Whew! What a week! Not only was it the week right after Spring Break (which is always a tough week), but it also happened to be a very busy mathematical week! Thursday, March 14 was Pi Day! Pi, a mathematical constant, was originally defined as the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, i.e.…
The students, faculty, and programs in the MCSP Department are constantly growing. Here are some recent developments, starting with two students who are at the top! Gabe Umland ’19 has been named a Fulbright scholar. Of the 11,000 yearly applicants, fewer than 1,000 students and professionals nationwide earn this prestigious teaching/research award each year. With…
Some of the reminisces that follow are true, but some are only partially true. That statement may seem obvious given the unreliability of human memory. However, in terms of mathematical logic (and, after all, I am writing about a mathematician) the phrase “partially true” may seem nonsensical. My intention, as I hope you will see,…
David Moreau will graduate in May as Stat Crew’s GOAT. If you’re not familiar with sports lingo, that means Greatest Of All Time. David’s four years at RC coincide with Stat Crew’s four years of existence, and he has played a major role in the success and development of this experiment in academic-athletic collaboration. At…
Emma Blair will become Roanoke College’s first graduate in actuarial science on May 4, 2019. From which it logically follows that Emma is our first triple major in actuarial science, economics, and Spanish. With a math minor. And two years on the lacrosse team. And ballet. With a grade average that rounds to 4.0. Being…
Karin Saoub’s textbook A Tour Through Graph Theory was selected as an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice magazine for 2018. Choice is the trade magazine for academic libraries, and Outstanding Academic Titles are “must haves” for academic libraries. Congratulations to Karin! Karin’s book now joins a select list, representing about ten percent of the 6000…
Roanoke College had a strong presence at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Baltimore January 16-19. Professors Adam Childers, Dave Taylor, Hannah Robbins, and Roland Minton all gave talks. Maggie Rahmoeller completed a short course in the use of R in statistics. Hannah talked with various editors interested in her newly written linear algebra book. We…
I was saddened to learn that Dick Minnix died on November 28. Dick was a hero to me, and I suspect many others, and truly had a large positive effect on physics education. I first met Dick in California at a large conference for community college math professors. Dick was there as a keynote speaker…
What happens when you graduate from Roanoke College? You might be surprised what there is to be found once you go beyond RC and start poking around. Five recent MCSP grads shared their graduate school journeys on Friday, November 9. Taylor Ferebee, David Matheny, Thomas Lux, Damian Ream, and Anderson Lidz have a wide range…
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) at Roanoke College has won the 2018 Blake Lilly Prize for outstanding science public outreach and awareness. This prestigious national recognition is bestowed upon only select few colleges nation-wide, about 10 or so, each year. The award letter from SPS National Council states “Members of the SPS National Council…
