Friends of Mathematics Newsletter Winter 2013

The Department of Mathematics is honoring a late professor with a graduate enrichment program.

Professor Dave Surowski was a strong advocate of the department’s graduate program. He served as the director of graduate studies from 1986 until his retirement in 2003, and he directed Ph.D. and master’s dissertations for several students. After his retirement from K-State, Surowski spent seven years teaching at the Shanghai American School in China, where he was a very popular teacher.

He died in March 2011.

In his honor, his wife, Susan Zhang, and daughter, Laura Sapp, set up the David Surowski Memorial Fund.

Recognizing the commitment Surowski gave to graduate education, the Department of Mathematics, through the Friends of Mathematics Fund, and the College of Arts

Friends of Mathematics Newsletter Winter 2013

and Sciences have contributed additional funding to establish something more permanent: the David Surowski Memorial Endowment for the Enrichment of Graduate Mathematics.

This will provide a range of opportunities for the graduate program and graduate students. For example, this fund will

be used to provide dissertation fellowships so that students can have a semester or a year to focus on their dissertations, free from the commitments of teaching. The fund will also be used for recruiting, graduate student conferences, graduate student travel to conferences, and scholarships.

“Surowski always wanted to be able to support graduate students through scholarships and fellowships and to provide support for activities such as travel,” said Professor Louis Pigno, head of the Department of Mathematics. “This fund will greatly enhance our graduate program. He would have been very proud of this.”

Endowment Enriches Graduate Program

Alum Rodnianski wins Fermat Prize

Igor Rodnianski, 1999 Ph.D. graduate, was a co-recipient of the 2011 Fermat Prize for Mathematics Research. He received the

award “for fundamental contributions to the study of equations of general relativity and the propagation of light in curved space-times.”

The Fermat Prize is awarded every two years by the Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse to one or more mathematicians under the age of 45 in a field in which the famous mathematician Pierre de Fermat made decisive contributions. The prize carries a cash award of 20,000 euros.

After completing his Ph.D. under the direction of Professor Lev Kapitanski, Rodnianski was a professor at Princeton University until moving to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2011.

In Memoriam: Alexander Rosenberg

It is with great sorrow that the Department of Mathematics announces the death on November 24 of Professor Alexander

Rosenberg. Sasha, arguably the founder of the field of noncommutative algebraic geometry, was much beloved throughout the mathematical community and will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife Tatiana and adult children Maria and Leo. The department has already established a memorial endowment in his name. A campus memorial service will be held early next semester.

He has held many visiting positions and received several awards for his research. Rodnianski was the Department of Mathematics 2010 Distinguished Alumnus.

Department of Mathematics

A new center in the Department of Mathematics will focus on a relatively new field in mathematics, joining leading

universities around the world.

The M-Center supports and promotes research in mathematical questions arising from string theory, in which mirror symmetry and tropical geometry play a central role.

During the past 25 years, there has been intensive interaction between string theory and geometry, which has led to a creation of entirely new mathematical areas.

String theory has suggested that conventional geometry emerges from the quantum theory at certain limits. Then various string dualities give equivalent but mathematically very different descriptions of the same physical quantities.

Mirror Symmetry is the simplest but mathematically best understood example of string duality. In particular it models the physical duality between strong and weak interactions as the mathematical duality between symplectic and algebraic geometry (the toy model for which is the famous Fourier transform). Furthermore it makes complicated non-linear objects into much simpler piecewise linear ones (this procedure is called tropicalization, and in a sense it is analogous to the taking of the QFT limit of String Theory).

The M-Center was created under the leadership of its Director Yan Soibelman with the aim to secure the prominent role played by the research of its members and establish new contacts and collaboration with other world centers. Those include the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics at Stony Brook University in New York and the Center for Topology and Quantization of Moduli Spaces at Aarhus University in Denmark.

Research staff of the M-Center include (besides Professor Soibelman) Professors Ricardo Castano-Bernard, Ilia Zharkov, postdoc Zheng Hua and several graduate students interested in the subject of Mirror Symmetry and Tropical Geometry. In just its first year of existence, the M-Center has become a hub for a growing research network that includes young and senior collaborators from top U.S. universities, including the University of California, Berkeley; University of California, San Diego; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and University of Miami.

At the international level, research contacts of the M-Center include the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, France; University of Strasbourg and University of Paris, France; University of Geneva, Switzerland; University of Vienna and Erwing Schroedinger Institute, Austria; Hebrew University,

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Q and A with Edward Frenkel, mathematician and filmmaker

Edward Frenkel, this year’s Friends of Mathematics lecturer, is a prolific mathematician of international repute. Frenkel

is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and he has published nearly 100 articles in major journals. His work during the last two decades has contributed to the fields of representation theory, algebraic geometry, mathematical physics, and in recent years, film. Frenkel is working on his

Israel; University of Milan, Italy; and Chinese University, Hong Kong.

