Texas Section, MAA Meeting
April 12-14, 2007
The University of Texas – Pan American
Edinburg, Texas
For a full schedule, see the 2007 Program.
Stuart Anderson,
Texas A&M-Commerce University
2006 Recipient of the Texas Section Distinguished
College or University Teaching of Mathematics Award
Stuart Anderson has
bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of North Texas and a Ph.D.
from the University of Oklahoma. He is professor of Mathematics at Texas
A&M-Commerce where he has taught since 1980. His research interests include geometric topology, dynamical
systems, history of mathematics, and mathematics education. He has designed
courses in history of mathematics, dynamical systems, and philosophy and
application of mathematics. He has
been named a Piper Professor and has received the Barrus Distinguished Teaching
Award.
Dr. Anderson is the Teaching Award Winner.
He will present a talk on Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 8:30 AM in the Hidalgo
room of Echo Hotel.
Teaching and the 3x + 1 Problem - A famous unsolved problem is "the 3x + 1 Problem" (also
known as the Collatz Conjecture or Ulam's Problem). An attempt to solve this problem, though ultimately
unsuccessful, is used to highlight some sound teaching practices.
Efraim Armendariz
The University of Texas at Austin
Efraim Armendariz received his Ph. D. in
Mathematics from the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) in 1966, under the
supervision of Dr. William G.
Leavitt. He has held positions at Texas
A&M, the University of Nebraska, the University of Southern California, the
University of Southwestern Louisiana, and the University of Texas at Austin. He
has been a professor since 1980 and chair since 1991 at the University of
Texas.
His research investigations have dealt with various aspects of noncommutative
ring theory, with an emphasis on rings satisfying a polynomial identity and
generalizations of von Neumann regular rings. He has published over 40 research
articles in this area, a book on elementary number theory and has supervised 6
doctoral students in Mathematics, 3 in Science and Mathematics Education and 31
Master’s students.
Dr. Armendariz is currently a member of the Mathematical Association of
America (MAA). In this capacity he has served as Level III Director (1992-96),
Chair of the Texas Section (1996-97), and Arrangements Chair and Organizer for
the annual meeting of the Texas Section in April, 2000. He has also served and chaired
various national committees, including the MAA Committee on Minority
Participation in Mathematics. He is currently a member of the Board of
Governors of the MAA, serving as Governor-at-Large for Minority Interests.
Dr. Armendariz other professional service includes membership and
chairing of post-doctoral selection panels for the National Science Foundation
and the Ford Foundation; member of the Human Resources Advisory Committee of
the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute; and member of the Committee of
Visitors for the NSF Division of Mathematical Sciences.
Dr. Armendariz received the Texas Excellence Teaching Award from the
College of Natural Sciences, UT Austin in 1992 and the Distinguished Teaching
Award from the Texas Section of the MAA in 1998.
Dr. Armendariz will present an Invited Address on Friday April 13,
2007 at 1:10 PM in the Student Union Theatre.
Some Interesting Examples from Ring Theory -- Algebraic geometry and algebraic number theory
have helped to make commutative rings and their properties reasonably
well-established objects in mathematical circles. In contrast, noncommutative rings do not appear to have been
as well-received in the mathematics community. It is hoped that by means of appropriate examples the
distinction between the classes of rings will be made clearer, as well as some
indication of the techniques that are used in the study of such rings.
Dambaru Bhatta
The University of Texas – Pan American
Dambaru Bhatta is an Assistant Professor
of Mathematics at the University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, Texas. Dr.
Bhatta received his Ph.D. degree in applied mathematics from Dalhousie
University, Halifax, Canada. He had worked with various companies in Montreal,
Ottawa, and Atlanta. His research interests include wave-structure interaction,
computational mathematics, finite element method, nonlinear partial
differential equations, fractional calculus, and fractional differential
equations.
Dr. Bhatta will present part of a Short Course entitled Fractional Calculus, Theory and
Applications on Thursday,
April 12, 2007 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM in Echo Hotel Vista room.
Fractional Calculus, Theory and Applications -- We
present an introduction to fractional calculus with basic ideas, definitions,
rules and few results of fractional order integration and differentiation.
