Note from the Department Chair

December 21, 2017

One of the most fun presentations I made this term involved speaking about careers in math sciences to a group of high school students from Charleston, whose visit was arranged by Robert Lund. My slides included pictures of flames, a duck, a mouse, and a frozen airplane fuselage. No, I didn’t talk about a bizarre movie plot. I used excerpts from presentations given to MATH 2500, Introduction to Mathematical Sciences, that I’ve taught in the past two fall semesters. Many of the speakers for this class are our alumni who are out making us look good.   Flames are from Dr. Glenn Forney’s talk about his work on fire and smoke modeling at NIST. The mouse, as in Mickey Mouse, is from Dr. Michael Finney’s talk about his work at Disney Analytics where several of our graduates, including Michael, are working. The duck is the Aflac mascot in the presentation by Caroline Cross and Elizabeth Bruner Turner, and the fuselage is from the presentation by Lauren McIntyre, working in a modeling group at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland where they are testing equipment failure under extreme conditions.   I am fortunate to have taught that class. The speakers share not only their work and their fondness for Clemson, they often impart important lessons to the students (and to me also). For every 5 times that a professor tells a student that communication skills are important, hearing it once from an alum out in the real world has the same effect. I just couldn’t help but say See, I told you so.

Never a Dull Moment comes to mind as I think back over events of recent months. In August, we welcomed our new Dean for the College of Science whom we’re also fortunate to have as a faculty member in our department. Speaking of administrative changes, Dr. Kevin James handed the reins of Coordinator of Graduate Studies over to Dr. Taufiquar Khan in August, and our Coordinator of Instruction, Dr. Judith McKnew, is now doing the same with Dr. Gretchen Matthews, who will be our department COI as of January 1. Dr.’s James and McKnew both served the department well in those roles. It’s great to have such able, dedicated people serving our students. It’s also beneficial to have periodic rotations through administrative positions.   Speaking of which, we’re in the midst of a department chair search. I commend the search committee for putting together a very strong slate of candidates and I’ve enjoyed talking with each one of them and, through these conversations, seeing how much our department is respected by others. One more administrative note:   At our department Holiday luncheon last week, we presented our office manager April Haynes with a certificate and pin commemorating 30 years of service to our department. April does a remarkable job in helping to keep a program with so many moving parts functioning so well.

Here’s a riddle for you:   What do you get when you put faculty from Mathematical Sciences, Engineering and Science Education, General Engineering, Education and Human Development, and the Academic Success Center together in a room? Answer: A well-rounded team that is committed to making our strong set of introductory-level courses for STEM students even better. With moral and (initial) financial support from the office of our Dean and the Provost, we’re developing a proposal for funding a study comparing teaching styles (Traditional, SCALE-UP, Emporium, Hybrid/Flipped).

And now, the obligatory request to remember the department’s need for donations to our Foundation Funds.   If you click on the Giving link on our department website you’ll see several opportunities by which you can help to enhance the ways we accomplish our mission.   I never thought I would be in sales, of any type. But I have no problem promoting our programs. For example, speaking to prospective students is fun because of the great product we have to offer, evidenced by the alumni that come back and visit us, as they do at Homecoming.   This year for Homecoming we tried something new, which I hope becomes a tradition. Dr. Pete Kiessler was gracious enough to let us host our welcome back brunch on his prime tailgate spot. Here’s a picture of some of students, staff, and faculty members who helped out.

Homecoming Tailgate, 2017

I wish you a Very Happy Holiday Season, and I look forward to an exciting and productive New Year for our department.

-Chris­