The M-Center already has hit the ground running.

It has established a lecture series of distinguished researchers in the field, mentors several graduate students, and hosts a visiting assistant professorship program funded by K-State’s

College of Arts and Sciences. The center mentors two postdoctoral students: Garrett Alston from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Zheng Hua from British Columbia.

In 2011, the center co-organized three international research conferences in Calabria, Italy; Vienna, Austria; and Split, Croatia.

The center also hosted a regional conference on mirror symmetry sponsored by the National Science Foundation held at K-State in fall 2011. The conference is expected

to rotate between K-State and UW-Madison, and it will co-organize a research program at the Erwing Schroedinger Institute in Vienna in 2013.

The National Science Foundation partially funds some of the activities organized by the center through a three-year, $1.5 million grant.

The future looks bright for the center.

It is expected to expand rapidly in many areas, including graduate student and postdoctoral mentoring, a visiting scholar program, and research and training activities, such as research seminars, workshops and conferences.

The M-Center will continue to develop deep connections with other research centers and university departments around the globe.

For more information, please visit: www.math.ksu.edu/research/m-center.

New mathematics center opens on campus

M-Center Research Staff


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The question is, how do you even begin to talk to people about this? In my experience it is difficult to do directly. A lot of people have a bad experience with math. I had this idea to try to convey math in a more artistic way. I was in Paris and met a filmmaker, Reine Graves, and we came up with this idea of making a short film about a mathematician who finds a formula of love. It’s a fairy tale, if you will. It’s appealing to people at a more emotional level. Some people get it, and some people don’t. It was a learning experience for sure. This was my way of trying to convey math in a very unconventional and different way. And now I’m trying to do it in another way, with a second film and a book.

SR: The first film was met with some critical acclaim, along with some controversy. What do you make of some critics calling the film sexist?

EF: First of all, I have to say that all of this came as a culture shock to me because nobody has ever complained about my mathematical work; it made me think more about this very special place of mathematics, and the difference between math and art. One of the main differences is that math is objective. There is only one truth, and one can even say one path to the truth. In the world of art it is different, it’s not objective; there is no truth, and there are many interpretations. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

My co-director told me it was good if people judged. She was no stranger to controversy; she had made controversial films before. In retrospect, it’s true in a way: If it elicits a reaction, it is doing its job. The worst

thing you can say about a work of art is that you’re indifferent — that you don’t care about it. In Europe it was received very well, then when it was shown in Berkeley, it caused some controversy.

Now, what were the concerns? I think some of the concerns that people had were gender issues in math — an underrepresentation of women. I think when trying to communicate mathematics, one of the goals is to humanize it, to make people understand that our creative process is like an artistic pursuit. I cannot separate my emotions from my mathematical work. I don’t think we should pretend that we can separate them. People think that we are one-dimensionalcreatures, but I think that if we humanize math, we can bring more women into mathematics. That will make our field healthier if we eliminate the gender imbalance. I feel like what I’m doing is trying to bring more women to math. I felt it ironic that people thought I was doing the opposite.

SR: Where does your next film, “The Two-Body Problem,” stand?

second film to bring math to a general audience. He recently talked with Sarah Reznikoff, assistant professor, about math and film.

Sarah Reznikoff: What was your upbringing like?

Edward Frenkel: I grew up in Russia and went to school in Moscow. I did my Ph.D. at Harvard, and I stayed on at Harvard as a junior fellow and associate professor. Then I moved to Berkeley in 1997.

SR: Have you been back to Russia at all?

EF: No, my family followed me here. My parents, my sister and family all live in the Boston area.

SR: What are you currently working on?

EF: The Langlands program, which is — I’m slightly exaggerating, maybe — a grand unified theory in mathematics. It needs to be a theory that connects different branches of mathematics. It doesn’t explain everything in math, but it points to some patterns and phenomena that are very persistent. (Robert) Langlands started it in 1967, and his idea was to connect number theory with harmonic analysis, but since that time we have already seen the same patterns appear in other areas of mathematics, representation theory and other areas, including quantum physics.

SR: What other fields of math are exciting to you?

EF: I started out in algebraic topology. My advisor, Boris Feigin, who I have collaborated with for years and am still collaborating with, instilled in me that it is important to connect different areas of math, and for that you need to understand different areas. It goes back to his advisor, (Israel) Gelfand, who had the idea that there is a unity in mathematics: There is only one mathematics. That’s what fascinated me the most.

