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Florida Section Newsletter The Mathematical Association of America May 2002 Volume 23, Issue 3 |
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Florida Section Newsletter The Mathematical Association of America May 2002 Volume 23, Issue 3 |
Officers of the Florida Section
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Florida Section's 2002Distinguished Service AwardLeonard Lipkin |
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The Florida Section of the Mathematical Association of America takes pride in recognizing the distinguished services of Dr. Leonard Lipkin, Professor of Mathematics at the University of North Florida, to the mathematics community on this Saturday, March 2, 2002.
Dr. Lipkin has been associated with the MAA since 1959 and the AMS since 1964. At the national level he has served as International Science Fair Judge and on the Arrangements Committee for the Joint Annual Meetings of the AMS/MAA.
At the section level, he has provided evidence for leadership and service by being on the nominating committee, Local Arrangements Chair, Vice President for Site Selection, President-elect, President, Member of the Awards Committee, and Regional Meeting Coordinator.
He has provided service and leadership to the mathematics community not only by chairing the Mathematics Department at the University of North Florida over an extended period but by also writing a number of scholarly papers and making numerous presentations at state and national meetings. His commitment is further visible in his interaction with high school teachers and students.
He is for modernizing our mathematics curriculum so that our students can find meaningful employment. In short, Dr. Lipkin is truly and uniquely worthy of this honor.
Florida Section's 2002Distinguished Teaching of Mathematics AwardLi Zhou |
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The Florida Section of the Mathematical Association of America is proud to bestow on Prof. Li Zhou of Polk Community College the unique honor of distinguished teacher of mathematics.
Prof. Zhou’s enthusiasm about mathematics is contagious. He uses mathematics movies in the classroom to excite the imagination of his students. He creates and edits the "Problem of the week" in his college to inspire not only his students but also his colleagues. He poses and solves many problems in problem sections of a number of professional journals. He has made a number of presentations to the MAA Florida Section and regional meetings. His presentations are on the "automatic attend list" of many. He has been able to bring a number of interesting problems to the classroom. He also prepares students for the Florida Math Olympiad and for AMATYC contests. He has made the art of problem solving a very attractive part of his teaching.
In short, Prof. Zhou is an exemplary teacher who respects and enjoys the respect of his students.
Annual Business Meeting
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President Chuck Lindsey called the meeting to order at 1:20 P.M.
President Lindsey welcomed each person present.
He expressed appreciation to the local arrangements committee headed by Alyson Heil and Sandi Kirby for the outstanding job they did in hosting the 35th meeting of the Florida Section.
Marilyn Repsher, the Governor of the Florida Section, gave her report. She shared that Fred Zerla received a Certificate of Meritorious Service from the national MAA. She also reported on the Professional Enhancement Programs (PREP) for college teachers of mathematics. Information concerning these can be found on the web site of the MAA.
Secretary/Treasurer Ken Pothoven gave the Treasurer’s Report. He shared information from the annual financial report given to the national office of the MAA. It showed total revenues during 2001 of $4,517.22 and disbursements of $5,598.87 and a balance at the end of the year of $5,299.55. As of the end of February, 2002, the assets of the Florida Section were $6,749.75 but not all income has been received for the annual meeting and not many expenses have been paid. Over 150 individuals registered for this 35th annual meeting.
President-elect David Kerr gave his report. He indicated that he was updating a list of institutional liaisons. The list will be on the website of the Section. He also reported on three regional meetings held in the Fall – the Gold Coast meeting, the First Coast meeting, and the Suncoast meeting.
Newsletter Editor, Bill Rush, gave his report. He gave a demonstration of the website of the Florida Section. He reported that the Section website for the newsletter has had over 1700 unique visitors. He also gave information about the new web address for the newsletter. It is now at http://www.spcollege.edu/central/maa/. He also reported on a new listserve for the Florida Section. Its address is http://it.spjc.edu/maa/.
Siamack Bondari reported on site selection for future meetings. The 2003 meeting will be held at Jacksonville University. It will be held meeting on February 21 and 22, 2003. The 2004 meeting will be held at the University of Central Florida.
Ben Fusaro reported as Student Activities Coordinator. He reported that there were 10 excellent presentations by students at the meeting.
June White reported for the Nominating Committee. She presented the following nominees for approval.
