August 26, 2015
Dear Mathematics, Computer Science, and Mathematical Economics majors and minors,
On behalf of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, welcome back for another
challenging, rewarding, and fun year of classwork, research, and terrible jokes. This letter
provides an overview of our faculty and staff, and reminds you about upcoming events and
graduation requirements.
We will have our traditional Welcome Back event in the second week of Block 1: come eat pizza
and listen to each faculty member in the department give a brief description of his or her research
interests. We’ll have an ice cream social immediately afterwards.
WELCOME BACK EVENT
Lunch, Fearless Friday, and Ice Cream Social
Second Friday of Block 1 at 12 pm
(ice cream social will start at approx 1 pm)
TUTT SCIENCE CENTER KRESGE LECTURE HALL (122)
Our New Paraprofessionals:
We are very excited to have two new paraprofessionals this year: Gautam Webb and Trevor
Barron. Gautam graduated from CC last year with a major in Mathematics, and Trevor
graduated two years ago with a major in Computer Science. In addition to supporting lowerlevel courses, Gautam and Trevor are great mentors for our majors. They know what it takes to
be successful in your courses, and can give you a preview of what is to come. They will also
keep you tuned in to the many educational and social activities going on for students in the
department. If you are interested in working as a homework grader, please let them know. If
you don’t already know Gautam and Trevor, drop by TSC 209 and introduce yourself.
Our Faculty:
We are excited to welcome two new full-year visiting faculty: Molly Moran and Ahyoung Lee.
Molly graduated from CC in 2009, and finished her PhD at the University of Wisconsin,
Milwaukee, last year. Molly’s research area is geometric group theory, which draws on
techniques from algebra, geometry, and topology. For anyone who is thinking about graduate
school in mathematics, Molly is a terrific person to talk to. Ahyoung graduated from Hansung
University (Seoul, Korea) in 2001, and finished her PhD at CU Denver in 2011. She spent the
past two years as a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Tech. Ahyoung conducts research on
computer networking, particularly on adaptive algorithms for optimizing traffic flow. This is a
very hot topic in computer science these days, and we are lucky to have an expert in the field
joining us. If you are interested in the past, present, and future of computer networking, don’t
miss the chance to chat with Ahyoung!
We are very pleased to have visiting faculty Michael Penn and Rodney James joining us again
this year and welcome Stefan Erickson back from his sabbatical. Meanwhile, Mike Siddoway
is still over in Armstrong Hall serving the college as Associate Dean of the faculty. Amelia
Taylor is on leave for the year, and Matthew Whitehead is on sabbatical for the fall semester.
We’ll just have to muddle along without them.
We have an exciting line-up of block visitors this year. All of these visitors are experts in their
fields and bring fresh perspectives to our department. Please welcome them when they are here.
Andy Glen is an expert in probability, modeling, and operations research; he will be teaching
MA117, MA217, and MA313. Gonzalo Aranda-Pino is a top-notch algebraist from Spain,
who will be visiting in block 2 to teach MA129. John Watkins is a CC professor emeritus with
broad interests in graph theory, combinatorics, and mathematical puzzles; he will be teaching
MA325 in block 3. Robin Wilson is a pre-eminent English historian of mathematics, graph
theorist, and frequent visitor to our department; we are lucky to have him teaching MA408 in
block 7. Finally, Glen van Brummelen will be visiting from Quest University (another block
plan school!) in block 8 to teach MA240, a special topics course in spherical geometry. While
not primarily aimed at math majors, this course would be terrific for anyone considering teaching
K-12 mathematics.
It is business as usual for the rest of us in the department: - Marlow Anderson, David Brown
(department chair), Andrea Bruder, Stefan Erickson, Steven Janke, Jane McDougall, Fred
Tinsley, and Ben Ylvisaker. This year, we are going to be conducting a national search for a
third tenure-track computer scientist to join the department. Please be on the lookout for
invitations to attend talks and meet with candidates in blocks 5 and 6. We really value student
input into our hiring decisions.
