2000 K-State Undergraduate Lecture Series in Mathematics
Lectures by two distinguished mathematicians, twelve alumni and two actuaries were the highlights of the 2000 Undergraduate Lecture Series in Mathematics at Kansas State University.Neil Robertson, a world renowned expert in graph theory from the Ohio State University, visited Kansas State and gave a mini-course on Graph minors and the Gary Thomas lecture On the graph minors project. The graph minors project was to prove K. Wagner's conjecture that for any infinite set of finite graphs, some one of its graphs is isomorphic to a minor of another. A minor of a graph G is formed from a subgraph of G by contracting edges. Dr. Robertson received the 1994 D. Ray Fulkerson Prize in Discrete Mathematics awarded by the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Programming Society. David Drasin, a distinguished mathematician from Purdue University, visited Kansas State and gave a lecture on Complex numbers and geometry. These lectures were very well received, attracting visitors from Lawrence, Topeka and Wichita.
Edward Armbrust, a 1963 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, gave a talk entitled KSU and 36 years, a potpourri of observations in which he described K-12 mathematics education in Washington State and in Russia. Edward taught public school in Rainier, Washington from 1967-1997. He is now working as a youth coordinator for a church in Olympia. Martin Berz, a 1981 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, showed How to do exact mathematical calculations with inexact computers. He discussed applications to the design of scientific machines and the study of asteroids. Dr. Berz is a professor of physics and astronomy at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Gary Gabrielson, 1968 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, described how to use mathematics to calculate the Arrival time from the sun of geomagnetic storms. Gary is a senior systems engineer at Raytheon Corporation in Colorado Springs. His career includes development of computer based training materials for satellite controllers and operational software for space environment models.
Bruce Legan, a 1998 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, spoke on KSU, OMRs and a career in mathematics. He gave a glimpse of his experiences and his research. Dr. Legan is a professor of mathematics at Dakota State University in Madison. Yaping Liu, a 1993 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, told The story of e, including some history, unusual properties and interesting applications. Dr. Liu is now teaching mathematics at Pittsburg State University. Paul McCombs, a 1998 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, presented Some mathemagic that anyone can do. He showed how algebra underpins many mathematical tricks. Paul is now teaching mathematics at Olney Central College in Illinois.
Barbara North, a 1970 Kansas State mathematics alumna, described What's up with air traffic control? She discussed some of the mathematics and computational algorithms essential to developing air traffic control systems. Barbara is a senior staff software engineer working for Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management in Rockville, Maryland. She currently is working on an advanced technology oceanic procedures project, a competitive procurement for the FAA. Julie (Morgan) Predmore, a 1994 Kansas State mathematics alumna, gave a talk entitled Production support: problem solving in the fast lane. Julie is a project manager for Voice Network Systems with Williams Communications in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gary Schmidt, a 1971 K-State mathematics alumnus, gave a presentation entitled Mathematics and computer science. Gary currently is professor and Chairman of the Computer Information Sciences Department at Washburn University in Topeka. He also is the President of Business System Resources, a major computer consulting firm. Jonathan Seal, a 1994 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, spoke about Mathematics, Microsoft and software testing. Jonathan is a test engineer for Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington. Paul Works, a 1986 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, presented Military operations research: wargaming and analysis. Paul is an operations analyst for the US Army Training and Doctrine Command Analysis Center in Fort Leavenworth.
Mark Lesperance, a 1991 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, and Marty Orth gave a talk entitled Who wants to be an actuary? Play the auto rating game! Mark and Marty are Casualty Actuaries working for Farm Bureau Insurance in Manhattan.