SR: Many people know about your work in mathematics, but some may not know about your work in film. What was your experience like making a film?

EF: The first film, “Rites of Love and Math,” has been made. It was inspired by a Japanese film called the “Rite of Love and Death.” A lot of people ask me, “Why did you decide to make a film?” To me, it was a natural continuation of what I was doing in math, because what really fascinated me was building connections between math and also quantum physics. The next natural step was trying to communicate mathematics to people who are not mathematicians. This area is an important area to our cultural heritage.


Summer undergraduate research program continues its success

Undergraduate students studying mathematics spend a summer at K-State to conduct research while getting paid.

The Summer Undergraduate Mathematics Research, or SUMaR, is a Research Experience for Undergraduates, or REU, program partially funded through the National Science Foundation and K-State’s Student Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. The Friends of Mathematics Endowment and the Havley Mathematics Department Fund provide some support for social activities.

The eight-week program offers funding and housing to 12 bright and high-performing students from across the nation for intensive mathematics study and research at K-State. SUMaR prides itself in attracting diverse participants and accepts students about to enter their junior or senior year.

Students in the program learn the process of mathematical research through lectures by philosophy faculty. Students take one short series on propositional logic and another on the epistemology of math. They become familiar with what makes a mathematical statement true, as opposed to a statement in experimental science.

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EF: It’s in development. There is a producer in France who is interested in producing it, so we are negotiating it at the moment. In Berkeley, we worked with a very good theater director, Barbara Oliver, who helped us improve the script. We’ve been doing rewrites with my co-author for about two years. We have a version that we are very happy with now. It’s just been published as a book that we just got from the printer, which should be available on Amazon.

SR: Would you like to be in the second movie?

EF: Yes, I would like to play another mathematician.

SR: Do you anticipate any controversy from the next film?

EF: I hope not. It’s about life and relationships between men and women. It shows that men have flaws and women have flaws. I think that in the script, men have more flaws than women, but people can judge for themselves.

I don’t think that it will elicit the same kind of reaction as the first film because it is so different. It has more intellectual content than a typical film. As a drama, it has emotions — the kinds of things that people can relate to. The twist is that the characters are also engaged in an intellectual pursuit. One is a mathematician, one is a writer, and the main idea is to see how many of the questions that everyone has to grapple with — questions of love and relationships and heartbreak — affect them if they’re actually a mathematician. Even though the mathematician is a man, I think both women and men can relate.

Students attend a brief marathon of lectures on the proposed projects and then form teams to work on them under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Out of the 24 alumni of the program, 16 have received undergraduate degrees, 14 are attending graduate school or will start this fall, one is in a science other than mathematics, one is working as an actuary, and one is working at the U.S. Census Bureau.

Most of the research projects done in the two first years have been presented at conferences, including two presentations by faculty mentors in professional mathematics meetings. All publications of the REU have been in traditional mathematics journals, in contrast to similar programs in which results are published in undergraduate research journals.

The program prides itself on having students solve problems that are approachable by undergraduates but have mathematical interest on their own.

Professors Marianne Korten and David Yetter are coordinators of the program. Of the 16 projects of SUMaR in three years, I-Center postdoctoral fellows directed three.

To see a brief video about the program, please visit: http://youtu.be/iFFE73dXd58.

Manhattan-area elementary and middle school students competed in an international math competition called Math Kangaroo in 2012 and showed off some of the skills they learned at K-State Math Circle Seminars. This year marked the first time the competition was held in Manhattan. About 60 area students competed, and eight students received state and national recognition.

Math Kangaroo started in Australia and came to the United States in 1998. Students in grades 1-12 complete a multiple-choice test. Nearly 200 students took the test statewide in 2012, with the other testing centers in Lawrence and Overland Park.

Those from the Manhattan and Ogden district receiving recognition in their respective levels included:

• Justin Li, grade 2, second place in state, seventh nationwide

• Styopa Zharkov, grade 4, first place in state, third nationwide

• Amy Li, grade 4, second place in state, fourth nationwide

• Caleb Bavlnka, grade 7, first in state, 10th nationwide

• Sumin Tark, grade 3, first in state

• Shawn Meng, grade 3, second in state

• Ava Chae, grade 2, third in state

• Bryce Easton, grade 7, second in state

Elementary and middle school students participate in math competition


Professor Andrew Chermak’s recent work on local group theory has resulted in international recognition.

Chermak has participated in speaking engagements around the world, and a 98-page paper co-authored by Michael Aschbacher of the California Institute of Technology has been published in the Annals of Mathematics, one of the top three journals of mathematics.

