Month: October 2017

The Department of Mathematical Sciences and the Clemson University Actuarial Club (CUAC) hosted the Fourth Annual Actuarial/Financial Math Expo on Monday, September 25th. The Expo was originally a miniature career fair for students majoring in math sciences who want to be actuaries, but the Expo was expanded this year to include companies that hire math majors to do financial work. Representatives from twelve companies attended: Aetna, Aflac, Aon Hewitt, AXA, Blackstream, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Carmax, Colonial Life, The Lincoln Financial Group, Oliver Wyman, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Willis Towers Watson.

At the Expo, it was announced that The Lincoln Financial Group will make a contribution of $2500 to the CUAC to reimburse students who pass actuarial exams during the 2017–2018 academic year. This is a tangible way the Department of Mathematical Sciences can support students who want to pursue careers as actuaries.

Clemson University’s Student Chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) hosted a kickoff event on Thursday, Sept. 21. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members enjoyed fun, food, games and discussion of upcoming AWM activities. Read more about the kickoff event here.

Clemson’s AWM chapter was created in 2013 to encourage those, particularly women, pursuing education and careers in fields related to the mathematical sciences by mentoring at all stages of the mathematical career, and by promoting increased awareness of and interest in the mathematical sciences and the role of women in the mathematical sciences, through acts of service. Clemson’s Student Chapter of AWM is open to all.

If you have questions about Clemson’s AWM Student Chapter, feel free to contact the chapter’s co-advisors Lea Jenkins (lea@clemson.edu) and Gretchen Matthews (gmatthe@clemson.edu) or any of the chapter’s officers: Kara Stasikelis (stasike@g.clemson.edu), Kayla Javier (kjavier@g.clemson.edu), Amy Grady (agrady@g.clemson.edu), and Hannah McCall (hmccal2@g.clemson.edu).

Also, check out the chapter’s Facebook page for information on upcoming events!

Faculty Milestones

Quite a few faculty members in Mathematical Sciences celebrated important milestones recently. Congratulations to all the faculty members listed below for their recognitions!

Faculty members earning promotions and/or tenure.

Jim Brown, promoted to Professor

Meredith Burr, promoted to Senior Lecturer.

Chris McMahan, promoted to Associate Professor w/tenure

Xiaoqian Sun, promoted to Professor.

Jennifer Van Dyken, promoted to Senior Lecturer.

Faculty members recognized for years of service

Elena Dimitrova, 10 years

Shuhong Gao, 20 years

Pat Gerard, 10 years

Jun Luo, 10 years

Martin Schmoll, 10 years

Laura Shick, 10 years

Xiaoqian Sun, 10 years

Timothy Teitloff, 10 years

Hui Xue, 10 years

Jeong-Rock Yoon, 10 years

Retirements

James Brannan, 37 years of service

Richard Dubsky, 14 years of service

Laura Shick, 12 years of service

Daniel Warner, 36 years of service

Akshay Gupte and hiw wife Akshi are pleased to announce the arrival of Kavya Isabelle Gupte, born on the morning of December 15, 2016 at 7lb weight and 21in height.

Doc Redman is a highly rated sophomore in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. He is also a member of Clemson’s men’s Golf Team and recently won the prestigious U.S. Amateur Championship. Redman was recently honored for his dual achievements during a recent math class in Hardin Hall. Click here for Redmon’s Clemson Golf profile.

[Video courtesy of Clemson University College of Science, and photo courtesy of Clemson Men’s Golf]

Clemson was in the path of totality for this year’s amazing solar eclipse, and the weather was perfect for the event. The university hosted a large number of events and the Mathematical Sciences Department was no exception. Many people in the department got out to view the eclipse.

Professor Jim Coykendall kept the crowd stimulated with interesting mathematics.

Jim Coykendall representing the department and entertaining the crowd, and he gave a special Math Club lecture on the mathematics of eclipses the following week.

[photographs courtesy of April Haynes]

 Dr. Robert Beeler (Clemson Mathematical Sciences Ph.D., 2007) was recently presented with the Distinguished Faculty Award in Teaching at East Tennessee State University where he is an Associate Professor in Mathematics and Statistics. This is the university’s highest honor. The award citation says that Dr. Beeler a “master teacher” and “a faculty member for whom teaching is his passion.” In addition, he authored an upper-level undergraduate textbook and is also an active researcher.

For more information about Dr. Beeler and the prize, see the full story here.

(Elements of this story are from the above link. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Beeler.)

Solve problems and win prizes

Every week, we pose a fun and challenging question to Clemson students. Undergraduates and graduate students in any program are welcome to submit. Pow! is posted at

https://mthsc.clemson.edu/problemoftheweek/index.php

as well as outside our classrooms with a QR code to scan – so you can take the problem of the week with you wherever you go – and hard copies are distributed at Math Club. All correct solutions are recognized. Each week, those submitting correct solutions are entered in a raffle to be held at the end of the semester.

The problem of the week (Pow!) is fun and engaging for the students, generates mathematical interactions, and contributes to a sense of community among our students. If you have ideas for future problems of the week, please contact Meredith Burr <burr3@clemson.edu> or Gretchen Matthews <gmatthe@clemson.edu>.