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The Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science is brimming with activity in three vital disciplines: Mathematics; Statistics; and Computer Science. Each program is making advances, including new or revised majors and concentrations. These fields can team up with almost any other discipline or interest---and align well with many careers. Check us out!
[edit] Happening in MSCS
[edit] Every Week!
1. Math Problem Solving Group FALL 2009: Thursdays at 6:30 in RNS 204
The Math Problem Solving Group meets weekly to work on a variety of problems, often with a central theme, and to discuss problem-solving strategies. Additionally, students can use the meetings to prepare for the MAA North Central Section Team Contest, the Putnam Exam, the Konhauser Problemfest, the COMAP modeling contest, and other math competitions. This is an excellent exercise for students pursuing careers in math education and for students contemplating graduate mathematical study.
2. Weekly MSCS Game Night, Wednesdays 6:45 P.M.
Science Center 188
All game enthusiasts are welcome to come to SC 188 on Wednesday nights at 6:45 PM to play a variety of mathematical and other board games. Past games have included Hawaiian checkers, and Settlers of Catan, to name a few. Goodies will be served.
Why you should be there:
- Lots of Fun
- Meet new friends
- Improve your reasoning skills
3. GRE Review Sessions
If you are planning to take the GRE Mathematics Subject test this year, now is the time to review. This fall, Professor Woo will be holding evening review sessions for the GRE math subject test. If you are interested in attending the sessions, please email Prof. Woo (woo@stolaf.edu).
[edit] 2008 Project Award Winners
At the Undergraduate Research Poster Session on Tuesday afternoon, a representative of the Mathematical Association of American awarded Joshua Campbell and David Swanson the $100 top prize for their project The Density and f-Density Topologies. Josh and David did their research while at Lodz University under the direction of Professors Elzbieta Wagner-Bogakowska and Malgorzata Filipczak in Poland this past summer supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Presenters were quizzed and their results judged by a team of professional mathematicians; their work was selected as one of 20 top projects from among the more than 200 presenters.
Congratulations Josh and David!
[edit] 2007 Pi Mu Epsilon Conference
On Friday afternoon, November 2 six Oles, David Swanson ’08, Thomas McConville ’09, Bjorn Paulson ’10, Rachel Darling ’11, Sarah Sprague ’11 and Paul Humke ‘XX left St. Olaf to attend the twenty-Second Annual Pi Mu Epsilon Undergraduate research conference at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin.
The Friday evening session began with two parallel sessions of ten undergraduate research talks concluding with “How We Roll: The Theory and Construction of the Square Wheel Bicycle” by Alica Brinkman of St. Norbert. Keith Devlin, Stanford University gave the plenary evening lecture entitled “The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS: The Real Mathematical Story that Inspired the Hit Television Series.” Keith was the first mathematician consultant for the series. Here is a picture of the Ole group with Professor Devlin. After Devlin’s talk there was a math game show Face Off!” played by six of the college teams present followed by a pizza party.
[edit] Department News
In the Press:
- Nate Clement '10 and Thomas McConville '09, claimed victory at the Mathematical Association of America's team competition this fall. Team Euler, named in honor of the 18th-century Swiss mathematician, came in first out of 72 teams from 28 colleges and universities of the North Central Section of the MAA. See article here.
- Two student mathematics research teams have papers published in the latest issue of the Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal. Nathan Langholz, `08, and Joe Usset, `08 published their results in Counting Containment Partitions. Katie Evans, '09, and Trygve Wastvedt, '08 published A Combinatorial Proof of an Identity of Andrews
- Katie Evans '09 won top honors for a presentation of her research at the Mathematical Association of America's national meeting in Madison, Wis., August 2008. See article here
- Association of American Colleges and Universities write about St. Olaf's Math Department! See article here.
2008 major graduates -- read all about them
2007 major graduates -- read all about them
View profiles of recent alumni/ae
Read the latest MSCS Mess
Be an ECMS scholar: exciting scholarship opportunities
Encouraging Careers in the Mathematical Sciences (ECMS) is a new program open to St. Olaf students who intend to graduate with a major in mathematics and are interested in pursuing careers in the mathematical sciences. The goal is to increase the number of students who graduate from St. Olaf who are prepared to work in a 21st century, quantitatively intensive world. Click here for more information.
International scholars: examples of recent exciting summer research opportunities
With significant support from the National Science Foundation and St. Olaf College, the MSCS department sponsored three undergraduate research scholars in each of the last two summers. These undergraduates joined teams of professional researcher real analysts at one of two host institutions, Lodz University in Poland and Silesian University in the Czech Republic. Click here for much more information.
Summer research opportunities at St. Olaf:
Click here for information about summer research in mathematics, statistics, computer science, and other areas.
New mathematics major adopted, 2005 A new mathematics major structure was adopted in 2005. See the mathematics webpage for more information.
First class of CS majors graduated 2005 The first crop of CS majors graduated in May 2005. See the computer science webpage for more about the major.