Monday, February 23, 2015

Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium

The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium will be held on April 8, 2015 in the John C. Myers Convocation Center. The Math and Computer Science Department congratulates and thanks Dr. Paul Cao, Dr. Maduka Rupasinghe and Dr. Gordon Swain for sponsoring students and representing our department at this symposium.

This symposium is an opportunity for students to present their scholarly and creative work.


  • Dr. Maduka Rupasinghe, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, will sponsor Garrett Tresch. Garrett Tresch is a Mathematics and Actuarial Science major. Tresch will present Sieve Bootstrap-Based Prediction Intervals for GARCH Processes, during Oral Session III, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. in the Faculty Room. Time Series deals with observing a variable - interest rates, exchange rates, rainfall, etc. - at regular intervals of time. The main objective of Time Series analysis are to understand the underlying processes and effects of external variables in order to predict future variables. This presentation uses the Sieve Bootstrap for computing prediction intervals.
  • Dr. Paul Cao, Associate Professor of Computer Science, will sponsor Paul Pernici. Paul Pernici is a Computer Science and Mathematics major. Pernici will present Comparing Feature Extraction and Feature Selection Algorithms in Pattern Recognition, during Oral Session IV, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. in the Trustees Room. Pattern recognition is the science of discovering the inherent properties of large sets of data. A popular approach used an artificial neural network (ANN), which is a biologically inspired machine learning model capable of mimicking human cognitive functions.
  • Dr. Gordon Swain, Professor of Mathematics, will sponsor Joseph Scott Glorioso. Joseph Scott Glorioso is a Mathematics and Chemistry major. Glorioso will present Constant Speed or Constant Effort: Which is the More EfAcient Way to Run?", during Oral Session VI, 3:15 - 4:15 p.m. in the Trustees Room. The problem examined was whether it is more beneficial to run 5000 meters at constant speed or at constant effort while minimizing the time. The model, based on human data from literature, takes an input of runner's speed, wind speed, and incline and gives an output of volume of oxygen consumed. Using a simple conversion, VO2 was then converted to Calories expended.

    Tuesday, February 17, 2015

    AU Alumni News - Clay Harris


    Congratulations to Clay Harris (15'). Harris is an Ashland University Actuarial Science major. Harris has accepted a position as Credit Risk Analyst with Key Bank. His job will involve risk management and will incorporate significant financial statement analysis. Congratulations, Clay, we wish you all the best in your new job!

    Monday, February 16, 2015

    Math 450 Senior Seminar Presents "Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the Prediction of Corporate Bankruptcy" on Tuesday, February 17

    In 1968, Edward Altman developed a model to predict bankruptcy up to three years before the event. This model is known as The Altman Z-Score and was developed using in-depth statistical techniques. This talk will focus on an introduction to traditional ratio analysis and how Altman combined this with statistics to predict bankruptcy. An overview of the multiple regression techniques used to create the model will be discussed, along with the overall results of the model. Further discussion will be on the application of the The Altman Z-Score in today's economic environment, as well as the application to some well-known companies.

    Math 450 Senior Seminar Presents
    "Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the Prediction of Corporate Bankruptcy"
    by Leslie Johnson
    Tuesday, February 17, 4:30 p.m.
    in Patterson 301

    All are Welcome!

    Friday, February 6, 2015

    Math 450 Senior Seminar Presents "The Dangers of Gambling in American Roulette" on Tuesday, February 10

    Have you ever wondered what your chances of winning at the roulette table are?

    If you are familiar with American casinos then you are familiar with the game of roulette. As one of the most popular gambling games in the U.S. roulette is a game of probabilities. While everyone should know the casino is always favored, one might not realize how bad the odds are that the gambler walks away with a particular sum of money. In this exploration of roulette we will discuss the different types of bets the gambler can make and look at probability models as well as matrix models that should help convince you to keep your money in banks and not in casinos.

    Math 450 Senior Seminar Presents
    "The Dangers of Gambling in American Roulette"
    by James Harris
    Tuesday, February 10, 4:30 p.m.
     in Patterson 301

    Come and find out your chances. All are Welcome!