May 27, 2003 – Twelve students from across the nation will
participate this summer in the 2003 Research Experiences for Undergraduates
(REU) program conducted by the mathematics department at Trinity University.
The program, which is funded by the University and the National Science
Foundation, is in its sixth year. In addition to spending seven weeks
at Trinity, seven of the 12 students will study for 10 days in June
at Karl-Franzens-Universitat in Graz, Austria.
“We have recruited our strongest class ever,” said Scott
Chapman, professor of mathematics and director of Trinity’s
REU program. Professor Chapman won a faculty award earlier in May
in the category of Distinguished Scholarship, Research, or Creative
Work. He was honored for his research in factorization theory and
integer-valued polynomials, which has brought him, the math department,
and the University national and international acclaim. He has received
prestigious grants to support his research, has presented his research
at the invitation of numerous scientific groups, and has published
his findings and that of his students in more than 50 professional
journals. In addition, he has been able to attract high-caliber students
from across the country for the REU program, which is only one of
two mathematics programs in the country which allow student participants
to travel internationally.
In addition to Professor Chapman, three other members of the Trinity
mathematics faculty will participate in this summer’s program,
providing a wide spectrum of research topics. The faculty members
are Roberto Hasfura, associate professor and chair of the department,
and assistant professors Allen Holder and Vadim Ponomarenko.
Topics for the 2003 REU session will include abstract algebra, combinatorics,
discrete dynamical systems, and mathematical programming.
Participants will include:
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Melissa Banister, a junior at
Harvey Mudd College. A native of Scotts Valley,
Calif., Ms. Banister participated in a similar program
at California State at San Bernardino. She has participated
in the prestigious Budapest Semester in Mathematics Program
and her coursework has included classes in real analysis,
abstract algebra, applied mathematics, algorithms, differential
geometry, knot theory, topology, advanced linear algebra,
and number theory.
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- Jonathan Chaika, a sophomore at The University
of Iowa. A native of Providence, R.I., Mr. Chaika
has participated the last two years in the national Putnam
Competition. His undergraduate classes have included linear
algebra, real analysis, topology, differential geometry, and
number theory.
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- Therese-Marie Landry, a junior at Brown University.
She is a native of Los Angeles and has been a teaching
assistant for two semesters at Brown, where she also was awarded
a fellowship during the summer of 2002 to study elliptic curves
over the ring of Gaussian integers. Ms. Landry is completing
a semester in Hungary at the Budapest Semester in Mathematics
Program and has taken undergraduate courses in linear algebra,
abstract algebra, number theory, differential geometry, Euclidean
geometry, combinatorics, and set theory.
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- William Meyerson, a junior at Harvard University.
A native of Ellicott City, Md., Mr. Meyerson is a two-time
winner of the National German Exam and has taken advanced
courses in abstract algebra, complex analysis, topology and
lie groups, and lie algebras.
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- Bryson Finklea, a junior at St. John's College
in Maryland. He is a native of Mocksville, N.C., and
attended the prestigious North Carolina School of Science
and Mathematics. Mr. Finklea earned a perfect 800 on the
mathematics section of the SAT college entrance test. At St.
John's, students spend four years studying pure mathematics
and the foundations of mathematical physics and astronomy by
working through texts and demonstrating propositions of
Euclid, Ptolemy, Newton, Einstein and others.
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Terri Moore, junior at The
University of Washington. Ms. Moore is a native of Centralia,
Wash., who is a double major in mathematics and computer
science. This will be her second year to participate in
Trinity’s REU program. Her work from last summer is being
edited for submission to a mathematics research journal.
She also is a past participant in the Budapest Semester
in Mathematics Program.
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- Zachary Turner, junior from the University of
Houston. A native of Houston, Mr. Turner’s background
includes advanced courses in linear algebra, real analysis,
multivariable calculus, topology, and two courses in both
abstract algebra and differential geometry. In addition, he
has five years of experience as a professional software developer.
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- Sarah Hoffman, junior at Western Oregon University.
Ms. Hoffman is a native of Canby, Ore., and has taken
advanced courses such as linear algebra, real analysis, abstract
algebra, probability, statistics, Euclidean geometry, discrete
mathematics, and constructive geometry. This spring, she attended
the fifth annual Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women
in Mathematics.
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Jennifer Taylor, first year student
at The University of Texas at Austin. A native of
San Antonio, Ms. Taylor already has taken 12 hours
of mathematics above the level of calculus, including courses
in linear algebra, vector calculus, differential equations,
and probability. She is in an honors program for students
in the natural sciences at UT.
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- Ryan Herring, sophomore at Oberlin College.
Mr. Herring is a native of Redwood Valley, Calif.,
who is a double major in mathematics and jazz studies with
a concentration in trombone. He has taken an array of upper
division math courses, including linear algebra, discrete
mathematics, multivariable calculus, advanced calculus, optimization,
statistics, and mathematical modeling.
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- Catherine Nightingale, junior at Mills College.
A native of Crescent City, Calif., Ms. Nightingale
participated last summer in an undergraduate program in mathematics
at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She presented the results
of her work in that program at the annual meeting of the American
Mathematical Society in Baltimore, Md., before spending the
spring semester studying in Paris. Her advanced coursework
includes linear algebra, real analysis, differential equations,
and linear programming.
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- Todd Stohs, junior at The University of Nebraska
at Lincoln. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Mr. Stohs
is a double major in mathematics and economics. His advanced
coursework includes linear algebra, real analysis, abstract
algebra, differential equations, number theory, statistics,
mathematical biology, and operations research. He has been
a volunteer math coach at a Lincoln-area middle school.
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Trinity University is a nationally recognized liberal arts and sciences
institution noted for its exceptional faculty and commitment to the
comprehensive preparation of its talented student body. It is a learning
community that has charted its course with a steadfast commitment
to excellence since it was founded in 1869.
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