Issue 36, 2010-2011 The Math Log Newsletter of the University of North Dakota Mathematics Department Zerr Receives NSF Grant The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a monetary grant of $598,110 for a student academic scholarship project led by a group of five UND professors. One of these five professors is Dr. Ryan Zerr, of the UND Mathematics Department! The “Principal Investigator” (PI) of the project is Dr. Alena Kubatova, of the UND Chemistry Department. The scholarship project will provide academic scholarships for approximately sixteen undergraduate students who wish to major in biology, chemistry, geography, or mathematics here at UND. In addition to attending their regular classes and laboratory sessions, the scholarship recipients will attend seminars organized by Dr. Kubatova and the other four faculty members of the group. One of the main themes of the scholarship program will be environmental science, as defined very broadly. Further information on the scholarship project is available in the January 2011 archives of UND’s University Letter, which you can find at http://www2.und.edu/our/uletter Additional information will become available soon. Ed Nelson Dies If you studied mathematics at UND anytime from 1950 to 1993, you may remember UND Professor Emeritus Dr. Edward O. Nelson. Ed passed away in October 2010 at the age of 86. Ed grew up in Wisconsin. He served with the U.S. Army during World War II and then went on to study at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. In 1950, Ed began service as a teacher here in the UND Mathematics Department. He later took a leave of absence, and in 1959, he completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Minnesota. He then returned to UND for one year, and then moved to the University of Utah in 1960. In 1962, Ed returned to the UND Mathematics Department, where he stayed until his retirement in 1993. Ed spent his retirement years here in Grand Forks and frequently attended Mathematics Department picnics and social events. Two of Ed’s main passions were mathematics here at UND and the game of cribbage! Even after his retirement, Ed would return to the office here to grade exams for the Mathematics Track Meet event that we hold in February of each year. And during semester breaks, when the pace of activity in the Mathematics Department would slacken somewhat, Ed was known to stop by the office and play games of cribbage with other faculty members and various office staff members. Ed was a very kind man, and we will miss him very much!1 New GTA’s Join the Mathematics Department Danica Belanus is from Devils Lake, North Dakota. She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UND last year. A short story about Danica appears at the bottom of page 1 of the Spring 2010 issue of the Math Log. Semere Kidane Habtemicael is from Eritrea, in northeast Africa. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Asmara, where he majored in mathematics and computer science. Mary Townsend is a native of Grand Forks. She received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and computer science from Minnesota State University Moorhead (formerly Moorhead State University). Mary has taught in public schools and private Christian schools in northern Minnesota and in California for nearly fifteen years. She has also worked at Marvin Windows and Doors in Warroad, Minnesota. She was a co-chair of the Marvin Heritage team responsible for the Wm. S. Marvin Training and Visitor Center, which opened in 2005. When she is not working with mathematics, Mary enjoys teaching beginning piano students, participating in Bible studies, and spending time with family and friends. She (1) Some of the information about the life and work of Ed Nelson is taken from the Fall 1993 issue of the Math Log and from the November 2010 archives of UND’s University Letter. also enjoys playing board games and has a very large collection of such games. We welcome our new GTA’s, and we wish them the best of luck here! Tenure and Promotions Dr. Joel Iiams has been promoted to the rank of full Professor as of Fall Semester 2010. Dr. Iiams received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University in 1993 and joined the UND Mathematics Department in 1995. A few years ago, he served as the department’s Associate Chair. His wife, Dr. Michele Iiams, is an Associate Professor here in the UND Mathematics Department. The University of North Dakota has awarded tenure to Dr. Michael Minnotte. Dr. Minnotte (pronounced min-NOT-ty) received his Ph.D. from Rice University in 1993 and joined the UND Mathematics Department as an Associate Professor in the fall of 2007. He continues to serve at the rank of Associate Professor. His wife, Dr. Krista Lynn Minnotte, serves in UND’s Sociology Department. We thank Dr. Iiams and Dr. Minnotte for their hard work here! Where They Are and What They Are Up To Nathan Axvig (BS 2005) began work on a Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in the fall of 2005 and completed the degree in 2010. He also served as a teaching assistant at UNL, leading calculus recitations (“break-out” sessions that supplement regular lectures), and later teaching his own courses. During his fourth year at UNL, Nate was the Mathematics