The paper, titled “A group-theoretic approach to a family of 2-local finite groups constructed by Levi and Oliver,” gives an alternate perspective on 2-local finite groups by showing that a 2-local finite group can be represented as a 2-local group (of a not necessarily finite group). It was published in 2010 in Volume 171, Issue 2 of the Annals of Mathematics.

Chermak subsequently settled an important conjecture in local group theory. This field — the study of the relation between a finite group and its proper subgroups — has proven to have useful applications to fusionsystems, which are relevant to homotopy theory and other areas.

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Chermak showed that a unique “centric linking system” can be associated to any fusion system; this is a positive result, as such an association facilitates the description of the classifying space of the fusion system.

Acta Mathematica, one of the most prestigious journals in mathematics, has provisionally accepted an 86-page paper detailing his results. The reviewer of the paper called it “a monumental work and a valuable resource for anyone

interested in the theory of fusion systems and their associated categories.”

Chermak’s work has garnered attention from algebraists worldwide. In summer 2011, the University of Copenhagen in Denmark hosted a conference based on his Acta paper, the “Masterclass and workshop on Fusion systems and p-local group theory.”

During spring and summer 2012, Chermak spent a sabbatical in Europe. Stops on Chermak’s tour included Groups 2012, a high-profile conference at Bielefeld University in Germany, where he spoke on “localities,” a

new notion developed for his proof. He also visited Barcelona, where he delivered a series of lectures on linking systems.

Nine students earned a Ph.D. from the Department of Mathematics

in 2011-2012. This beats the record set during the last academic year, in which eight students earned a Ph.D. It is the most since the inception of the doctoral program in 1969.

After graduation, students will pursue careers throughout the U.S. and the world. They include:

• Zhaobing Fan, whose advisor is Professor Zongzhu Lin. Zhaobing will be in a postdoctoral position at the

University at Buffalo.

• Santosh Ghimire, whose advisor is Professor Charles Moore. Santosh will return to his native country of Nepal to join the faculty at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu.

• IkJae Lee, whose advisor is Professor David Yetter. IkJae has accepted a position at Rowan Univeristy in New Jersey.

• Dany Majard, whose advisor is Professor Louis Crane. Dany has accepted a postdoctoral position at Masaryk University in Brno in the Czech Republic.

• Todd Moore, whose advisor is Professor of Mathematics Education Andrew Bennett. Todd will be an assistant professor at Fort Hays State University in Kansas.

• Ibrahim Saleh, whose advisor is Professor Zongzhu Lin. Ibrahim will be an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County.

• Sharad Silwal, whose advisor is Associate Professor Diego Maldonado. Sharad will be an assistant professor at Northland College in Wisconsin, where he

will be teaching undergraduate level math and statistics courses.

• Kubrom Teka, whose advisor is Assistant Professor Ivan Blank. Kubrom will be an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Oswego.

• Xiaojing Zhang, whose advisor is Professor Charles Moore. Xiaojing will remain at K-State to finish her master’s degree in statistics.

Kubrom Teka

Zhaobing Fan

Sharad Silwal

Professor Chermak’s recent research generates worldwide interest

Department again awards record number of Ph.D.s


Art museum projectIn fall 2011, the department started a joint project with the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art on campus. In collaboration with Kathrine Schlageck, a senior educator at the museum, students involved in the Math Circle Seminars participated in math workshops based on art.

Participants were invited to visit the museum after hours to discuss art objects in the collection that involve symmetry, to solve some related math problems and to work on hands-on activities.

Library outreachIn 2010, with the help of the staff of the Manhattan Public Library, the department created a list of literature for all ages about recreational math available for check out at the library.

The department complemented the library collection with new mathematics books and materials. The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute sponsored the donations to the public library.

More information

Math competitions: www.math.ksu.edu/math/highschools/hscomp.htm

Olympiad: www.math.ksu.edu/K-12/olympiad/index.html

Math Circle Seminars: www.math.ksu.edu/events/mathcircle

Faculty members involved in community

Faculty members in the Department of Mathematics are giving back to the community.

They’re preparing the next generation of mathematicians and helping Manhattan-area students get excited about mathematics. The department has a long tradition of inspiring future mathematicians through contests, outreach and education.

“There is an obvious reason why we became mathematicians: we love math,” said Natasha Rozhkovskaya, an assistant professor who helps organize a math seminar. “At every lecture and event, we share our admiration of this beautiful science. We would be happy if everyone around us would love mathematics as much as we do.”

Math seminarsFaculty members and graduate students teach weekly Math Circle Seminars in Cardwell Hall for students in grades 1-12 who have a strong interest in mathematics and science.

The free enrichment program is offered at three levels. Students in grades 1-4 solve mathematical problems and participate in hands-on activities, while older students attend academic seminars.