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Judy Jones for President-Elect |
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Stephanie Fitchett for Vice President for Site Selection |
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Lubomir Markov for Vice President for Programs |
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Ken Pothoven for Secretary/Treasurer |
In addition, Shrinivas Dalal has agreed to help Ben Fusaro with Student Activities and to be nominated as the Student Activities Coordinator to replace Ben Fusaro.
There were no nominees from the floor. The nominees were elected.
Shiv Aggrawal presented the Distinguished Teaching Award to Li Zhou of Polk Community College. Professor Zhou accepted the award with gratitude. Shiv Aggrawal present the Distinguished Service Award to Len Lipkin of the University of North Florida. He accepted the award with surprise and thanks.
Secretary/Treasurer read a resolution recognizing the work of the local arrangements committee – in particular Alysen Heil and Sandi Kirby – and the Department of Mathematics at Santa Fe Community College for the outstanding job they did on hosting the 35th annual meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 2 P.M.
Executive Committee Meeting
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President Chuck Lindsey called the meeting to order at 7:55 P.M.
President Lindsey welcomed each person present. Each committee member introduced herself or himself. Present were Marilyn Repsher, Marcelle Bessman, Bill Rush, June White, Siamack Bondari, Jacci White, Scott Hochwald, Chuck Lindsey, David Kerr, Ken Pothoven, and Ben Fusaro. Present from Santa Fe Community College were Alysen Heil, Sandi Kirby, and Bruce Teague.
The minutes of the Executive Committee meeting of April 28, 2001 were distributed and approved.
Secretary/Treasurer Ken Pothoven gave the Treasurer’s Report. He distributed copies of the year-end report as submitted to the national office of the MAA. It showed total revenues during 2001 of $4,517.22 and disbursements of $5,598.87 and a balance at the end of the year of $5,299.55. As of the end of February, 2002, the assets of the Florida Section were $6,749.75 but not all income has been received for the annual meeting and not many expenses have been paid.
Marilyn Repsher, the Governor of the Florida Section, gave her report. She shared that Fred Zerla received a Certificate of Meritorious Service from the national MAA. She also reported that the national office is trying to modify a trust fund of $225,000 given to the MAA so that the MAA would have more leeway in how to use these funds. She also reported on the Professional Enhancement Programs (PREP) for college teachers of mathematics. Information concerning these can be found on the web site of the MAA.
Newsletter Editor, Bill Rush, gave his report. He reported that the Section website for the newsletter has had over 1700 unique visitors. He gave a list of deadlines for upcoming newsletters. He also gave information about the new address for the newsletter. It is now at http://www.spcollege.edu/central/maa/. He also reported on a new listserve for the Florida Section. Its address is http://it.spjc.edu/maa/.
President-elect David Kerr gave his report. He distributed a list of institutional liaisons that he has been trying to update. The list will be distributed to all at the annual meeting and will be on the website of the Section.
He also reported on three regional meetings held in the Fall – the Gold Coast meeting, the First Coast meeting, and the Suncoast meeting.
Siamack Bondari reported on site selection for future meetings. The 2003 meeting will be held at Jacksonville University. The Executive Committee approved a motion to hold meeting on February 21 and 22, 2003. The 2004 meeting will be held at the University of Central Florida.
June White reported for the Nominating Committee. The following are nominees that will be submitted to the membership for approval at the business meeting on March 2.
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Judy Jones for President-Elect |
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Stephanie Fitchett for Vice President for Site Selection |
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Lubomir Markov for Vice President for Programs |
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Ken Pothoven for Secretary/Treasurer |
In addition, Shrinivas Dalal has agreed to help Ben Fusaro with Student Activities and to be nominated as the Student Activities Coordinator to replace Ben Fusaro.
There was no report from the Membership Committee. Chuck Lindsey will contact Margie Hale and Mike Mears about serving on the Membership Committee.
Ben Fusaro reported as Student Activities Coordinator. He reported that there would be 10 presentations by students at the meeting.
Ken Pothoven presented two awards to be presented at the business meeting on March 2. Li Zhou will be given the Distinguished Teaching Award and Len Lipkin will be given the Distinguished Service Award.
Program Chair Marcelle Bessman distributed copies of the program for the meeting on March 1 and 2. Final preparations were made for the meeting.
The Executive Committee recognized the excellent job done by the local arrangements committee in preparing for the annual meeting. The local arrangements were organized by Alysen Heil and Sandi Kirby of Santa Fe Community College.