Department’s “Super TA.” In this position, he offered support and advice to all firsttime graduate teaching assistants in their new roles. He visited the classes of these new teaching assistants one or more times and then met with them for further discussions on teaching. Nate says that this “Super TA” work was a very rewarding experience. Nate felt that the UNL Mathematics Department was a great place to be. He received much support, both moral and monetary, throughout his years of Ph.D. study. The Mathematics Department, Nate’s adviser, and a collaborator of the adviser all provided travel funding which allowed Nate to attend conferences and workshops in other cities. Nate says that “by far the most important (and enjoyable) part of every conference was meeting mathematicians from other institu- tions and around the world. You get to know the people whose papers you have been reading. Further, you have an opportunity to run your material by top-notch researchers in your area.” Nate does research in coding theory. Specifically, he studies methods of providing reliable communications. For example, communication signals often travel from a satellite to a receiver on the Earth’s surface. These signals may suffer degradation as they pass through the atmosphere. Nate conducts research into ways of using the received data to reconstruct the original message, and to do so with a very low chance of errors. Nate is currently in his first year as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). In the fall of 2010, he taught two classes of calculus as well as an introductory probability and statistics course. Nate says that VMI “is strictly an undergraduate institution, offering degrees in the sciences, engineering and humanities. Although the cadets are not required to commission in the armed forces after graduation, about half do. While they are at VMI, however, the military system involves itself with all aspects of their lives. All 1500 cadets live on Post (campus). They are always in some sort of uniform (whites, ACUs, their gray blouse, etc.) depending on what duties they are performing. In addition, almost all the faculty, myself included, are commissioned as officers in the Virginia Militia and are in uniform when on official business. The most common question I got when people heard that I was commissioning was, ‘So do you have to carry a gun?’ The answer, of course, is no. The way I look at it is that the regular armed forces commission people in specific disciplines, like medicine, to use their skills. It’s no different at VMI. I’m still getting used to the cadets standing at attention at the beginning of each class, but all in all it’s a very pleasant place to work. Everyone is very polite (‘Good morning, sir’, ‘Thank you, sir’, ‘Sir, I don’t understand that last step...’).” Melissa (Mayers) Bingham (MS, 2004) is currently an Assistant Professor of Statistics in the Mathematics Department at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She received her Ph.D. in Statistics from Iowa State University in May 2009 and began work at UW-La Crosse in the fall of that year. During the academic year, Melissa spends most of her time on teaching. She teaches three statistics courses each semester. But Melissa also conducts research, and she writes: “My research entails developing statistical methods for 3dimensional rotation data. Currently I am exploring techniques that can help in studying human motion, where data sets consisting of movement of limbs around a joint (i.e. rotations) are common.” Melissa enjoys her work at UW-La Crosse and she Page 2 says that she works with some really great people. One of them is Jennifer Kosiak, who received her MS degree from the UND Mathematics Department in 1999! Melissa’s husband, Bob, manages a Dollar General store in Caledonia, Minnesota, about twenty-five miles from La Crosse. Melissa and Bob purchased a house at the time of their move to La Crosse in 2009, and they enjoy being homeowners! Jerry G. Knudtson (MEd, 1963) and his wife Jean (Bloker) Knudtson live in Charlestown, Indiana, not far from Louisville, Kentucky. Jerry served as a civilian safety engineer for the U.S. Army for twenty-five years. His career has also included sixteen years of work teaching mathematics and physics at the college level and six years as a high school mathematics teacher. Jerry is now retired. You can reach Jerry and Jean by telephone at (812) 256-5706, or by mail at 1203 Lindsey St., Charlestown, IN, 47111-1514. Dan Mundfrom (BS, 1976, and MS, 1987) retired from the University of Northern Colorado in July of 2009 and is now a Professor Emeritus of Applied Statistics at Northern Colorado. Dan and his wife Elaine have since moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Dan now serves as an Associate Professor of Applied Statistics in the Department of Economics at New Mexico State University. You can reach Dan at (575) 532-9648. Visitor Presents Talk On October 19, 2010, Professor Dogan Comez, of North Dakota State University, came to UND and presented a talk entitled “The modulated ergodic Hilbert transform.” Faculty Footnotes The University of North Dakota has awarded a “North Dakota Spirit Faculty Achievement Award” to Dr. Bruce Dearden. Dr. Michael Minnotte has