Faculty members rotate teaching lectures on different topics and methods in solving problems. Faculty members include Ilya Zharkov, Gabriel Nagy, Roman Fedorov, Victor Turchin, Yan Soibelman and Rozhkovskaya, and graduate students include Xiaojing Zhang and Vincent Pigno.

The seminars complement the curriculum of local schools, and everything that students learn at a Math Circle is new, challenging and exciting, Rozhkovskaya said.

“One of the main goals of the Math Circle Seminar program is to introduce the younger generation to the culture of mathematics,” she said. “The crucial component of the mathematical culture is the ability to make arguments and prove statements. The program has special focus on training students in logical reasoning. Homework is assigned every week, and in the traditions of the best mathematical schools, students submit for grading not only correct answers, but the written proofs — even the first-graders.”

With support from the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, the program gives away prizes to the most active participants and best problem-solvers. Prizes include mathematics and science books and logical puzzles and games.

One parent says her fourth-grade daughter has greatly benefited from the fun and engaging program.

“My daughter is always very eager to show me what she has done in class,” the parent said. “The instructors clearly understand how to use math to inspire and motivate. It is really impressive to see kids leaving class, clutching homework and already strategizing on how to solve the problems.”

School PartnershipsThe department collaborates with several gifted education teachers in the Manhattan area.

“Our community is very lucky to have devoted educators who eagerly commit their time and efforts to various science projects for school students,” Rozhkovskaya said.

The department has helped coordinate the American Mathematics Contest 8, a 25-question, 40-minute multiple-choice exam for middle school students.

The department also hosts the annual Manhattan Mathematical Olympiad, part of the All-University Open House activities. The Department of Mathematics has hosted the competition since 1997 for students in grades 5-12.

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Natasha Rozhkovskaya with Math Circle Students


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Awards banquet recognizes students, faculty

The Department of Mathematics honored the achievements of students, graduates and faculty at the annual Friends of Mathematics

awards banquet held in the main ballroom of the K-State Student Union on April 19, 2012.

The department recognized elementary school winners in the Kansas section of the American Mathematical Competitions, undergraduate scholarship winners, Ph.D. candidates who excel at academics or teaching, and all students who planned to graduate in May or August.

In addition to the numerous awards bestowed, the evening featured two short addresses.

Distinguished alumnus Chet Wilcox gave an inspirational talk, titled “Wow! My math instructors sent me on some journey!” to those beginning their careers. He spoke of the many jobs and experiences that his mathematics degree made possible, including working on underwater acoustics for the Navy, and the many places he lived because of his work. He offered this advice to those beginning a career: “Know exactly what is expected, and then do more.”

Edward Frenkel, the Friends of Mathematics lecturer and a mathematics professor at the University of California, Berkley, gave the keynote address, titled “Mathematics with a human face.” He noted that the use of mathematics is more prevalent than ever. He pointed out that any time someone sends a text or uses a computer, mathematical algorithms run in the background.

However, mathematics is in a blind spot for many people, Frenkel said, and some see math as torture. Mathematicians appreciate the beauty of mathematics, Frenkel said, but because of its abstract nature, mathematics may be difficult for non-mathematicians to appreciate.

Mathematics teachers are the gatekeepers and need to talk about the subject to try to make it more accessible, Frenkel said. This may involve communicating mathematics in nontraditional ways — through films, graphic novels or apps, for example.

Mathematics is elegant and beautiful, Frenkel said. People should not be afraid to present the human component of the field.

Student scholarship winners recognized at the banquetDistinguished Alumnus Chet Wilcox


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In fall 2011 the Department of Mathematics played host to many campus lectures by well-known mathematicians in the

Undergraduate Lecture Series.

Marianne Korten, professor of mathematics, Kansas State University

“How to Be the Best Math Student You Can Be”1:30 p.m., Aug. 22, 122 Cardwell Hall

This talk focused on what Korten wished she had known when she started college, and what she thinks would have helped her students. She has experience helping her graduate and undergraduate students search for jobs and writing recommendation letters for them.

Karl Kandt, assistant director, Career and Employment Services, Kansas State University

“The Career Fair, Internships and Co-op Work Experiences”1:30 p.m., Aug. 29, 145 Cardwell Hall

Kandt discussed CES services, career options for math majors, resume development, helpful websites to consider, CES events, fairs and special programs.

Mark Lesperance, actuarial analyst, Producers Agriculture Insurance Co.

“A Delicious Introduction to Auto Rates and the Actuarial Profession”1:30 p.m., Sept. 12, 122 Cardwell Hall

The actuarial profession is a challenging and rewarding field, and it provides great opportunities to utilize mathematics and statistics in real applications. This presentation provided a brief background on actuarial careers and job prospects. Lesperance, a K-State alumnus, discussed the complexities of insurance pricing and utilized candy to illustrate a simple example for auto insurance. Audience participation was encouraged.

