-- David Kraines
DMN Faculty Sponsor
We welcome Andrea Bertozzi, a new associate professor of mathematics, this fall. Before coming to Duke, she taught at the University of Chicago and spent a year at Argonne National Lab in the Mathematics and Computer Science Division. Among her recent honors are a Sloan Foundation Fellowship and an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award.
Professor Bertozzi works on nonlinear partial differential equations with applications to interface motion in hydrodynamics, thin films, and materials science. You can read more about her research program on her web page at http://www.math.duke.edu/faculty/bertozzi and on the ``Scientific Computing and Applied Mathematics'' page at http://www.math.duke.edu/faculty/bertozzi/SCAM.html.
She is teaching two graduate courses this year, one on hydrodynamics and the other, a team-taught course with Professor Trangenstein, on scientific computing. She encourages advanced undergraduates to consider taking these courses. Professor Bertozzi is also very interested in having advanced undergraduate majors pursue independent studies and summer projects in her research area.
When she is not doing mathematics, Professor Bertozzi can often be found swimming at the Duke pool or playing her flute. She and her husband, Brad Koetje, have recently been spending the weekends cleaning up the debris after our uninvited visitor Fran pummeled their Chapel Hill home (see http://www.math.duke.edu/faculty/bertozzi/FRAN.html for some great hurricane photos).
Also joining the math department faculty this year are visiting assistant professors Hassan Allouba and Mansoon Haider, assistant research professor Brian Hayes, and research associate Ilya Mishev.
Seniors who are applying to graduate school in scientific fields, including mathematics, should consider applying for NSF Graduate Fellowships and NSF Graduate Minority Fellowships. Application material is available from the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Layton.
The Math Department admitted three new graduate students this fall, all from overseas. Andreas Toumassis graduated from the only university in the Republic of Cyprus, a modern university founded in 1989. He plans to study applied mathematics. Rakesh Kariholoo studied in Grenoble and then completed his military service in the French army before entering Duke. He plans to work in algebraic or differential geometry. Sung Ho Wang hails from Pohang, South Korea, where he developed an interest in differential geometry which he intends to pursue at Duke.
The 18th Annual Virginia Tech Regional Mathematics Contest will be held on Saturday morning, October 26, 1996. A total of $500 in cash prizes will be awarded. In 1995, Johanna L. Miller '99 received the highest score from among the 175 participants from 32 colleges and universities in the Southeast.
The 57th William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition will be held on Saturday, December 7 from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. and again from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. In 1995, nearly 2500 students from 405 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada participated.
Harvard has taken first place in the Putnam team competition 10 of the past 11 years. Duke finished first in 1994 and placed second in 1990. Last year's Duke team of Johanna Miller, Noam Shazeer '98, and Tung Tran '97 finished 9th.
If you would like to enter one or both of these competitions, please contact David Kraines, dkrain@math.duke.edu.
Math Horizons Freely Available
The colorful and informative publication of the Mathematical Association of America is now available for math majors. The September 1996 issue features an interview with former math major and current Secretary of Defense, William J. Perry. Read about mathematical milestones from 100, 200 and 300 years ago: the prime number theorem, 1896; construction of the regular heptadecagon in 1796; and L'Hopital's first calculus text in 1696. Learn more about Fermat's Last Theorem and the ABC conjecture. Work on challenging puzzles and problems. And much more. Pick up your free copy while they last from the Mathematics Office, Room 121 Physics.
Detection is, or ought to be, an exact sciences and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism, which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid.--Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Capital One Financial Corporation seeks to hire analysts with mathematics backgrounds, according to analyst Brent Baumbusch (Math A.B. '95). At Capital One, business analysts, working in a team-based, consultant-like framework, are responsible for charting business strategies and leading the project teams that implement those strategies. Named one of the 25 Best Companies for New Graduates by the Wall Street Journal, Capital One provides an excellent environment for motivated individuals who enjoy analytical problem solving in an entrepreneurial atmosphere. Qualifications for such positions include high grades in any major, strong analytical ability, and demonstrated leadership skills. The ability to interact with senior management is essential. Business experience is strictly optional. Come find out more about career opportunities at Capital One when CEO Rich Fairbank presents in the Old Trinity Room (behind the alumni lounge) on Monday, October 7th at 6:30. Dinner will be provided. Additional information is also available in Room 217 Physics, from Mr. Baumbusch at brent.baumbusch@capitalone.com, or from Capital One's College Recruiting Coordinator:
Connie Little
P.O. Box 85525
11013 West Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23285-5525
1-800-641-6943 ext. 1181
connie.little@capitalone.com
Dean and Company is a management consulting firm focused on strategic problem solving for large companies worldwide. Our clients are senior managers, seeking to improve their companies' bottom line performance and facing complex business challenges to which neither conceptual nor practical solutions are evident. Our fact-based, analytical and customized approaches combined with our commitment to creating actionable solutions and working with our clients to see them through implementation provides our clients with compelling value proposition for their consulting investment.