published the article “Mode testing via higher-order density estimation” in the journal Computational Statistics. Along with several other coauthors, Dr. Minnotte has also published the article “His and Her Perspectives: Gender Ideology, Work-to-Family Conflict, and Marital Satisfaction” in the journal Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. Department Hosts Math Track Meet Competition The UND Mathematics Department hosted the annual “Mathematics Track Meet” event here in Witmer Hall on February 21, 2011. This year 212 students participated. These students came from various high schools and middle schools in the Grand Forks area and competed for awards by taking competitive individual and team exams. Math Log Editor Talks with an Actuary Perhaps you or someone you know may be interested in becoming an actuary. According to the on-line encyclopedia Wikipedia, an actuary is “a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty.” Actuaries work for insurance companies, banks, government agencies, corporations, and consulting firms across the U.S. and around the world. Most actuaries find their work interesting and challenging, and most earn high salaries and enjoy a quality working environment.2 An actuarial career requires extensive background and training, and in recognition of this background and training, various professional organizations of actuaries in the U.S. and abroad award special titles to students who meet certain educational requirements. These requirements usually include passing several formal tests, or “actuarial exams,” on topics related to actuarial work. For example, the Society of Actuaries, or SOA, is one of the most important actuarial organizations in the U.S. The SOA confers the title “Fellow of the Society of Actuaries,” or FSA, on students who pass a series of exams and who meet a few other requirements. The Casualty Actuarial Society is another important actuarial organization which has a similar set of requirements for the title “Fellow.” To learn more about actuarial careers and how to prepare for them, I recently spoke with Corinne (Iseminger) Jacobson. Corinne serves as an actuary for Midland National Life Insurance Company, in Fargo, North Dakota. She is also a graduate of the UND Mathematics Department. We discussed Corinne’s background and her work as an actuary. Corinne Jacobson grew up here in Grand Forks. Her father is Dr. Gordon Iseminger, of UND’s History Department. Corinne’s mother worked as a homemaker for several years before serving as the deputy county treasurer here in Grand Forks. Corinne enrolled at UND in 1982, and while pursuing her studies, (2) See http://www.beanactuary.com/about/whatis.cfm Page 3 she worked at an A&W restaurant. She also performed secretarial work for Residual Materials, Inc., a recycling company here in Grand Forks. In 1986, Corinne completed her B.A. in Mathematics, along with minors in German and computer science, and began work on a master’s degree in Mathematics, again at UND. She served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, teaching Finite Mathematics, College Algebra, Trigonometry, and Survey of Calculus. Dr. Jerry Metzger served as her academic adviser. It was at about this time that Mathematics faculty member Dr. Milton Winger suggested that Corinne consider a career as an actuary. Corinne soon developed an interest in actuarial science, and she passed her first actuarial exam while still a student here at UND. As she neared the completion of her M.S. degree, Corinne applied for jobs with several different employers and received invitations for interviews with three different companies in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Corinne told me an interesting story about these three interviews. After arranging the first interview, she telephoned several companies in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to inquire about the status of her applications and to say that she would be in Minneapolis for an interview with another company. This may have been the key to receiving invitations for the two additional interviews. In the end, Corinne accepted an offer from Lutheran Brotherhood, a large insurance company which is now known as Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. She began work in her new position in the fall of 1988, after receiving her M.S. degree from UND. The Training Program at Lutheran Brotherhood At Lutheran Brotherhood, Corinne was a member of a pool of about a dozen “actuarial students” in the company’s actuarial training program. Many large companies across the U.S. have such training programs. Corinne began by doing computer programming in Lutheran Brotherhood’s actuarial department. She used the COBOL programming language, which was totally new to her. But Lutheran Brotherhood expected Corinne to do much more: The company wanted her to pass the remaining actuarial exams and fulfill the other requirements for FSA status. Corinne faced a major challenge! Passing any single actuarial exam usually requires many hours of study over a period of several months. It normally takes several years to pass all of the exams, and it is quite common for students to fail one or more of them! Various exam study guides are available, and in some cases, students may