Eric Mann, actuarial analyst, Allstate Insurance Corp.

“Finding an Actuarial Internship”1:30 p.m., Sept. 19, 122 Cardwell Hall

This talk covered several important elements for finding an actuarial internship: passing actuarial exams, performing well in college, looking for companies, preparing a resume and cover letter, and interviewing. Mann, a K-State alumnus, discussed resources available at K-State to make students outstanding internship candidates.

Samuel Musil, retired exploration geophysicist, Shell Oil Co.

“Mathematics, Linear Programming, and Geophysics as a Career”1:30 p.m., Sept. 26, 122 Cardwell Hall

Musil, a K-State alumnus, offered his tips for success gleaned

from years in the trenches to help students avoid some future career issues. He worked for Shell Oil Co. in the field of exploration geophysics.

John Nelson, president, The Applied Research Co.

“Futures and Options Pricing”1:30 p.m., Oct. 3, 122 Cardwell Hall

The Futures Industry Association reports that 22.3 billion futures and options contracts traded hands during 2010, an increase of 25.6 percent over 2009. These financial instruments determine the price of everything from stocks and bonds to gold, gasoline and coffee. Pricing and measuring the risk associated with these contracts involves using a collection of methods utilizing calculus, probability, statistics and numerical analysis. Nelson, a K-State alumnus, looked at how these contracts are structured, how they are traded, by whom and why. He also examined the Black-Scholes option pricing formula, the standard pricing method for options worldwide. Finally, he bought a futures option and tracked its profit and loss in the market real-time.

Gary Gabrielson, senior systems engineer, Raytheon Corp., and adjunct instructor, Pike Peaks Community College

“Who was Professor Coakley?”1:30 p.m., Oct. 10, 122 Cardwell Hall

While supporting a project on an old manuscript collection at The Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon, Gabrielson came across a 19th century set of notes on trigonometry attributed to George Washington Coakley. Gabrielson, a K-State alumnus, discussed what he found out about Coakley and 19th century trigonometry.

Harold Albrecht, retired software developer, IBM Corp.

“Career Fields of Opportunity”1:30 p.m., Oct. 17, 122 Cardwell Hall

Albrecht, a K-State alumnus, discussed how his math background contributed to his success at IBM. He focused on current fields of opportunity, many of which opened up or become more visible as a result of events that unfolded starting in the 1990s, beginning with the launching of the Hubble telescope up until more recent events such as the IBM Watson “Jeopardy!” Challenge in 2011.

Undergraduate Lecture Series highlights opportunities in mathematics


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Jeffrey Hicks, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, Kansas State University

“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: But Nothing Serious”1:30 p.m., Oct. 24, 122 Cardwell Hall

Hicks, a K-State alumnus, discussed his life and experiences, along with the many opportunities available for those with a mathematics degree.

Amir Bahadori, radiation scientist, University of Houston-Downtown, and contractor for the NASA Johnson Space Center

“Mathematics in Space Radiation Protection”1:30 p.m., Oct. 31, 122 Cardwell Hall

Radiation is undetectable by human senses. It is all around us, yet most are unaware of its presence. Everyone is exposed to radiation from natural background sources, including radon, cosmic background and even food. Generally, exposure from background radiation is unavoidable and not limited by regulatory bodies, with the exception of radon. Some individuals are exposed to radiation as a result of occupation. For these people, the amount of radiation received must be estimated to ensure that limits governing exposure are not exceeded and to explore means of reducing exposures. Astronauts are occupationally exposed to a unique radiation environment in space. It largely consists of protons trapped in Earth’s geomagnetic field, protons from solar particle events and galactic cosmic rays. The NASA astronaut radiation exposure limit is 3 percent risk of exposure induced death with a 95 percent confidence limit. To ensure these limits are not exceeded, the NASA Radiation Health Office couples one-dimensional deterministic radiation transport with models of vehicular and body self-shielding to estimate radiation dose to the astronaut. Radiation dose is then correlated to risk through epidemiological models. In this talk, K-State alumnus Amir Bahadori discussed the role of mathematics in space radiation protection, including modeling the space radiation environment, radiation transport and radiation epidemiology. He also presented research in the areas of new astronaut computational models and the use of Monte Carlo radiation transport for the space radiation environment.

Mukta Bhandari, professor, Chowan University in North Carolina

1:30 p.m., Nov. 7, 122 Cardwell HallBhandari is a K-State alumnus.

