2008-09 Mathematics Newsletter
 

BEAUTY AND BREADTH

The mathematics program at Lafayette introduces majors and minors to the breadth and beauty of an intriguing and useful discipline. The department offers a variety of courses covering the range of mathematical thought—pure and applied, discrete and continuous.

Accompanying this breadth is close personal attention that aids each student in developing a program of study that fits his or her educational and career goals. Small upper-level classes, seminars and independent study and research projects give students the opportunity to study particularly interesting topics in depth.

Each mathematics major has an academic adviser in the department. Together, the student and adviser develop a program within the requirements of the major that fits the student’s particular educational and career goals.

The Department of Mathematics offers both Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree programs. Through either program you can prepare for graduate study in one of the mathematical sciences or for immediate employment in business, industry, or government.

Graduates have gone on to successful careers in a variety of endeavors and to graduate study in a number of disciplines.

ACADEMIC OPPORUNITIES

Lafayette’s mathematics program provides stimulating and inviting learning experiences at all levels of the curriculum, inside the classroom and out. In addition to regular courses, the department offers a variety of special topics and seminar courses. Recent offerings have covered geometry, group theory, the mathematics of finance and the theory of infinite sets.

Students are encouraged to pursue study of areas of special interest in independent study and honors projects. Recent honors theses have been written about numerical analysis, the mathematics of finance, knot theory, geometry and group theory, Fourier series, game theory, dynamical systems and cryptography.

Students may take advantage of independent study opportunities to pursue topics of special interest in greater depth. Some independent studies lead to honors theses. Ring theory, group theory, graph theory, functional analysis, chaos, fractal music, and genetic programming are examples of recent topics.

Many students participate in research projects with department faculty. Some are supported through the college’s own EXCEL Scholars program. Others are supported by faculty research grants. The National Science Foundation sponsors a summer program for mathematics students, Research Experiences for Undergraduates, at selected colleges across the country. For many of the past 15 years, Lafayette has hosted the program, which attracts mathematics majors nationwide. Mathematics professors Gary Gordon, John Meier, and Cliff Reiter supervise the program and many department faculty participate.

For more information about the Department of Mathematics and its curricular and co-curricular programs, please visit the department home page at ww2.lafayette.edu/~math.

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Students interested in mathematics participate in numerous co-curricular activities. The Math Club sponsors weekly problem-solving and game-playing sessions, prep sessions for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), campus visits by prominent mathematicians and lunchtime presentations by and for students.

The department sponsors a weekly contest, Team Barge, in which students compete for cash prizes by solving math problems and annual local, regional and national contests. Mathematical Adventures and Diversions, a series of talks on mathematical topics, regularly draws audiences of more than 40 students and faculty members.

Some of the department’s outstanding students have conducted research and published results or given presentations at regional and national conferences. Students assist faculty members in the department’s computer laboratory or with the drop-in tutoring service. This experience enables them to enhance their own understanding of mathematics while helping fellow students. In addition, top students are eligible for election to Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society.

TOP RANK IN MATHEMATICS COMPETITIONS

For the second year in a row, a trio of Lafayette students earned a meritorious award, the second-highest ranking, in the 17th annual international Mathematical Contest in Modeling. The Lafayette group placed in the top 14 percent of 496 teams from around the world. During the contest, teams of up to three undergraduates are given a long weekend to research and submit an optimal solution for one of two open-ended modeling problems. Ethan Berkove, assistant professor of mathematics, and L. Thomas Hill, professor of mathematics, advise Lafayette’s teams.

Lafayette students also placed 53rd among 515 participating institutions in the 65th annual national William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. Aydun Gerek ’07 finished in the top 8 percent of individual competitors. The students have three hours to do six problems in the morning and three more hours for six new problems in the afternoon. “Lafayette’s performance over the last several years is among the best in the nation for liberal arts colleges,” says Derek Smith, assistant professor of mathematics and team coach.

Students have the opportunity to practice and prepare for problem-solving contests through the Mathematics Problem Group. Along with the group’s adviser, Prof. Derek Smith, and other mathematics faculty, they work to solve interesting and challenging mathematical problems. Members include mathematics, engineering, and computer science majors.

AFTER GRADUATION

Students who major in mathematics at Lafayette follow many different career paths. Some continue their studies at such institutions as Brown University, Claremont Graduate University, the University of Delaware, New York University, Ohio State University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Utah, George Washington University, and Princeton University. Graduates have chosen to pursue advanced degrees not only in mathematics but also in
computer science, engineering, law, education, business, and medicine.
The actuarial profession has been a popular choice among students and recent graduates have accepted positions with several major insurance companies. Other recent employers of graduates include financial institutions, investments firms, Accenture, Towers Perrin, and Yale University.

FACULTY

Ethan Berkove (home page), Associate Professor. Ph.D., University of Wisconsin. Special interests: algebraic topology, group theory.

Justin J. Corvino (home page), Assistant Professor. Ph.D., Stanford University. Special interests: differential geometry and mathematical relativity.

Evan D. Fisher, Professor. Ph.D., University of Illinois. Special interests: probability theory, stochastic processes.

Gary P. Gordon (home page), Professor. Ph.D., University of North Carolina. Special interests: combinatorics, finite geometry.

Arthur D. Gorman, Associate Professor. Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University. Special interests: differential equations, dynamical systems.

L. Thomas Hill, Professor. Ph.D., University of Virginia. Special interests: operator theory, differential equations.

Chawne Kimber, Associate Professor. Ph.D., University of Florida. Special interests: algebra, topology.

Qin Lu (home page), Associate Professor. Ph.D., Ohio State University. Special interests: cohomology of groups, algebraic topology, and mathematics of finance.

Elizabeth W. McMahon, Professor. Ph.D., University of North Carolina. Special interests: abstract algebra, combinatorics; women's studies.

John Meier (home page), Professor. Ph.D., Cornell University. Special interests: group theory, geometric topology.

Clifford A. Reiter (home page), Professor. Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University. Special interests: number theory, mathematical visualization.

Robert G. Root (home page), Associate Professor and Associate Head. Ph.D., University of Delaware. Special interests: differential equations, computer-aided instruction.

Chester J. Salwach (home page), Associate Professor and Head. Ph.D., Lehigh University. Special interests: abstract algebra, coding theory, computer science.

Derek Smith (home page), Associate Professor. Ph.D., Princeton University. Special interests: abstract algebra, combinatorics.

J. Randolph Stonesifer, Associate Professor, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology. Special interests: combinatorics, optimization.

Miranda Teboh-Ewungkem (home page), Assistant Professor. Ph.D., Lehigh University. Special interests: mathematical biology, statistical modeling. Recipient of a Lindback Foundation Career Enhancement Minority Junior Faculty Grant. 

Lorenzo Traldi (home page), Marshall Metzgar Professor of Mathematics. Ph.D., Yale University. Special interests: knot theory, combinatorics, network reliability.

Thomas Yuster, Associate Professor. Ph.D., University of Wisconsin. Special interests: finite groups, chaotic dynamical systems.

Louis Zulli, Associate Professor. Ph.D., Cornell University. Special interests: low-dimensional topology, knot theory.

Contact

Chester J. Salwach
Department Head
Phone (610) 330-5270
Email salwachc@lafayette.edu

Office of Admissions
Lafayette College
Easton, PA 18042-1770
Phone (610) 330-5100
Fax (610) 330-5355

Email admissions@lafayette.edu
For international students internatl@lafayette.edu