Fractional calculus has been used in diverse areas of science and engineering
including differential and integral equations, physics, signal processing,
fluid mechanics, viscoelasticity, mathematical biology and electrochemistry.
Here we will include some examples of applications in fractional ordinary
differential equations,
integral equations, and partial differential equations
Lokenath Debnath
The University of Texas – Pan American
Lokenath Debnath is Professor and Chair of the Department
of Mathematics at the University of Texas - Pan American, Edinburg, TX. He
served the University of Central Florida as Professor and Chair of Mathematics
and as Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He has served as a
Lecturer of the SIAM Visiting Lecturer Program and as a Visiting Speaker of the
Mathematical Association of America (MAA) from 1990. He also has served as
organizer of several professional meetings and conferences at regional,
national, and international levels; and as Director of six NSF-CBMS research
conferences. Dr. Debnath is author or co-author of many graduate level books
and research monographs, including the third edition of Introduction to
Hilbert Spaces with Applications, Nonlinear
Water Waves, Continuum Mechanics
published by Academic Press, the fourth edition of Linear Partial
Differential Equations for Scientists and Engineers
published by Birkhauser Verlag, the second edition of Nonlinear
Partial Differential Equations for Scientists and Engineers, Wavelet Transforms and Their Applications published by Birkhauser Verlag, and the second
edition of Integral Transforms and Their Applications by CRC.. He has also edited eleven research monographs
including Nonlinear Waves
published by Cambridge University Press. He is an author or co-author of over
300 research papers in pure and applied mathematics.
Dr. Debnath will present part of a Short Course entitled Fractional Calculus, Theory and
Applications on Thursday,
April 12, 2007 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM in Echo Hotel Vista room.
Fractional Calculus, Theory and Applications -- We
present an introduction to fractional calculus with basic ideas, definitions,
rules and few results of fractional order integration and differentiation.
Fractional calculus has been used in diverse areas of science and engineering
including differential and integral equations, physics, signal processing,
fluid mechanics, viscoelasticity, mathematical biology and electrochemistry.
Here we will include some examples of applications in fractional ordinary
differential equations,
integral equations, and partial differential equations
Tina H. Straley
Executive Director of the Mathematical
Association of America
Tina H. Straley assumed her
present position as Executive Director of the Mathematical Association of
America in January 2000. She received her Ph.D. degree in mathematics from
Auburn University, specializing in combinatorics and universal algebra. After spending two years on the faculty
at Auburn, Tina was appointed Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Kennesaw
Junior College, which changed to Kennesaw College and finally to Kennesaw State
University. Dr. Straley was
promoted to Associate Professor and Professor, eventually becoming Chair of the
Department of Mathematics and then Associate Vice President for Scholarship and
Graduate Studies. During her
tenure at Kennesaw, Tina spent a year as Visiting Research Associate at Emory
University and two years as Program Officer for Mathematics and Coordinator of
Teacher Preparation in the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National
Science Foundation.
Dr Straley will present an invited address on Saturday, April 14, 2007
at 10:30 AM in Echo Hotel Hidalgo room.
Jonathan H. Worstell
Shell Global Solutions
Jonathan H.
Worstell earned two B.S. degrees from Northwestern University – one in History
and one in Physics (with loads of Applied Math Courses). He earned an M.S. in Chemistry from
Ball State University and a Ph.D. in Applied Chemistry (a split degree between
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering).
Dr. Worstell worked eight years for Conoco and he is finishing twenty
years with Shell currently. Most
all of it in Research and Development, but he have spent time in production
plants as well. Most of his years in the petroleum industry has been solving
plant problems worldwide. Dr. Worstell’s advice to new Shell employees is
"a little bit of math goes a long way toward solving even the hardest
plant problem."
Dr Worstell will present at the Student Forum on Friday,
April 13, 2007 at 11:00 am in room MAGC 1.206 at UTPA
Math - A Most Versatile Degree
-- Mathematics may well be the
most versatile degree currently offered by universities. A degree in
mathematics can lead to careers as diverse as: medicine, physiology, physical
chemistry, cell biology, nuclear engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical
engineering, applied physics, investment banking, and national security. This
paper shows how a degree in mathematics prepares an individual for a possible
career in anyone of the above opportunities.