Kentucky Section Newsletter

Winter Issue -- January, 1997

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Table of Contents

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FROM THE CHAIR

Renewal

Most of these notes were written as the Joint Mathematics Meetings were swirling around me, under mostly cloudless skies in San Diego. Such meetings renew the professional spirit, and give one hope for improvement: hope that the deficiencies and frustrations we face now will not remain forever. (That they would be replaced by other deficiencies and frustrations merely reflects an imperfect world, and does not detract from the eager anticipation of getting rid of the current batch.)

Several topics generated lively discussion at the Section Officers' Meeting (to which I arrived late). Christine Shannon reported last year of a Departmental Liaison Program, which continues to evolve; it was suggested that each Section may need a liaison coordinator. The new Project CLUME, Cooperative Learning in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, will be of interest to many (and should be of interest to even more).

Our own annual Spring Meeting also should be a time of renewal and hope. We will hold it 28-29 March, at WKU in Bowling Green. For details of the program, see John Oppelt's article. My intent is to invite you and, moreover, to encourage you to invite those who otherwise might not attend. Invite someone who never has attended one of these meetings; invite a colleague who retired and may mistakenly feel unwelcome; invite a student (or four, or more) whose budding interest in mathematics might blossom.

Talented Teaching

To be recognized as an outstanding teacher is one of the greatest honors we can receive; to select one individual to be so recognized is a great challenge. Those charged with selecting a recipient for our Section's Award for Distinguished Teaching have been working long and hard. The committee comprises: Phil McCartney (NKU, Chair), Mary Fleming (EKU), John Oppelt (Bellarmine), Lillie Crowley (LCC), and Frank Cheatham (Campellsville); we thoroughly appreciate their labor of love.

Mathematics Awareness Week

Mathematics Awareness Week is 20-26 April, and carries the theme "Mathematics and the Internet." This a great opportunity for us to involve our local administrations and elected officials in spreading information about the changes our discipline and our profession are undergoing. Get a proclamation from your town's mayor or county official; get an article in your local paper. Make sure your students know about it, and involve them. For more information and ideas, point your browser to: http://forum.swarthmore.edu/maw/

Barry Brunson

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CALL FOR PAPERS

We will have contributed paper sessions Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Both faculty and student presentations should be submitted on the Presentation Abstract Form in this issue. Titles and abstracts should be sent to me before Monday, February 17. They may be sent by regular mail, e-mail (both addresses are on the last page of this issue) or they can be sent by fax (502 452 8067). In all cases, you should follow the submission form. I look forward to your mathematical ideas and insights, to your applications and teaching innovations and to the submission of your students (who usually need some encouragement to send their abstracts).

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THE SPRING MEETING

On Friday afternoon, Ray Tennant will present a workshop entitled, "Visual Mathematics: Understanding Abstract Mathematics with the Aid of Visual Themes," otherwise known as, "Do You See What I'm Saying?"

In this workshop, techniques for introducing abstract mathematical concepts with the use of visual construction will be explored. These include projects that have been created for courses in abstract algebra and non-Euclidean geometry as well as in liberal arts courses on mathematical symmetry. Participants will engage in various cooperative learning activities.

Ray is a SUNY-Albany Ph.D. who has published in the areas of group theory, non- Euclidean geometry and tiling theory. Still a stone potter, he engages himself in mathematical art and professes at Eastern Kentucky University.

On Friday evening, Ken Ross, President of the MAA, will address the assemblage on "card shuffling" and the meaning of "well-mixed". Such questions lead to the study of random walks on certain finite groups. Though he has contributed to this field, his presentation will be expository.

Dr. Ross received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and has taught at the University of Oregon since 1965. He also served the MAA in the capacity of Secretary from 1984 to 1989, and has had several stints as Associate Secretary. Dr. Ross has published in the areas of commutative harmonic analysis and Markov chains. His books include "Abstract Harmonic Analysis I and II," "Elementary Analysis" (in its 8th printing) and "Discrete Mathematics."

On Saturday, Alexander Hahn of the University of Notre Dame will take us through the development of elementary analysis from the view point of the historical problems.

After receiving his Ph. D. at Notre Dame, Dr. Hahn spent two years in Europe, studying in Zurich with van der Waerden and in Bonn. Afterward, he returned to the faculty of his alma mater and now serves as chair of the Department. His publications have been in the area of structure and isomorphism theory of classical groups over arithmetic rings and quadratic forms and related algebras.

