) applicants with cover sheet, a letter of application, curriculum

29 FOCUS December 2002 vitae, statement of teaching and research interests, and three letters of reference, at least TEXAS ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY OF one of which should address the candidate’s SAN ANTONIO teaching, to Dr. Prashant Sansgiry, Chair, R. L. Moore Institute The Department of Mathematics at St. Mary’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Executive Director University of San Antonio, Texas, invites Coastal Carolina University, P.O. Box 269154, Austin, TX applications for two tenure-track faculty Conway, SC 29528-6054. Deadline for initial The Educational Advancement Foundation, positions at the assistant professor level consideration is December 15, 2002 and the a nonprofit organization supporting mathe- beginning Fall 2003. Ph.D. in mathematics, search will continue until the position is filled. matical education through inquiry-based mathematics education, statistics, or applied Please indicate if you will be attending the annual learning, seeks a full-time Executive Director mathematics, quality teaching of various meeting in Baltimore in January 2003. for the R. L. Moore Institute (our new multi- undergraduate courses, and evidence of scholarly program office situated near The University of activities required. All areas considered. Review Coastal Carolina University is an AA/EO Texas campus, which will be headquarters for of applications will begin immediately. Positions employer, and encouragesapplications from the Legacy of R.L. Moore Project). open till filled. Send application letter, resume, women and minorities. Additional information statements of teaching and research interests, and can be accessed at: www.coastal.edu. Applicants should have a strong mathematics three letters of reference to: Dr. Mary Wagner- background (preferably a current or former Krankel, Department of Mathematics, St. Mary’s The Citadel, Military College of faculty member), including recent administrative University, San Antonio, TX 78228-8560. St. South Carolina or leadership experience in academic societies or Mary’s University is an equal opportunity/ Department of Mathematics and Computer professional associations. In addition, a history of affirmative action employer Science “entrepreneurial” (i.e. sole proprietorship or small Faculty Position: Department Head at the Rank business) type management accomplishment is of Associate or Full Professor Level desirable. THE CITADEL: The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science invites applications and Duties: Strong “hands-on” managerial leader- nominations for the head of the department ship and personal involvement carrying out at the rank of associate or full professor level, non-routine activities is essential. The Executive beginning in the fall 2003 academic year. Director will coordinate workflow and assign Qualifications for the position include an “priority” while working actively with a small earned Ph. D. in an area of mathematics or staff and a large, diverse group of consultants/ computer science, administrative experience, volunteers/constituency members and a demonstrated commitment to excellence outsiders. The candidate shall have exceptional in teaching and service, and an established communication, organizational and executive record of research. Salary and benefits will be skills as well as an ability to articulate a mission- competitive. focused vision to diverse con-stituencies. It is essential that the Executive Director be able to Applicants should submit a letter of application, manage actively and conclude multiple non- curriculum vita, a statement of administrative routine projects on a timely basis. philosophy with details about personal administrative experience, and the names of Requirements: Advanced degree in mathematics at least three references. Applications will be or science desirable, with over 10 years reviewed as they are received, beginning January educational/administrative experience. The 15, 2003, and the position will remain open until prospective Executive Director must demonstrate filled. For more information about the college accomplishment in combining leadership and the department, please see http://www. with administrative controls and support, mathcs.citadel.edu. Further questions about the while sustaining entrepreneurial initiatives. position should be directed to the chair of the Applicants must be adaptable and flexible to search committee. Applications and supporting rapidly changing priorities; a self-starter and materials should be addressed to: Dr. Peter self-responsible individual with a successful Greim, Chair, Search Committee, Department history working with both small groups and of Mathematics and Computer Science, 171 larger organizations/associations. Moultrie Street, The Citadel, Charleston, SC 29409: phone: 843-953-5035; fax: 843-953-7391; Excellent benefits (health, life, and long- e-mail: [email protected]. You may also term disability insurance, retirement, etc.) submit application and materials online at http:// and stimulating cross-discipline working citadel.edu/hr. Please reference job #F02-17MAA. en-vironment with demanding workload. Applications from women and minorities are Compensation includes an early merit bonus especially encouraged. The Citadel is an AA/EOE for exceptional performance. institution. (006135) R. L. Moore Institute is an equal opportunity The Citadel is an affirmative action/equal employer. opportunity employer, dedicated to multi- cultural diversity in campus leadership Email cover letter and resume to: personnel@ positions. edu-adv-foundation.org

30