1998 K-State Undergraduate Lecture Series in Mathematics
Lectures by two distinguished visiting mathematicians, seven alumni, and business and government representatives were the highlights of our Undergraduate Lecture Series at Kansas State University in 1998.Denny Gullick, an eminent mathematician from the University of Maryland, visited Kansas State in the spring and gave a mini-course on Basic Examples and Concepts in Chaos. Dr. Gullick gave many interesting properties of the famous tent function and the renowned quadratic functions. He also introduced the concept of bifurcations and gave applications of chaos to the real world. In the fall, Judith Grabiner, a distinguished mathematician from Pitzer College, visited Kansas State and gave a mini-course on Mathematics and the World: Historical Perspectives. Professor Grabiner discussed why mathematics is the language of science, how people came to recognize that physical space is best modeled in a non-Euclidean way, what made scientists apply statistics to nature, how Descartes pioneered a new approach to solving problems, and different ways of thinking about mathematics. Among her many awards, Dr. Grabiner received the 1997 Lester R. Ford award for her expository paper Was Newton's Calculus a Dead End? The Continental Influence of Maclaurin's 'Treatise of Fluxions'. These two mini-courses were very well received, attracting visitors from Lawrence, Topeka, and Wichita.
Rick Un, a 1994 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, gave a talk entitled Experiences of a Math Major Starting a Computer Consulting Company. Rick is a systems specialist for SP Consolidated in Euless, Texas. Eric Farmer, a 1997 Kansas State mathematics alumnus, spoke on The Mathematics of Card Shuffling and on REUs and Graduate School. Eric is a graduate student in mathematics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Nathan Geier, a 1997 Kansas State alumnus, discussed The Importance of Mathematics in the Life of a Geophysicist. Nathan is a graduate student in geophysics at the University of Kansas. Marilyn McCord, a 1961 Kansas State alumna, described how mathematics gave her A Ticket to Ride in her various careers. Marilyn is head of Associated Consultants in Bayfield, Colorado. Foster Dieckhoff, a 1972 Kansas State alumnus, gave a talk entitled Mathematics: The Durable Discipline. Foster is manager of administration and engineering for Kansas City Water Services. Clair Manson, a 1950 Kansas State alumnus, described The Actuarial Profession. Clair is a Life Actuary for Unified Life Insurance Company in Kansas City. He recently donated a large collection of actuarial journals to the department of mathematics.
Mark Lesperance, a 1991 Kansas State alumnus, described The Actuarial Exams and Profession. Mark is a Casualty Actuary for Farm Bureau Insurance in Manhattan. He and Dr. Charles Moore teach our actuarial mathematics course. Mark Koehn, representing Cessna Aircraft in Wichita, discussed Work Opportunities in the Business World. John Sedlock, representing the United States Navy, described Navy Programs for Mathematics majors.