Paul Laugesen, retired colonel, U.S. Air Force

“I Want to Be a Mathematician, Too (Apologies to the Late Paul Halmos)”1:30 p.m., Nov. 14, 122 Cardwell Hall

Laugesen discussed how the passion he developed for mathematics as a student at K-State shaped his 25-year

career as a U.S. Air Force officer, where he had various duties in cryptology, electronic countermeasures, and test and evaluation; as squadron, group and base commander; and as a mathematics instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He had the opportunity to serve in the military in several jobs that employed his mathematics degree, working important problems that challenged him to continue to study and mature in his knowledge and understanding of mathematics. Even as his duties became more leadership oriented and less mathematical/technical, he continued to benefit from the problem-solving foundation that comes from the study of mathematics.

Garry Hart, retired professor and chair of mathematics and former dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, California State University, Dominguez Hills

“Do Math and You Can Do Anything”1:30 p.m., Nov. 28, 122 Cardwell Hall

Hart, a K-State alumnus, discussed his journey from assistant professor of mathematics to dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He discussed assignments along the way that included a stint in admissions and records and as the chair of the mathematics, computer science and history departments.

Steve Cramer, assistant actuary, Protective Life Corp.

“The Theory of Interest and Derivatives Markets”11:30 a.m., Dec. 1, 146 Cardwell Hall

Cramer, a K-State alumnus, discussed how the theory of interest and derivatives markets apply in the typical projects that arise in an actuarial position.

Virginia Naibo, professor of mathematics and director of the I-Center, Kansas State University

“The Work of I-Center Undergraduate Scholars”1:30 p.m., Dec. 5, 122 Cardwell Hall

The Center for the Integration of Undergraduate, Graduate and Postdoctoral Research, or I-Center, is a unit within the Department of Mathematics. It supports mathematical research experiences for undergraduate students under the guidance of faculty and postdoctoral fellows. During the seminar, current undergraduate scholars at the I-Center presented their work on various topics: mathematical methods for compression of signal and digital images, the use of mathematics to accurately describe how biological epidemics can spread in rural settings, and mathematical models describing the motion of two masses along a surface. This was an excellent chance for undergraduate students to learn about opportunities for undergraduate research as they pursue their mathematics degree.


During the 2011-2012 academic year, the Department of Mathematics welcomed

a variety of distinguished lecturers to K-State from top institutions around the world. Speakers included:

44th William J. Spencer Lecture

Ron Donagi, University of Pennsylvania

“Quantum Sheaf Cohomology”Nov. 3, 2011

Donagi is a mathematical physicist, known for his work in algebraic geometry and string theory. He has been a professor of mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania since 1988.

22nd Harry E. Valentine Lecture

Nicolai Reshetikhin, University of California, Berkeley

“Quantum Field Theory: Are We There Yet?”Dec. 6, 2011

Reshetikhin has been a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, since 1993. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including designation as a Prize Fellow at Harvard, a Sloan Fellowship and a Humboldt Award.

23rd Isidore & Hilda Dressler Lecture

Ken Ono, Emory University

“Adding and Counting”Jan. 24, 2012

Ono’s research areas include algebra, arithmetic geometry, combinatorics and number theory. He has won numerous awards, including the National Science Foundation Director’s Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the H.I. Romnes Fellowship and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship.

23rd Harry E. Valentine Lecture

Lev Borisov, Rutgers University

“What is Mirror Symmetry in String Theory?”Feb. 21, 2012

Borisov has been a professor at Rutgers University since 2009. His research specialty is algebraic geometry and related areas. The National Science Foundation has supported Borisov’s research since 2002. Borisov serves as an editor for the Proceedings of the AMS.

7th Brent P. Smith Lecture

David Nualart, University of Kansas

“Fractional Brownian Motion: Stochastic Calculus and Applications”Feb. 23, 2012

Nualart, who has been a professor at the University of Kansas since 2005, has more than 230 published articles in refereed journals and refereed proceedings written in collaboration with more than 85 co-authors. He is a member of several professional societies.


Nicholas Kuhn, University of Virginia

“Polynomial Functors in Homotopy Theory”March 8, 2012

Kuhn’s research is centered around algebraic topology and homotopy theory. His research interests have broadened to include algebraic K-theory and group representation theory. Kuhn has been at the University of Virginia since 1986.


Naichung Conan Leung, Institute for Mathematical Sciences/Chinese University of Hong Kong

“SYZ Transformation In Mirror Symmetry”March 15, 2012

Leung received the Chern Prize in 2010. He has served on the editorial boards for mathematics journals and been involved in many conferences and workshops. Leung has refereed numerous papers for journals and been a reviewer for Mathematical Reviews and Zentralblatt für Mathematik.


