Math club gathering donations for Christmas charity project.

Math Club would like to wish you a very happy holiday season! 

We are inviting you help us spread the joy this year by contributing to our collection for Stock-The-Sleigh. We have chosen to donate a Gold Package, consisting of three gifts, for a local teenager between the ages of 13 and 18 whose family is in need this holiday season. All donations are greatly appreciated, no matter big or small, they support those in need.

If you are interested in helping Math Club spread the joy of the holidays, you can:

• donate directly to Dr. G Swain in Patterson 208
• donate directly to Dr. C Swanson in Patterson 209 
• donate when collections go around to some Math and CS courses
• you may also email Math Club treasurer Brittney Anderson at banders6@ashland.edu or Math Club secretary Stacee King at sking10@ashland.edu to make other arrangements.

We hope that you will help us give back to a local family, and the community during the season of giving. Remember that no donation is too small, and that both Math Club and our local family are thankful for your support.

Have a happy holiday season from Math Club.

Fall Study Break set for December 5 and 6.

All Math and Computer Science students are welcome to attend the Fall Study Break. 

Thursday, December 5 

from 7-9 p.m.  

in Patterson 324

and 

Friday, December 6 

from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 

in Patterson 204/211. 

Take a break from your studies and enjoy free drinks and brain food. Faculty members who would like to provide food for this event, please sign up in Room 202.

Good luck to all with finals week!

AU students in 2013 ACM-ICPC East Central North America Regional Programming Contest

Eight computer science majors from AU participated in the 2013 ACM East Central North America Regional Programming Contest at the Youngstown University site on November 9, 2013. These students formed two teams and each team was able to tackle one out of nine problems. The AU_purple team (Kees Edwards, Kenny Bogner, and Paul Pernici) was ranked 24 out of 45 teams at Youngstown site and the AU_gold team (Chris Yocum, Cameron Goodson, and Ben Bushong) was ranked 41 out of the 45 teams. Two freshmen observers (Rupesh Maharjan and Alex Gregory) also gained valuable experience in this contest. The team coaches were Boris Kerkez and Paul Cao.

The regional contest is part of the larger International Collegiate Programming Contest, sponsored annually by the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery).  This year's regional contest was held at four different sites and drew 126 teams from 61 colleges and universities throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, eastern Ontario, and Indiana (excluding the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area).  Learn more and check out the Problem Set at the ACM's regional contest site: http://www.csis.ysu.edu/acm-ecna/index.html

Math 208 course gains Quality Matters certification

Dr. Darren Wick, professor of mathematics and department chair, submitted his online Math 208 (Elementary Statistics) course for a Quality Matters review at the end of October. The course was awarded the Quality Matters certification seal officially today.

Quality Matters (QM) is a set of standards and a peer review process that Ashland University has adopted to ensure quality in the design of its online and hybrid courses.  QM is a nationally recognized, research-based program that provides us with the framework for doing so in our online and hybrid courses. Courses that are reviewed and meet quality expectations are recognized on the QM website and are eligible to display the QM logo. The program is part of Ashland University's commitment to providing a quality education to all of its students.

Math 450 Senior Seminar presents "Switching for Dollars," Tuesday, November 19

Does it pay to second guess yourself? Attend integrated math senior Joey Ciaccia's senior seminar talk and find out!  

Math 450 Senior Seminar Presents

"Switching for Dollars"

by Joey Ciaccia

Tuesday, November 19

3:05 - 3:55

in Patterson 324

Abstract: Suppose you are handed two identical boxes. One of the boxes contains an amount of money equal to b dollars, and the other box contains 2b dollars. Upon choosing a box you can decide to keep the contents of the box or you can trade for the other box (you can only switch for the other box once). In this presentation, the possible choices you can make will be analyzed and we will use probability to come up with a way to maximize the amount of money you win. Specifically, we will look at discrete distributions, continuous distributions, and utility theory to try to find the answer to when to switch or not to switch.  Everyone is welcome to attend!

* artwork from Wikipedia Common, Obsidian Soul.

Call for Papers for this year's Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium

The Fifth Annual College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium is scheduled for Tuesday, April 1, 2014. This yearly event highlights the variety of research, scholarly and creative activities of students throughout the College of Arts and Sciences.  

Participation is open to all students who are declared majors in a program within the College of Arts and Sciences. Students may choose to give an oral presentation, poster presentation, exhibition, or a performance.  

To participate, students must submit an abstract with faculty sponsorship.  The deadline for submitting abstracts is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 17, 2014. 

Read full details.

Math 450 Senior Seminar presents "Bingo by the Numbers" on Thursday, November 14

Find out how to calculate your actual odds of yelling BINGO! in any given game.  Actuarial Science/Mathematics senior David Devine will guide us through the mathematics of the Bingo card. 

Math 450 Senior Seminar Presents

Bingo by the Numbers

by David Devine

Thursday, November 14

1:40 - 2:30

in Patterson 301

Abstract: Nearly everyone has played the traditional game of Bingo. This presentation will take a deeper look into the mathematics behind this game. Using a geometric probability distribution, we will explore the average number of calls it takes to complete a game of Bingo. Next, we will take a look at the probability of achieving a Bingo on the nth call, and determine how the number of cards in play may affect this probability.

Everyone is welcome to attend! 

Photo by Abbey Hendrickson, Flickr.com, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Math 450 Senior Seminar presents "Car Conflicts Can be Cleared Up with Calculus," Tuesday, November 12

Join pyschology/criminal justice senior Sam Diemer this Tuesday as she explains how calculus could be used to decrease traffic congestion. 

Math 450 Senior Seminar

presents

"Car Conflicts Can be Cleared Up with Calculus"

by Sam Diemer

Tuesday, November 12

3:05 – 4:55

in Patterson 324

Abstract: Traffic affects everyone on a daily basis; it is not only a nuisance, but it is also a necessity. To alleviate some of the issues associated with traffic, lawmakers have consulted mathematicians about how to change traffic patterns. In fact, calculus can be used to determine how traffic laws should be altered to accommodate traffic needs in a particular area. Specifically, we will be addressing the length of a green light at an intersection without an arrow for turning left. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Good Luck to AU Students Competing in ACM Regional Contest this Saturday!

Good luck to our students competing this weekend in the Association of Computing Machinery regional  programming contest at Youngstown University.   This challenging 5-hour competition tests logic and problem solving skills.  It’s a great opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to real industry problems. 

Students participating will be Ben Bushong, Kenny Bogner, Kees Edwards, Cameron Goodson, Paul Pernici, and Chris Yocum.  Freshmen observers/trainees Rupesh Maharjan and Nazmul Rabbi will also attend.  Faculty coaches are computer science professors Paul Cao and Boris Kerkez.  

Best wishes for an educational and fun weekend of social and computer networking!

(Photo shows Joseph Hemperly, Cameron Goodson, and Chris Yocum at last year's competition.)

Math 450 Senior Seminar presents "Making Money While Minimizing Risk" Thursday, November 7

Join senior actuarial science and mathematics major Clay Harris and pick up a few financial pointers. 

Math 450 Senior Seminar
presents
"Making Money While Minimizing Risk"
by Clay Harris
Thursday, November 7
1:40 - 2:30
in Patterson 324

Abstract: All investors want to have high returns, but few new investors know how to accomplish this while minimizing risk. We will look at basic probability models for general investing techniques that try to maximize returns for any type of investment. We will also discuss ways to generate smaller positive returns (but with less risk) within the stock market using pricing models based on regression analysis. This approach will make investing seem very easy.  Everyone is welcome to attend!

Photo by Nazir Amin, posted on Flickr