Amy Pacheco, our technical director, will continue to help us with any problems arising with
technology and to think about creative ways to use technology in and out of the classroom.
Marita Beckert, our staff assistant, will continue to be there to help us with everything
necessary for the department to run smoothly. Please let them know how much you appreciate
their hard work!
Now for some helpful reminders…
The “Capstone Experience” Requirement
The capstone experience requirement is a crowning course or activity that mathematics and
computer science majors pursue in their senior year. The capstone experience is a graduation
requirement of all students who have declared a major in mathematics or computer science. The
specific requirements vary between the two majors. Here is a brief overview, for details see the
course catalog or check with your advisor.
Mathematics: There are two different ways to fulfill the requirement:

MA408 – History of Mathematics taken as a senior (Wilson– block 7)
Caution juniors: Do not take MA408 as a junior unless you are absolutely sure
that you wish to complete the thesis option as your capstone activity when you are
a senior.

A project concluding with a thesis and seminar during block 7. Juniors must submit
three brief thesis proposals in the spring. Seniors must enroll in one block of MA499.
For more information about the thesis, please consult the department web page or any
faculty. Note that math majors pursuing distinction must select this capstone option.
Computer Science: All CS majors must complete a senior project, and take CP499 during the
senior year. Juniors must submit three brief thesis proposals in the spring. Again, for more
information about the project, please consult the department web page or any faculty
Fearless Friday Talks:
Our departmental seminar series includes presentations each Friday, except for block breaks.
Some talks are given by our faculty, some by students, and some by visitors. We rate each talk
(G to XXX) to give you an idea of its level of difficulty. You can always learn something
interesting at our talks, even from those that eventually move on to more technical material. The
talks will often introduce you to topics not normally studied in our regular courses.
We will schedule a student-oriented talk on the second Friday of each block at noon in TSC122
(with pizza). These talks should stir your interest in new topics and will often bridge different
areas of mathematics and computer science. Talks that are more research-level are held on the
other Fridays at 2:30 pm in TSC229; students are always welcome.
All Mathematics majors and Computer Science majors are required to attend at least 4 seminars
and submit a written one or two-page summary in Canvas within two weeks of the seminar. This
is a graduation requirement, and we do enforce it. Needless to say, we hope you will attend
many more than four seminars over your four years at CC! Talk write-ups are submitted through
Canvas. You all have access to our new Canvas resources page “Resources for Math and CS
majors” and each talk appears there as an assignment. We also have suggestions/requirements
for completing your write-ups. Check it out.
Associate Chair Stefan Erickson will be overseeing the review process to see that your write-ups
are suitable – please don’t hesitate to ask him if you have any questions. Reminder: All
summaries should be completed by the end of block 7 of your senior year. You can reduce
your senior year stress by starting early. Really, trust us, you want to do this early!
Pizza Problems and Other Events:
As you may know, we pose (and post) a Pizza Problem each block. The earliest correct solution
earns a pizza. Watch for both mathematical and computer science problems posted each block
on one of our several bulletin boards as well as the department website.
Expect a number of social events to be organized by Trevor and Gautam; in the past these have
included games nights and bowling. Also watch out for the holiday party and spring picnic,
dates TBA.
Tutors and Graders:
The department hires graders for many of our courses, and the QRC hires tutors and learning
assistants. If you would like to try your hand at these rewarding jobs, please contact Trevor,
Gautam, or the QRC director, Steve Getty. This work is essential to guiding many of our
students through their courses, and this is an opportunity for you as tutors and graders to gain a
deeper understanding of the material as well.
Math/CS Email List:
Throughout the year, we will contact you about seminars, schedule changes, parties, picnics and
other math/cs related activities. Most of the announcements go out by e-mail, so make sure you
are on our list – check with Gautam and Trevor.
Please don’t hesitate to email me or drop by my office (TSC206E) if you have any questions
about the opportunities and requirements I have mentioned, or if you just want to chat. Have a
wonderful year!
David Brown, Chair