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UPCOMING MEETINGS

For further details, follow the links at: http://www.maa.org/meetings/section_meetings.html, or at http://www.maa.org/sections/sections_index.html

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THE GOVERNOR'S CORNER

The Board of Governors met in San Diego on Tuesday, January 7. While no controversial issues were raised at the meeting, there were several items discussed that might be of interest. First, if you have access to the World Wide Web, I encourage you to explore the MAA website (http://www.maa.org) and MAA Online. Many useful services and timely information are available there.

A policy on Affirmative Action was finally approved. It reads: "The Mathematical Association of America strongly supports a wide range of efforts to encourage and enable individuals from all backgrounds to develop themselves to their fullest potential and to play a part in advancing mathematics, science, and technology at all levels. This policy is based on a principle of equal access and the conviction that full participation by all Americans provides the diversity of views and experiences that ultimately produces comprehensive solutions to challenging problems."

The budget for 1997 was a little behind schedule for approval but seems to be balanced. We did approve a dues increase of 3% for 1998. I would encourage you to renew your membership and enlist new members from your department. Institutional membership in the MAA is an important way to support the professional activities of our association. I encourage each department to consider becoming an institutional member of the MAA. Both the professional and volunteer staff at the national level deserve our support.

Plans for the summer meeting in Atlanta on August 1-4 are shaping up nicely. I hope many of you will include attending MathFest '97 in your summer plans. In addition to the professional development opportunities at the meeting, there are many great recreational activities for you and your family in and around Atlanta. A good turnout for this first MAA-only summer meeting is important. If you have suggestions about future sites or programing ideas, please let me know so that I can forward them to the planning committees.

The MAA Liaison program wants to include every math department. If your department has not yet identified a liaison, please do so and contact Jane Heckler at the National office so that you will have a direct link with the MAA.

I look forward to seeing you all at Western this Spring.

Peter Moore

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INFORMATION ON LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS

Lodging: Motels are located approximately 5 miles from the meeting site. A map will appear in the Spring newsletter. All room rates quoted below do not include tax, and are good for reservations made before March 7. Request rates for Kentucky Math Assocation meeting.

Comfort Inn (remodeled)
4646 Scottsville Road
$44.88 single or double
continental breakfast
(502) 843-1163

Budgetel Inn (new)
165 Three Springs Road
$46.95 single; $54.95 double
coffee maker in room; abbrev. continental breakfast delivered to room (502) 843-3200

Hampton Inn (new)
233 Three Springs Road
$58.00 single or double
continental breakfast
(502) 842-4100

Fairfield Inn by Mariott (new)
1940 Mel Browning Street
$40.95 1-4 people
continental breakfast
(502) 782-6933

University Plaza Hotel (new)
1021 Wilkinson Trace
$79.00 1-4 people
no continental breakfast
(502) 745-0088

Meals: All meals will be held on campus at the Faculty Log House.

Reservations for meals must be made by Wednesday, March 26. Questions regarding local arrangements should be directed to Carroll Wells (see back page for phone/email address).

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ATTENTION STUDENTS!!

All math students are encouraged to attend and participate in the annual meeting of the KY Section of the MAA on March 28-29 at Western Kentucky University.

We will have sessions for student talks on Saturday morning. Students who wish to give a 15-20 minute talk should fill out the abstract form found in this issue. All students who plan to attend should mail in the student registration form or contact me by email (wilson@centre.edu).

On Friday afternoon, there will be a special presentation for students by Frank Plano of the James River Corporation. He will talk about the type of math problems to be solved in industries such as James River. We also plan to go out to eat dinner together on Friday before the evening presentation.

Some money is available from the EXXON grant to reimburse students for travel expenses. Contact me for details of how to receive this money. Let me know if you need some help finding accomodations for Friday night.

I have submitted the challenge problem below for students to work on before the meeting; I hope you have some fun with it. Bring your ideas for solutions and generalizations to discuss with other students at the meeting.

CHALLENGE PROBLEM

Let A be the n by n array consisting of the first n^2 positive integers arranged in the natural order as illustrated here in the 3 by 3 case: 
    1 2 3
A = 4 5 6
    7 8 9
Let B be the transpose of A. Let R(i) be a cyclic shift of all the entries of row i to the right one spot with the last entry in the row moving back to the first entry. Similarly define C( j) to be a cyclic shift down one spot for all entries in column j.

Question: For which n is it possible to convert A into its transpose B using a combination of these shifts?

