Robert Alan Styer
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Villanova University
800 Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, PA 19085-1699
Phone: 610-519-4845
FAX: 610-519-6928
Email: robert.styer@villanova.edu
Education
June 1981
number
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA, thesis in analytic
Theory directed by Prof. Harold Stark
May 1977
major in
B.A., Summa Cum Laude, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, double
mathematics and physics
Employment
August 1983- Present
Teaching in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, both
undergraduate and graduate courses.
August 2003-Jan 2004 Visiting Professor in the Bioinformatics department at University of
Pennsylvania.
August 1997-Aug 2003 Chairperson of Department of Mathematical Sciences, Villanova
University
(28 full-time and 14 part-time faculty members.)
August 1992-Aug 1997 Assistant Chairperson of Department of Mathematical Sciences.
Sept 1981-June 1983
Lawton Lecturer position in the Mathematics Department at Temple
University, teaching three courses per semester.
Courses Taught
Math 1310-1315 Calculus for Biology; Math 1320-1325 Calculus for Liberal Arts; Math 13301335 Calculus for Business; Math 1500-1505-2500 Calculus I, II, III; Math 2705 Differential
Equations with Linear Algebra; Math 3500 Modern Algebra; Math 5200 Number Theory; Math
5400 Complex Analysis; Math 5900 Seminar; Math 7610 Complex Analysis; Math 7660
Linear Algebra; Math 7670 Mathematical Logic; Math 7770, Number Theory; Math 8650
Abstract Algebra; topics courses including Computational Molecular Biology and Introduction to
Bioinformatics; Math 9000 Graduate Math Seminar.
Publications
Reese Scott and Robert Styer, On the generalized Pillai equation $\pm a^x \pm b^y = c$, Journal
of Number Theory, Vol. 108, 2006, 236-265.
Reese Scott and Robert Styer, On p^x – q^y = c and related three term exponential Diophantine
equations with prime bases, Journal of Number Theory, Vol. 105 (April 2004), 212-234.
Robert Styer, Bouncing Balls and Geometric Series, Journal of Online Mathematics and its
Applications, Volume 7, 2007
Robert Styer, Small two-variable exponential Diophantine equations, Mathematics of
Computation, Vol. 60, No. 202, 1993, pp. 811-816
Robert Styer, A problem of Katai on sums of additive functions, Acta Scientiarum
Mathematicarum, Szeged, Vol. 55, 1991, pp. 269-286
Robert Styer, Hecke Theory over arbitrary number fields, Journal of Number Theory, Vol. 33,
No. 2, 1989, pp. 107-131
Robert Styer, Eisenstein Series over complex quadratic fields, Journal of Number Theory, Vol.
27, No. 3, 1987, pp. 223-237
Robert Styer, Prime determinant matrices and the symplectic theta function, American Journal of
Mathematics, Vol. 106, No. 3, 1983, pp. 645-665
Robert Styer, Evaluating symplectic Gauss sums and Jacobi symbols, Nagoya Mathematics
Journal, Vol. 95, 1984, pp. 1-22
Other Publications
Measuring Research Productivity and Pareto’s Law, The Department Chair, Vol. 14, No. 2, Fall
2003.
Software Review of ODE Architect, Math-Science OnLine Newsletter, Spring 2001,
http://www.math.tamu.edu/ms-online/
Does Industry Want Mathematicians? (Does Academia Care?), SIAM News, Vol. 30, no. 8,
October 1997, pp. 1, 8, and 10.
“Lines, Triangles and the Trinity,” paper presented at the Experience of God in the Disciplines
conference,
November 9-10. 2001, Villanova University.
Robert Styer, Trisecting a Line Segment, submitted to Journal of Online Mathematics and its
Applications, available at
www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.styer/trisecting%20segment%20revised/index.html
Principal Service Positions
EPaDel (Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware) Section of the Mathematical Association of
America
2008-2009
President
2006-2008
Vice-President
2003-present Board Member
1999, 2005
Local Organizer for EPaDel meetings
Villanova Faculty Congress
2006-present Secretary and Facultas Newsletter Editor
2000-2004
Chair of Elections and Credentials Committee
2002-2006
Dean Assessment Process Subcommittee of the Committee on Faculty
1999-2002
VPAA Assessment Process Subcommittee of the Committee on Faculty
Villanova University Senate
2008-2010
University Senate Chairperson
2006-present Senate Executive Board
2004-present Senator for the Sciences
2005-2008
Chairperson, Senate Rules and Review Committee
2004-present member, Senate Academic Policy Committee
1987-2001
member, Senate Student Life Committee
Mathematical Sciences Department
1997-2003
Department Chair
1992-1997
Department Assistant Chair
Other Significant Achievements
2003-present
Active with the Mathematics and Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia
NSF-funded grant, assisted in preparing proposal, in administering the Villanova
portion, and as a disciplinary faculty fellow.
1996-2000
National
Co-Coordinator for Villanova portion of a multi-institutional multimillion dollar
Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education grant under the
program Mathematical Sciences and Their Applications Throughout the
Curriculum.
1989-present
terms as president and as vice-president of the local Phi Beta Kappa chapter,
numerous terms as president and as vice-president of local Sigma Xi chapter.
1997-2004
five times a reviewer for National Science Foundation proposals
Nov 2001
member, external review team for the Mathematics Department at Franklin and
Marshall College