The Executive Committee adjourned at 9:33 P.M.
| BALANCE ON HAND 2/26/02: |
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$7,812.37 | ||
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Suntrust Bank Checking Account | $7,812.37 | ||
| RECEIPTS: | $2,152.22 | |||
| Registration - 2002 Meeting | $655.00 | |||
| Conference Dinner- 2002 Meeting | $352.00 | |||
| Luncheon - 2002 Meeting | $165.50 | |||
| Breakfast - 2002 Meeting | $83.87 | |||
| Publisher Contributions | $150.00 | |||
| Registration Change | $100.00 | |||
| MAA National | $0.00 | |||
| Book Sales Receipts | $645.85 | |||
| Suncoast Region Deposit | $0.00 | |||
| EXPENSES: | $2,922.00 | |||
| Annual Meeting Expenses (2002 Program Printing) | $226.20 | |||
| Food - 2002 Meeting | $1,773.05 | |||
| Miscellaneous Annual Meeting Expenses | $89.20 | |||
| Bank Charge for Checks | $8.50 | |||
| Dinner Refund(2002 Meeting) | $14.00 | |||
| Registration Change | $100.00 | |||
| Awards | $65.20 | |||
| Book Sales Payment | $645.85 | |||
| BALANCE ON HAND 4/25/02: | $7,042.59 | |||
| Suntrust Bank Checking Account | $7,056.39 | |||
| EARMARKED FUNDS: | $1,062.62 | |||
| Exxon Program | $250.59 | |||
| Suncoast Region | $728.03 | |||
| Gold Coast | $84.00 | |||
| TOTAL ASSETS: | $5,979.97 | |||
The Awards Committee is seeking recommendations for two awards to be given in 2003: the Service Award to be given for outstanding service to the Florida Section and the Teaching Award to recognize distinguished college or university teaching.
Please send your suggestions by Friday, November 15, 2002 to the chair of the Awards Committee:
Mike Mears
Manatee CC
P.O. Box 1849
Bradenton, FL 34206
mearsm@mccfl.edu
(941) 752-5267
The Nominating Committee is soliciting nominations, self or otherwise, for the positions of President-elect, Vice President for Programs-elect, and Vice President for Site Selection-elect.
Please send these nominations to the committee chair:
Chuck Lindsey
Past President
clindsey@fgcu.edu
Governor's Report
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There are two items of interest since the last meeting.
A policy for allowing substitutions for Governors who cannot attend meetings of the Board is currently circulating and will be presented at the meeting prior to MathFest. The questions to be settled involve who can be selected and whether the substitute will have vote as well as voice.
As mentioned at the Section meeting, a person has been appointed to keep the Governors informed about changing science policies in Washington, especially as they pertain to mathematics. The understanding is that each Governor will in turn notify their constituency. The following is a summary of the first report.
President Bush has proposed a $5.035-billion budget for NSF, a 5% increase. Rep. James T. Walsh, New York Republican, who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee overseeing NSF claims that this proposal is inadequate and will injure core programs. Mr. Walsh suggested a 10% increase. Rita Colwell, NSF director, reaffirmed the importance of basic research but stated that the money in the President's proposal would be adequate.
The following ten undergraduate students, representing both public and private colleges and universities across the state, presented at the 35th annual meeting.
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MCM 2002 was held the weekend of February 7th, and 525 undergraduate teams contributed solution papers. Each team of three undergraduates chose a problem. They then had four days to analyze the problem, consider such issues as stability or sensitivity, and provide a self-critique of their proposed solution. Finally, they had to send a typed version of the proposed solution paper, including a one-page abstract, to COMAP.
(This would be a serious challenge for many a trio of faculty members!)
Students were faced with choosing to face either a Continuous ("A") problem or a Discrete ("B") problem –
A. Wind and Waterspray (The teams had to design a control algorithm for a fountain that protected pedestrians from wind-driven spray.)
B. Airline Overbooking
Of the 525 solution papers submitted, 280 were A’s, 245 were B’s. Florida schools contributed ten solution papers. These ten papers came from seven schools. The schools, along with the team advisors, are listed below.
