Department of Mathematics Annual Report 2001Ð2002 Year in Review: Mathematics Instruction and Research Cornell University Þrst among private institutions in undergraduates who later earn Ph.D.s. Ithaca, New York, the home of Cornell University, is located in the heart of the Finger Lakes Region. It offers the cultural activities of a large university and the diversions of a rural environment. Mathematics study at Cornell is a unique experience. The university has managed to foster excellence in research without forsaking the ideals of a liberal education. In many ways, the cohesiveness and rigor of the Mathematics Department is a reßection of the Cornell tradition. John Smillie, chair Department of Mathematics Cornell University Telephone: (607) 255-4013 320 Malott Hall Fax: (607) 255-7149 Ithaca, NY 14853-4201 e-mail: [email protected] Table of Contents The Year in Review 2001–2002.......................................................................1 VIGRE ..................................................................................................2 NSF/NIGMS Grant ...................................................................................3 Graduate Program .....................................................................................3 Undergraduate Program ..............................................................................5 Research and Professional Activities.................................................................5 Support Sta ...........................................................................................6 Faculty Changes .......................................................................................6 Gifts .....................................................................................................6 Department Prizes and Awards ......................................................................7 Special Honors and Awards...........................................................................7 Instructional Activities ................................................................................8 Curriculum Changes ...................................................................................8 Interdisciplinary Instructional Activity ..............................................................9 Mathematics Course Enrollment Statistics .......................................................10 Mathematics Department Directory 2001–2002 .................................................12 New Faculty Members for 2002–2003 .............................................................14 Special Programs and Activities ....................................................................15 The Math Explorers Club ...........................................................................15 Mathematics Awareness Month .....................................................................15 Expanding Your Horizons ...........................................................................16 Spring Concert Series ................................................................................16 Cornell Conference on Analysis and Probability on Fractals ....................................17 Cornell Topology Festival............................................................................17 Preparing Future Professors .........................................................................18 Special Guest Lectures ...............................................................................18 Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program ..............................................19 Summer Program .....................................................................................20 Special Instructional Support .......................................................................20 Centers for Applied Mathematics ...................................................................21 Mathematics Library .................................................................................21 Mathematics Education..............................................................................23 Mathematics Department Endowments ............................................................24 Degrees Granted 2001–2002 ........................................................................25 Department Colloquia ................................................................................28 2001–2002 Faculty Publications ....................................................................36 The Faculty and their Research .....................................................................41 Faculty Proles.........................................................................................42 Visiting Faculty Program Participants .............................................................79 Sta Proles............................................................................................80 The Year in Review 2001–2002 My three-year term as chair is over, and this is the last In December 2001, at our annual holiday party, we Year in Review that I will write. Being department chair awarded the rst annual departmental teaching awards. has been a very interesting experience. There have been Al Schatz won the senior faculty award, Ravi Ramakr- changes: a new building; the VIGRE grant with new ishna won the junior faculty award and Lee Gibson won postdocs, new graduate students and new activities; two the graduate student award. Several graduate student new sta members; a reduced teaching load for H. C. awards were also presented. Fernando Marques received Wangs; and a new department teaching award. On the the Battig Award. Christopher Francisco received the other hand, many things have stayed the same: a helpful York Award. In addition, Dan Ciubotaru, Jean Cortis- and knowledgable sta; a dedicated faculty; enthusiastic soz, Yuval Gabay and Sam Hsaio received Hutchinson graduate students; dedicated math majors; and a dean Fellowships for the spring semester. who supports our eorts. Daniel Ramras received the annual Kieval Prize from the Searches conducted this year resulted in the hiring of a department at the department’s graduation ceremony in number of new faculty. We hired two H. C. Wang as- May. I am also pleased to report that Peter Clark, a sistant professors: Indira Chatterji (ETH Zurich) and sophomore majoring in mathematics and biology, and a Dan Zaran (Ruhr-Universitat Bochum). We were also college scholar, was one of four Cornell recipients of a fortunate to hire three VIGRE postdocs: Tara Bren- Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship in science and mathe- dle (Columbia University), Alexander Meadows (Stan- matics. ford University) and Brian Smith (Cornell University). We are very happy to have them join us. (See p. 14 to Birgit Speh completed her rst year as director of un- learn more about our new faculty.) dergraduate studies (DUS). Birgit did an exemplary job in this faculty administrative position, and we are very Bela Bajnok and Carolyn DeSilva, both on leave from grateful to her for all her hard work. Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, par- ticipated in this year’s visiting program. We appreci- Special thanks to Lou Billera, who nished his term as ate their eorts, and once again our teaching program director of graduate studies (DGS) at the end of June havs beneted from visiting program participation. (For 2002. Lou was an eective and energetic DGS who more information about their experiences at Cornell, see served in that capacity since January 2001. We appreci- page 79.) Recruitment eorts have produced four par- ate his dedication to the position and his special talents. ticipants for the 2002–2003 academic year. Michael Stillman has agreed to accept the position be- ginning July 1, 2002. Rick Durrett was recently elected a fellow of the Amer- ican Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the only This past year the department conducted a review of Cornell professor elected to the prestigious academy’s the graduate program curriculum, the rst in over 25 class of 2002. He joins two department faculty who are years. The eort was headed up by committee chair previously-elected academy members: Eugene Dynkin Dan Barbasch. Committee members Lou Billera, Ken and Harry Kesten. Founded in 1780, the academy hon- Brown, Rick Durrett, Leonard Gross and Shankar Sen ors distinguished scientists, scholars and leaders in public contributed to this review, along with numerous depart- aairs, business, administration and the arts. The induc- ment faculty members. (See page 9 for more informa- tion ceremony will be held at the academy headquarters tion about this review and the changes generated for the in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 5, 2002. graduate curriculum.) Ravi Ramakrishna was awarded the Russell Distin- Once again, Rick Durrett served with distinction as guished Teaching Award from the College of Arts and VIGRE coordinator. Special notice should be taken of Sciences and an AMS Centennial Fellowship. Ravi will the rst VIGRE Faculty Development Workshop, held spend his fellowship year at McGill University (Canada) May 7, 2002, at the Rose Inn. This was an especially in the fall and at Berkeley in the spring. John Guck- successful and exciting mentoring eort. Topics covered enheimer was elected as Fellow of the American Asso- making the transition from being a graduate student to ciation for the Advancement of Science at the February being an independent researcher, writing NSF proposals 2002 annual meeting in Boston.