Arkady Berenstein, University of Oregon

“Quantum Cluster Algebras”March 27, 2012

Berenstein has taught at the University of Oregon since 2006. His principal research interests are in representation theory, quantum groups, combinatorics and birational algebraic geometry.


Donald Marshall, University of Washington

“Conformal Welding”March 29, 2012

Marshall has served on the National Science Foundation Panels on Real, Complex, and Harmonic Analysis, and Geometric Function Theory for five years. He received the

American-Scandinavian Foundation Thord-Gray Fellowship, and he has been at the University of Washington since 1976, where he served as department chair from 1998-2001.


George Andrews, Pennsylvania State University

“The Prescient Ramanujan” April 12, 2012

Andrews is the Evan Pugh mathematics professor at Pennsylvania State University and is an expert on the theory of partitions. He has a long-term interest in the work of S. Ramanujan, whose last notebook he unearthed in 1976.


Ronald Brown, Bangor University

“Motion, Space, Knots, and Higher-dimensional Algebra”April 17, 2012

Brown has pursued an idea of “higher dimensional group theory” since the mid-1960s, which has resulted in many collaborations and articles and involved many students. He has also been involved in the popularization of mathematics, resulting in classes at Bangor for 13-year-olds since 1985.

30th annual Friends of Mathematics Lecture

Edward Frenkel, University of California, Berkeley

“What Do Fermat’s Last Theorem andElectro-magnetic Duality Have In Common?”April 19, 2012

Frenkel became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, at the age of 28. He has won the Hermann Weyl Prize, the Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, and the first Chaire d’Excellence award from Fondation Sciences Mathematiques de Paris. His recent work has focused on the Langlands Program and dualities in Quantum Field Theory.


Jan Hesthaven, Brown University

“Reduced Models You Can Believe In”May 3, 2012

Hesthaven serves as the deputy director of the National Science Foundation’s Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics at Brown University. He has been awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, a Manning Assistant Professorship and a National Science Foundation Career Award. 10

Lectures feature range of prominent international mathematicians


11

Your support makes a difference

Scholarships, lecture series, world-class lecturers, competitions and more. They enhance the educational experience offered by the Department of Mathematics and are crucial to the department’s continued growth and success.

But these programs would not exist without the substantial gifts we have received from our alumni and friends over the past several decades.

These generous gifts have allowed us to establish scholarships for talented undergraduates — the Hostinsky, Fuller, Miller, Stromberg and Rector scholarships — as well as the S. Thomas Parker scholarship competition and Fung’s Achievement Award.

These gifts also helped the department establish the Dressler, Spencer, Valentine, Thomas, Stromberg, Smith, Chatelain and Friends of Mathematics lecture series, all of which bring the world’s best mathematicians to our department to lecture.

The importance of these scholarships and lecture series for mathematics at K-State cannot be overemphasized. Gifts to the department, large and small, have had a profound effect on both our undergraduate and graduate programs and have raised the reputation of our department regionally, nationally and internationally.

Here’s the proof:

• Our graduate program has granted 63 master’s degrees and 29 doctorates over the past 10 years.

• Our doctorate and master’s graduates are employed at educational institutions in all levels, as well as in the insurance industry, the financial industry and with government.

• Based on current rankings by the National Research Council, our graduate program is ranked higher than most other regional programs in mathematics.

• Twenty-seven K-State mathematics majors have now won Goldwater Scholarships. With 64 total Goldwater scholars, K-State ranks first among the nation’s 500 public universities.

• Recent K-State mathematics graduates have gone on to graduate study at dozens of highly ranked universities throughout the world.

• Our graduates are employed by insurance companies, financial institutions, government, the defense industry, scientific labs, the communication industry and as teachers.

• Our mathematics majors have recently earned a Fulbright Scholarship, the Clare Boothe Luce Scholarship, a Department of Defense Research Fellowship and three National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. Six of our majors have been McNair Scholars. One major recently earned honorable mention for the Alice T. Schafer Prize.

• Many of our majors are involved with summer internships or research at companies and academic institutions throughout the U.S. and across the world.

Help us keep this momentum going. We want to continue providing scholarships to attract top students. We are, and want to continue to be, recognized for our use of computers and technology in our courses and for the important skills these provide.

Scholarships and technology represent pressing financial needs for our department. That’s why we call on all our alumni and friends to continue helping us attain our goal of becoming one of the top 50 mathematics departments in the U.S., and to allow us to continue to provide an excellent education for our students.

You can find out more about our current — and past — achievements at our department webpage, math.ksu.edu, and remember to follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/group.php?gid=138010466235.

You can now donate online at www.found.ksu.edu/math.

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Friends of Mathematics Newsletter Winter 2013

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