John Wilson

Student Chapters Coordinator

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KY SECTION MAA MEETING STUDENT REGISTRATION FORM

(Webmaster's note: This form is not interactive.)

March 28-29, 1997

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green

Name_______________________________________________

School_______________________________________________

Classification (circle one): Fr So Jr Sr

Check all that apply.

1. I would like to join the group for the free dinner on Friday evening. ____

2. I could use some help finding a place to sleep. ____

3. I will attend the MAA breakfast on Saturday morning, and am enclosing $5.50 payable to the KY Section MAA. ____

4. I will attend the MAA business lunch on Saturday afternoon, and am enclosing $6.00 payable to the KY Section MAA. ____

5. I will give a talk on Saturday morning. ____

If you wish to give a talk at the meeting, please indicate this by submitting the Presentation Abstract Form as well. Please note that the abstract form is to be received by John Oppelt at Bellarmine by February 17.

Please direct any questions you have to John Wilson (wilson@centre.edu).

Mail this form to John Wilson, Centre College, 600 W. Walnut St., Danville, KY 40422. It must be submitted by Friday, March 14, 1997.

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KY SECTION MAA MEETING FACULTY REGISTRATION FORM

(Webmaster's note: This form is not interactive.)

March 28-29, 1997

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green

Name__________________________________________________

School________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Phone_________________________________________________

Check all that apply.

____1. Conference Registration/Dues $13.00

____2. Short Course (Friday afternoon) No Charge

____3. Friday Banquet $11.00

____4. Friday Invited Address No Charge

____5. Aftermath (Friday evening) No Charge

____6. Saturday Breakfast $5.50

____7. Saturday Invited Address No Charge

____8. Saturday Business Luncheon $6.00

TOTAL ENCLOSED $__________

Deadline for advance registration is Friday, March 14, 1997. Make checks payable to KY Section -- MAA and remit to: Karin Chess, Department of Mathematics, Owensboro Community College, 4800 New Hartford Road, Owensboro, KY 42303.

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KY SECTION MAA MEETING PRESENTATION ABSTRACT FORM

(Webmaster's note: This form is not interactive.)

March 28-29, 1997

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green

Name__________________________________________________

School________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Phone_________________________________________________

Title of Presentation_______________________________________

Time Preference ( ) Fri. afternoon ( ) Sat. morning ( ) no preference

I am: ( ) faculty ( ) student

Avoid conflict with short course? ( ) Yes ( ) No

Abstract of talk:




This form must be received by Monday, February 17, 1997. Submit to: John A. Oppelt, Department of Mathematics, Bellarmine College, Newburg Road, Louisville, KY 40205. Fax: (502) 452-8038. E-mail: johnaopp@iglou.com

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KENTUCKY SECTION OFFICERS 1996-97

Governor
Peter Moore
Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY 41099
(606) 572-5331
moorep@nku.edu

Chair
Barry Brunson
Department of Mathematics
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576
(502) 745-6221
bbrunson@wku.edu

Chair Elect
John A. Oppelt
Department of Mathematics
Bellarmine College
Newburg Road
Louisville, KY 40205-0671
(502) 452-8237
johnaopp@iglou.com

Vice-Chair
David K. Neal
Department of Mathematics
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101
(502) 745-6213
nealdk@wkuvx1.wku.edu

Secretary/Treasurer
Karin Chess
Department of Mathematics
Owensboro Community College
4800 New Hartford Road
Owensboro, KY 42303
(502) 686-4473
kchess@occ.uky.edu

Newsletter Editor
William Harris
Dept. of Math, Physics & Comp. Sci.
Georgetown College Box 234
400 E. College St.
Georgetown, KY 40324
(502) 863-7921
wharris@gtc.georgetown.ky.us

AHSME Coordinator
David Shannon
Department of Mathematics
Transylvania University
Lexington, KY 40508-1797
(606) 233-8185
dshannon@music.transy.edu

Student Chapters Coordinator
John Wilson
600 West Walnut St.
Centre College
Danville, KY 40422
(606) 238-5409
wilson@centre.edu

1997 Meeting Coordinator
Carroll Wells
Department of Mathematics
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576
(502) 745-6218
carroll.wells@wku.edu

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This page is maintained by Dr. J. Lyn Miller, assistant professor of mathematics at Western Kentucky University. Contact me at Lyn.Miller@wku.edu with any comments, suggestions, or questions regarding this Web Page. Last update March 29, 1998.