Our consulting successes have resulted in 40% annual growth for our firm. To continue along this track, we are seeking talented new analysts for next fall. Analysts are expected to demonstrate strong quantitative skills, an ability to conduct independent primary and secondary research, computer proficiency, and strong oral and written communication skills. Successful candidates will enjoy early exposure to senior management, significant responsibility, and top compensation.
If you are interested in this unique opportunity, please call me at 1-800-921-8555, extension 8546, or email me at: rierson@deanco.com
Michael Rierson, Analyst
Math and Computer Science Major, Trinity '96
God made the integers, all else is the work of man.--Leopold Kronecker
Greetings to all mathematics majors and minors!
Those of you who declared your majors and minors before September 1996 should have received the 1996--1997 edition of the Handbook for Mathematics Majors and Minors. If you did not receive a Handbook, you may pick up a copy in the Mathematics Office, Room 121 Physics. The new version of the Handbook will soon appear on the department's web site (http://www.math.duke.edu), under the heading ``The Undergraduate Program.''
Registration for the spring semester begins on Wednesday, October 30. Before that date, advisor assignments will be distributed by electronic mail and posted on one of the bulletin boards near Room 117. I am currently assigning advisors for newly-declared first majors. Please let me know any information on interests or career plans that might help me in my assignments.
Mathematics courses suitable for majors and minors, to be offered in the spring semester, with the currently scheduled instructors, include:
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120S, & Kraines; 121, & Saper; 126, & Trangenstein; 128, & Pardon;
131.01, & Schaeffer;
131.02, & Hayes;
133, & Beale;
135.01 & 135.02, & Lawler;
139, & Hodel;
150S, & D. Reed;
160, & Allard;
181, & Kitchen;
201, & Stern;
204, & Venakides;
206, & Kraines;
211, & Scheick;
224, & Bertozzi & Trangenstein;
229, & Schaeffer;
238, & Coyle.
Mathematics 224, Scientific Computing, is a new course which will be team-taught by Professors Andrea Bertozzi and John Trangenstein. The course will emphasize numerical methods for differential equations and applicable computer programming techniques. The course is appropriate for undergraduate students who have a strong background in ordinary differential equations.
Mathematics 238, Topics in Applied Mathematics, will be taught by Dr. Lester Coyle as ``Mathematics of Derivative Pricing.'' A major goal of the class is to prepare students to read research papers in finance. The course is appropriate for undergraduate students who have had Math 135, Probability. Math 216, Applied Stochastic Process, would be helpful but is not necessary. No background in finance or economics will be assumed.
See the Online Course Synopsis Handbook for more information about Mathematics 224 and 238.
Mathematics 229, Mathematical Modeling, may be taken by undergraduates with the consent of the instructor, Professor David Schaeffer. For more information, see the excellent article in the 31 May 1996 issue of the Duke Dialogue (http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/Dialogue/schaeffer.531).
Finally, I welcome comments, suggestions, and criticisms that may help the department offer a better mathematics program for our students.
Harold Layton
layton@math.duke.edu
This newsletter is open to contributions from students, both graduate and undergraduate, and faculty. Information about the Mathematics Department, classes, degrees, and projects would all make good contributions. We're also looking for quotes, problems and puzzles. Please send any ideas you might have to the editor, Garrett Mitchener: wgm2@acpub.duke.edu or talk to David Kraines in the Mathematics Department.
In the May 1996 issue of Duke Math News, Chen, Geller, and Singley were erroneously listed as May '96 candidates for a minor in mathematics, and Bronson was erroneously listed as a candidate for an A.B. in mathematics.
Faculty Sponsor - David Kraines,
dkrain@math.duke.edu
Student Editor - Garrett Mitchener,
garrett@math.duke.edu