Category: Professional Notes

At the 2013 Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Diego, Calif., in January, two faculty members and a student from UMW presented their work.  Suzanne Sumner, professor of mathematics, delivered the talk “Intensive Experiences for Undergraduate Mathematics” in a session on Communicating Mathematics sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America.

Debra Hydorn, professor of mathematics, spoke in a session devoted to Innovative Ideas for Courses in the First Two Years.  Her talk was titled “Exploratory Projects in an Introduction to Discrete Mathematics Course.”  Hydorn gave a second talk titled “Using R for Data Analysis Assignments in an Introductory Statistics Course” in a session devoted to Modern Ideas in Introductory Statistics Courses.  In addition, she was honored to have a piece of geometric artwork accepted through a juried process to the Mathematical Art Exhibition.

Finally, UMW senior Ryan Vaughn presented a poster at the National Undergraduate Student poster competition.  Ryan’s poster, titled “Embeddings of Complete Bipartite Graphs in Finite Projective Planes” won one of the Outstanding Poster Awards.

Keith Mellinger, associate professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics, saw his co-authored article “Blocking semiovals containing conics” published in the January 2013 issue of Advances in Geometry.  The article addresses the construction of blocking semiovals, a mathematical object that finds application in areas of modern cryptology and the design of experiments.

Jangwoon “Leo” Lee traveled to Korea over the holiday break to deliver an invited talk at Ajou University.  The talk was titled “Distributed Optimal Control Problems for SPDE by the h x p Version of the SGFEM.”  This international trip was fully supported by the host institution.

Teresa Coffman, associate professor of education, is the author of a recently published book, “Using Inquiry in the Classroom: Developing Creative Thinkers and Information Literate Students.”

The book, published by Rowman & Littlefield in January 2013, provides an overview of inquiry learning and the importance of developing creative thinkers and information literate students in 21^st century education. The text explores how learning can be directly applied in a classroom setting using real world application through technology oriented activities. Coffman showcases WebQuests, Web inquiry, telecollaborative, and problem-based activities with examples and skill-building exercises for readers to implement in their classroom. Readers work through strategies for effectively integrating technology into a teaching and learning environment so students gain maximum knowledge and understanding of core concepts. Plus, the content is personalized so that the reader can create activities and lessons for specific curriculum needs.

Coffman, T. (2013). Using inquiry in the classroom: Developing creative thinkers and information literate students. (2^nd Ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education. ISBN 978-1-61048-851-8

Christopher Kilmartin, professor of psychology at the University of Mary Washington, has been chosen to serve as a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

From July 2013 to June 2014, Kilmartin will teach courses in violence prevention and gender studies. He also will consult with sexual assault prevention personnel at the Air Force Academy to assist in improving the school’s programming.

For more information about Kilmartin’s work, read the full news release from Jan. 10.