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Wind and Waterspray |
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Greg Spradlin | ||
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Charles Lindsey | ||
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Michael Gonsalves | ||
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Mark Sussman | ||
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Robert Hollister | ||
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Heath Martin | ||
| B. Airline Overbooking |
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Lisa Coulter | ||
The Jacksonville University team consisting of Rob Bernath, Brian Lane, and Adam Singleton and the Stetson University team consisting of David Hamrick, Kathryn Spence, and Stephen Stuck were designated as Meritorious.
The MAA judges chose two overall Outstanding teams --
A. Wind and Waterspray -- US Military Academy, NY
B. Airline Overbooking -- Harvey Mudd College, CA
Faculty
Marcelle Bessman was named a judge for the innovative technology category of the 2002 Annual Excellence in E-Learning Awards.
Sanjay Rai has been appointed the Mathematics Department Chair.
Sanjay Rai received the JU award for Excellence in Scholarship and Professional Activity.
Marilyn Repsher won the JU award for Excellence in Teaching.
Students
Brian Boucher scored 21 on the Putnam Mathematics Competition.
Adam Singleton has been awarded a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic to conduct statistical analysis of Alzheimer gene.
The following students from Jacksonville University and Florida Community College Jacksonville participated in a Mathematical Biology REU in spring 2001 under the mentoring of Dr. Sanjay Rai and Professor Michael Nancarrow.
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Other News
Jacksonville University hosted the Northeast Florida Regional MAA meeting on November 17, 2001.
Jacksonville University will be hosting the MAA section meeting on February 21-22, 2003. For information contact Dr. Pam Crawford (pcrawfo@ju.edu) or Professor Mike Nancarrow (mnancar@ju.edu).
Faculty
Gil French received the Teaching Excellence Award plaque from the Florida Two-Year College Mathematics Association, which met jointly with the MAA Florida Section in March.
Students
The Manatee Community College Venice team placed first in the small college division at the statewide Math Olympics competition held April 6, 2002 at the University of North Florida. The members of the winning team are Erica Bacacio, Jody Dean, Erin Gillaspie, Scott Segro and Jeanne Brindley. Mary Beth Headlee is the faculty advisor.
Other News
MCC/America Counts is a program that places Manatee Community College students as tutors in local elementary and middle schools. Students participating can earn service learning credit toward the course in which they are enrolled. Students apply through their mathematics professor or the coordinator. The coordinator provides a contact person at the assigned school. To earn credit, the student must return a volunteer agreement signed by the student and the teacher they will be helping and a report/journal at the end of the semester. Students are encouraged to tutor at least one hour per week throughout the semester, although many choose to give more than an hour. Reviews have been positive from both participating students and schools.
The program was developed and implemented by Dr. Nancy Johnson, Mathematics professor. The pilot program began with only two students volunteering as tutors during the Fall of 2000. The program has grown, thanks to promotion of the program by the department professors and the department chair, Dr. Dennis Runde. Thirty students were placed during Spring 2002 semester.
Martha Goshaw received the Teaching Excellence Award plaque from the Florida Two-Year College Mathematics Association, which met jointly with the MAA Florida Section in March.
Jim Rutledge, Mathematics, SP/G, was an invited panelist in a live videoconference held in April at the 13th Annual International Conference on College Teaching and Learning at FCC in Jacksonville. The ninety-minute videoconference was broadcast by PBS via satellite to over seventy institutions across North America and focused on the topic “Evaluating Resources for Online Learning.” Beth Switzer, Executive Producer of WFSU-TV/The Florida Channel, served as moderator. Jim is co-Editor-in-Chief for the MERLOT-Mathematics Editorial Review Board
Jim Rutledge, Mathematics, SP/G, has been invited by the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET) to represent North American community college educators in a series of discussions sponsored by UNESCO in Paris, France, in July. UNESCO is exploring the use of educational technology for developing countries and the discussions are in conjunction with the Hewlett Foundation project “Developing the Tools, Policies and Models Critical to Electronic Delivery of Higher Education.”
Faculty
Mourad Ismail organized a "Summer School in Applied Analysis" in Hong-Kong for the purpose of "building bridges with mathematicians of Hong-Kong." He also became an editor of Journal of Physics A.
Natasha Jonoska has joined the editorial board of the journal New Generation Computing. She spent six months in New York last Fall at NYU doing lab work in biochemistry.