attend short intensive seminars to prepare for the exams. But actuarial students must do the bulk of their preparation on their own. Lutheran Brotherhood recognized the challenge that the actuarial students faced. Although the company expected them to do much of their studying at home in the evenings and on weekends, it also allowed them to devote a portion of their standard workweek to exam preparation. The company also helped by covering the cost of the students’ study materials and paying the exam registration fees. Corinne eventually passed all of the required actuarial exams, but she had to take some of them more than once! She says that failing an exam was a very “humbling” experience! In college, she had gotten A’s, and failing an exam was something new. But her perseverance paid off, and in March of 1996, she became a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. Over the period from 1988 to 1996, of course, Corinne also gained plenty of practical work experience at Lutheran Brotherhood. Her COBOL programming duties continued for approximately two and one half years. The company then “rotated” her into the company’s marketing division. Her job now was to design “illustrations.” An “illustration” is a computer software system running on a laptop computer that an insurance agent uses when working with customers. One of Corinne’s duties was to teach the agents how to use these illustrations, and this sometimes required her to make presentations in front of groups of people. Corinne was somewhat shy at the time and initially felt rather uncomfortable making these presentations, but the exercise soon taught her some valuable presentation skills. After another two or three years, Lutheran Brotherhood rotated Corinne into the company’s corporate actuarial division. To describe the type of work she did at this time, Corinne used the AIDS epidemic as an example. The company needed to set aside certain funds, or “financial reserves,” in order to pay future life insurance claims, and the total size of these claims would depend on, among other things, the number of fatalities, including those from AIDS. Corinne worked with computer modeling software which the actuarial division used to study different possible scenarios: low, moderate, or high numbers of deaths due to AIDS. The modeling software would answer many questions about the various scenarios. For example, what would the total value of all life insurance claims be in each scenario, and how much money should the company set aside as a financial reserve to cover the cost of the expected claims? Midland National Life Insurance Company Corinne enjoyed her work at Lutheran Brotherhood very much, but she eventually found that her activities were becoming very specialized. She wanted to gain a broader understanding of insurance, and she was also eager to live in a smaller city a little closer to her family in Grand Forks. In May of 1999, Corinne changed employers and began work in Fargo, North Dakota, at a firm which is now known as Midland National Life Insurance Company. Most of Corinne’s current work deals with annuities and the many issues relating to Page 4 government regulations of annuities. Her official title at Midland is “Assistant Vice President, Annuity Valuation.” Although Midland is smaller than her previous employer, Corinne does not work in isolation! She consults with other actuaries, especially on some of her larger projects, and she sometimes makes presentations in front of groups of top executives. Corinne occasionally travels to the company office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and she often works with people in other locations via video conferencing. Actuaries must continually expand and update their knowledge. To keep herself informed on current insurance issues, Corinne attends the “Valuation Actuary Symposium.” This is an annual meeting of approximately 700 to 800 actuaries. Many of the speakers at this meeting discuss changes to government insurance regulations. Another way that Corinne learns about the latest issues is by participating in “WebExes.” A WebEx is a conference in which participants in different geographic locations view slides on their computer Web browsers and simultaneously listen to speakers over ordinary telephones. At the end of a conference session, there is a way for participants to type questions at their computers, which the speaker may then answer. passing the actuarial exams. Actuaries must also be able to work with other people and communicate with them effectively. In her presentations to top executives, for example, she must explain complicated issues quickly and in simple language. Corinne says that students planning an actuarial career should take courses in calculus, probability, and statistics. She also feels that business and accounting classes are helpful, and she strongly suggests that students apply for actuarial internship jobs. Internship experience looks great on a resume, and it also helps the student decide if he or she is really interested in becoming an actuary! Prospective actuaries should try to pass at least one actuarial exam before entering an actuarial training program similar to the one at Lutheran Brotherhood. In the current job market, of course, a good