MCSP Department News

2006 Summer Scholars Scotty Smith, Jessica Young, Hampton Smith, Drew Fleming, David Myer and Jake Bennett share their summer research experiences. See descriptions.

The Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics at Roanoke College is dedicated to one-on-one interaction with students. Opportunities for student research include the Summer Scholar program, URAP and independent studies.

Other Stories:

Steven Nunnally, a junior computer science major, won second place in the student research paper competition of the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges held at Augusta College. Roanoke College will host the CCSC meeting on November 13-14, 2009. Sarah Witt, a freshman mathematics major, was ODAC Athlete of the Week for March 16-22, 2009, for her outstanding performance in the Roanoke Invitational track meet. Read about Sarah here. Another major on the track team is Renee Rhodes (pictured), a sophomore mathematics major, who cleared a personal best of 9'6" in the pole vault.

Roland Minton received the 2008 George Polya Award for expository excellence in mathematics. He and Tim Pennings of Hope College were honored for their collaboration on "Do Dogs Know Bifurcations?" published in the November 2007 College Mathematics Journal. The article explores the ability of Pennings' Welsh corgi Elvis (pictured) to solve calculus problems. In particular, when chasing a ball thrown into the water, Elvis must decide how far to run before jumping into the water. He chooses well! You can find out more about the article here.

  Jake Bennett, a double major in physics and mathematics, was the 2008 valedictorian of Roanoke College. Jake is from Lexington, Virginia, and has enrolled in the High Energy Physics PhD program at Indiana University. Congratulations to the 8 mathematics, 3 physics and 3 computer information systems graduates. The graduation speech was delivered by John McAfee, Roanoke College 1967 mathematics major. McAfee pioneered voice recognition systems, instant messaging and the virus protection software that bears his name. You can link to his outstanding speech here.

Jan Minton has been named acting Director of the Honors Program at Roanoke College. She has served as Associate Director of the Honors Program for the past six years. In addition, Jan was elected Treasurer of the Maryland / DC / Virginia Section of the Mathematical Association of America. She teaches a variety of mathematics and statistics courses in addition to her Honors course on Mathematics and Art. The Honors Program has a long history of student research and participation at national meetings.

Mark Lucas, a rising senior majoring in mathematics, gave a research talk at MathFest in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark's talk on "The Evolution of Swarm Intelligence" is a product of his Summer Scholar work sponsored by Dr. Jeff Spielman. Mark will present his work this fall on campus and at MARCUS, and plans to continue his research in his senior year. Also representing Roanoke College at MathFest were mathematics professors Rebecca Wills and David Taylor who are members of the Project Next program for young faculty, and Roland and Jan Minton.

 Roanoke College graduate Geoff Boyer, winner of his division of the U.S. Open at a 2007 Go Congress, brought his expertise to campus to teach Go, the ancient Chinese game of strategy. The event was sponsored by the student MAA chapter. Geoff had been featured in the Roanoke newspaper as one of several accomplished local players. His guidance and good humor got all of those present excited about this deceptively challenging game.

Senior mathematics major A.J. Haynes celebrated his December graduation earlier than expected. Dr. Lee's proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus in Real Analysis was interrupted by the familiar tune of Pomp and Circumstance, followed by A.J. entering the room in full graduation regalia. The Fundamental Theorem remains unproven!

Jake Bennett, a double major in physics and mathematics at Roanoke College, has been named a 2006-07 Goldwater Scholar. Jake is a rising senior from Lexington, Virginia. The scholarship is administered by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, a federally endowed agency founded by Congress to foster outstanding students in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type. See story.

Jan Minton, Chris Lee, Jeff Spielman, Roland Minton and Mark Poore won the 2007 Roanoke College Innovation Award for changes in calculus. The group has introduced classroom response systems ("clickers") to help achieve a more interactive classroom. Other features such as a lab make calculus a unique experience at Roanoke College.

Roanoke College hosted the spring meeting of the Maryland/DC/Virginia section of the Mathematical Association of America on April 13-14. The meeting included a variety of mathematical talks and student paper and poster competitions. See pictures.

The MCSP Conversation Series has set its fall 2007 schedule. The Conversation Series includes talks by Roanoke College faculty, students, past graduates and invited speakers from other colleges. The opening talk went to the dogs as Dr. Roland Minton talked about how animals and humans learn math, including Elvis, the King of Calculus, a Welsh corgi who can solve calculus problems.

Dr. Bill Ergle retired after 44 years of outstanding service to Roanoke College and the MCSP department. A long time chair of the department, Bill has been fundamental in maintaining a strong statistics program, one that distinguishes Roanoke College from other schools of its size. We will continue to benefit from Bill's leadership and good humor. See story.

Jake Bennett has been invited to participate in the REU program at the Laboratory for Elementary-Particle Physics at Cornell University for summer 2007. Jake is a junior at Roanoke College, double majoring in physics and mathematics. The Cornell REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program is highly competitive.

Roanoke College will host the spring meeting of the Maryland/DC/Virginia section of the Mathematical Association of America on April 13-14. The meeting will include a variety of mathematical talks and student paper and poster competitions.

Junior mathematics major Ashley Francis has earned the Wachovia Securities Scholarship for 2007, awarded through the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. See story.

The MCSP Conversation Series has set its spring 2007 schedule. The Conversation Series includes talks by Roanoke College faculty, students, past graduates and invited speakers from other colleges.

Dr. Roland Minton is a calculus co-author with Bob Smith. The Early Transcendentals, 3rd edition, and Concepts books are now joined by Late Transcendentals, just published by McGraw-Hill. Link to more.

Learn more about our students and faculty!
Students: Jake Bennett, Hanan Dahche, Jessica Young
Faculty: Rama Balasubramanian, Steve Hughes, Roland Minton