Manoug Manougian wrote a documentary THE GENOCIDE FACTOR: THE HUMAN TRAGEDY which appeared locally on WEDU. Three years in the making, with the participation of scholars, government officials, eyewitness and survivor accounts, the four-hour television series examines man's inhumanity to man from early documented examples through contemporary times. The series was produced by Media Entertainment, Inc. and is presented nationally by PBS stations. Recently, the series was awarded "Best Documentary" at the Houston International Film Festival. For more information visit the web site <http://www.genocidefactor.com>.
Nagle Lecture Series
Alberto Grunbaum, Professor of Mathematics at UC Berkeley gave the Nagle Lecture on the "Mathematics in medical imaging: the present and the future" last November 1. The talk was on the mathematics, physics, and engineering that went into the development of Computerized Tomography (CAT) and other techniques like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). He also discussed applications in diagnostic medicine and airport security.Other News
The number of graduate students continues to grow: it has doubled this year, and tripled since 1999.
Eckerd College
A one-year full-time visiting position in the Mathematics Discipline for 2002-2003. Teaching responsibilities will include 3 courses in both the Fall and Spring semesters and then 1 course during a 4-week January mini-term. The specific teaching assignments associated with this position are:
Please send application letter, curriculum vita, graduate transcripts, and two letters of reference to:
Fall Semester - Abstract Algebra I (300-level), Discrete Mathematics, Finite Mathematics. Spring Semester - Abstract Algebra II, Precalculus (two sections). The mini-term course may be at either the introductory or advanced level.
David Kerr
Mathematics Discipline
Eckerd College
4200 54th Ave South
St. Petersburg, FL 33711-4744Review of applications will continue until position is filled. EOE
Educational Testing Service
Mathematics Assessment Specialist:ETS, an international leader in the field of educational measurement, develops and administers achievement, occupation and admission tests for clients in education, government and business. We are currently seeking a Mathematics Assessment Specialist at our Princeton, NJ, location to assume the role of professional development coordinator for Content Area. Individuals will serve on corporate task forces and renewal teams, stay abreast of developments in the field, give presentations and serve as liaison to the academic community.
Plans, develops, and evaluates tests and testing programs in mathematics and related fields. Works at a high level of knowledge and skill in all phases of test development, including item writing, review, and evaluation; test assembly; and scoring. Works independently and as part of a team; may also work with outside experts in mathematics and related fields. Regularly provides guidance and training to less experienced assessment specialists. Three years of increasingly responsible professional experience in mathematics or related fields. Master's degree in mathematics or related field.
ETS offers a competitive salary and benefits package and an ideal environment for professional development. Please send your resume, noting position of interest, along with a cover letter stating current salary, to ETS, Attn: Eric Waxman, Rosedale Road, Mail Stop 5-D, Princeton, NJ 08541. Fax: 609-497-6022, or e-mail: job2@ets.org. We regret we are unable to respond to each resume received. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. We are dedicated to Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action in the Workplace.
Polk Community College
PCC currently has two openings:
Math Faculty Dean of Math and Science PCC is an equal access/equal opportunity employer, committed to excellence through diversity in education and employment.
Saint Leo University
School of Arts & Sciences
http://www.saintleo.edu Assistant Professor Mathematics
Pos#02089Saint Leo University, Florida’s oldest Catholic education institution in the Benedictine tradition, currently enrolls nearly 10,000 students in 13 regional centers throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States. The School of Arts & Sciences is seeking candidates for a proposed full-time, tenure-track faculty position in Mathematics for University Campus location, 30 miles north of Tampa, Florida. The appointment will be at the Assistant Professor level beginning Fall 2003*.
Primary responsibilities include:
Teach general education mathematics courses and support courses in mathematics Teach normal, undergraduate, semester load 4-4 Required knowledge, skills and abilities include:
Knowledge of higher education and goals Successful teaching experience Qualifications include:
Ph.D. in mathematics required Previous college teaching experience in mathematics preferred Opportunities exist for online teaching of mathematics in the University’s new general education program and teaching in general education in the summer session.
To apply, submit letter of introduction documenting successful teaching experience and research interest, a current cv/resume, 3 letters of recommendation, and official transcripts. Send application materials to:
Saint Leo University
Human Resource MC2327
P O Box 6665
Saint Leo, Florida 33574
resume@saintleo.edu*The search for this position has been re-opened May 30, 2002. Previous candidates are being considered and need not re-apply.
Saint Leo University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Catholics, women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
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2005, All Rights
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