candidate may still have difficulty finding a job at a company that offers such a training program. Corinne’s advice in this situation is to “get your foot in the door!” Try to get some type of position at a company or organization that employs actuaries! It may eventually lead to a career as an actuary. For further information on actuaries and actuarial careers, you may wish to visit the following Web sites: Advice for Aspiring Actuaries http://www.soa.org I asked Corinne if she had any advice for prospective actuaries. She replied by saying that the successful actuary needs to be self-motivated. This is essential for http://www.casact.org http://www.beanactuary.com You may also send inquiries to Corinne Jacobson by email at CJacobson@sfgmembers.com. I hope you find actuarial science to be an interesting subject! The Pseudo-Sum By Larry Peterson Corinne Jacobson and her husband, Bryan, along with their nephew, Nash (on the left), and son, Joey This past fall semester, the UND Mathematics Department tried something new: we used computerized homework assignments in our College Algebra course. This change affected me personally, since I taught two sections of the course last fall. Over the past few years, UND Mathematics instructors have frequently included computer laboratory exercises in their courses, but the computerized homework in College Algebra was something different. We used an ordinary paper textbook, as usual, but this time, the textbook publisher also provided a computerized homework system which students and instructors accessed from computer Web Page 5 browsers. Each instructor would periodically log in to the system and select homework problems suitable for his or her class. The system provided the problems. There was no need for instructors actually write the problems themselves. The instructor merely selected the problems from the available choices. The students would then log in to the homework system from computers in their homes, in campus computer laboratories, or elsewhere, and type in their answers. The computer graded each student’s solutions automatically, and instructors then logged in to the system to see how the students had done. Answers to many of the homework problems required special mathematical notation, such as exponents and fractions. The homework system provided the students with special ways of typing in such things, and the students were able to handle this quite well. As you may remember, of course, algebra students also have to sketch graphs. The homework system allowed students to sketch graphs of straight lines or parabolas by moving a mouse across the computer screen and clicking on appropriate points. Students could also sketch graphs of inequalities in two variables by constructing graphs of lines and then clicking on appropriate regions in the plane. For more complicated graphs, however, students could not sketch the graph themselves but had to instead select the correct graph from a list of four or five choices. The Mathematics Department normally offers several sections of College Algebra every fall and spring semester, and Fall 2010 was no exception. Last fall, Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA’s) taught most of these sections. The GTA’s used the computerized homework system, and they seemed to have just as good luck with it as I did. Innovations of any kind, of course, often lead to problems that you might not expect. I discovered such a problem by reading the “terms of use” agreement for the computerized homework system. Deep within the fine print, it stated that nationals of certain countries (such as North Korea or Iran) may not use the system. None of my students came forward to tell me that they were citizens of any of the countries of concern, but I would have been ready for this situation. I would have simply collected ordinary paper solutions from the students in question. A more serious problem could arise if the instructor were a citizen of one of the prohibited countries. And this situation is not so far-fetched, since foreign instructors are quite common at universities across the U.S. In any case, I predict that mathematics departments at UND and other universities will continue to use computerized homework similar to the homework we used last fall. The Fighting Sioux As you may know, UND uses the “Fighting Sioux” nickname and logo for its athletic teams. To comply with a previous agreement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), UND has been conducting a transition process which was to lead to the retirement of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. Within just the last few days, however, both houses of the North Dakota state legislature have passed legislation that would require UND to continue using the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo, and the state governor has indicated that he plans to sign the legislation into law. Continued use of the nickname and logo could result in restrictions on the ability of UND’s athletic teams to compete with other teams across the country, and these restrictions, in turn, could have far-reaching implications for the university as a whole. The Math Log I apologize for the lateness of this issue of the Math Log. I had hoped to work on the Math Log over the recent semester break, but a family emergency got in the way: I had to spend some time with my mother during her last days here. In any case, look for the next issue of the Math Log in a little less than a year. We currently plan to have only one issue of the Math Log each year, but you can send us news about your activities anytime! We will save your mail until the next issue! Mathematics Department Faculty and Staff for 2010-2011 Anthony J. Bevelacqua .............................. Associate Professor Donna Boe ....................................... Word Processing Operator Gwennie A. Byron ............................ Senior Lecturer and Math Learning Center Director John B. Collings ......................................... Associate Professor Bruce G. Dearden ........................................................ Professor Gerri M. Dunnigan ............................... Associate Professor and Associate Chair Stuart R. Farm ................................................... Senior Lecturer Thomas E. Gilsdorf ..................................................... Professor Cheryl L. Halcrow ....................................... Assistant Professor Doojin Hong ................................................ Assistant Professor Joel E. Iiams ................................................................ Professor Michele A. Iiams ........................................ Associate Professor Mohammad Khavanin ................................ Associate Professor Jerry M. Metzger ......................................................... Professor Richard P. Millspaugh ................................ Professor and Chair Michael C. Minnotte .................................. Associate Professor David P. Morstad .............................. Senior Lecturer and Math Computer Lab Director Lawrence J. Peterson .................................. Associate Professor Timothy M. Prescott ................................... Assistant Professor Mary E. Rerick .................................................. Senior Lecturer Thomas L. Richards .................................... Assistant Professor Jessica R. Snyder ............................................... Senior Lecturer Lona Spicer ........................................ Administrative Secretary Shuzo Takahashi ........................................ Associate Professor Ryan J. Zerr ................................................ Associate Professor Page 6 The following persons are responsible for monetary gifts to the UND Alumni Association specifically designated for the improvement of the Department of Mathematics. We thank you for your generosity! Rodney and Marlys Kjellberg Barbara and Daniel Hinnenkamp Donna and Jerome Stockrahm Carol Hokana and Nick Bonifanti Col. (Ret.) and Mrs. Greg Stolt Dr. and Mrs. David Uherka Joseph and Joyann Guzek Richard and Annamarie Langlie William and Anne Grams Douglas and Susan McLeod Charles and Carol Hillerson Dr. L. Thomas Ramsey Kathryn and Jerry A. Pope Dr. Mary P. Bryngelson Dr. Ernest N. Gullerud Dr. Curtis E. Larsen Dr. Raymond C. Staley Steven J. Gustafson Michael and Cathlene Gunvalson Drs. Deann and Lee Christianson Dr. Eddie J. and Amanda Brown Mr. and Mrs. John C. Buchl Jean and Milbert Weninger Sylvester C. Suda Savanthi and Jason Syth Michael B. Kalina Brian P. Beaudrie Jay S. Fisher Larry Rova Rob S. Volden Patricia J. Lund David L. Harpster Jeremiah D. Bartz Patrick M. Larson Dennis E. Grove Dr. Gail S. Nelson Matching funds for Steven J. Gustafson Matching funds for Douglas and Susan McLeod Matching funds for Jay S. Fisher Ronald C. & Ann C. Bzoch Memorial Scholarship Endowment Matching funds for Maryanne and Russ Romero Dr. and Mrs. David Uherka Dr. Timothy J. Pennings Peter A. Willyard Jay O. & Marie Bjerkaas Math Scholarship Endowment Mr. and Mrs. Forrest J. Bjerkaas Matching funds for Forrest J. Bjerkaas Col. Carlton Bjerkaas (Ret.) Paige Plagge Memorial Math Scholarship Endowment Paul V. Bruce If you would like to make a monetary contribution to UND, to the UND Mathematics Department, or to one of our scholarships, please make checks payable to the “UND Alumni Association” or to the “UND Foundation.” Your teachers and friends are wondering what you are doing. Help us satisfy their curiosity! Photos are also welcome! NAME (Include previous if changed.): ________________________________________________________________ CURRENT ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________________________ TELEPHONE: ___________________________________________________________________________________ DEGREE AND YEAR RECEIVED: __________________________________________________________________ SPOUSE: _______________________________________________________________________________________ CURRENT OCCUPATION: ________________________________________________________________________ NEWS: _________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ PLEASE RETURN TO UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS WITMER HALL ROOM 313 101 CORNELL STREET STOP 8376 GRAND FORKS ND 58202-8376 Use additional sheets if necessary. You can also send us news items and comments by e-mail! Just send a message to udmath@und.edu Be sure to say that the information is for the Math Log! 2010-2011