
Professor of Mathematics Y. Jen Chiang
Y. Jen Chiang, Professor of Mathematics, published a research article “Exponentially Harmonic Maps, Morse Index and Liouvelle-type Theorems” in the European Journal of Mathematics by Springer.
April 14, 2021
A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Professor of Mathematics Y. Jen Chiang
Y. Jen Chiang, Professor of Mathematics, published a research article “Exponentially Harmonic Maps, Morse Index and Liouvelle-type Theorems” in the European Journal of Mathematics by Springer.
Professor of Mathematics Janusz Konieczny
Janusz Konieczny, professor of mathematics, published a research article, Maximal abelian subgroups of the finite symmetric group, in the International Journal of Group Theory.
The Kappa of Virginia Chapter and the University of Mary Washington Mathematics Department are pleased to host a Virtual Visit by the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar, Mathematician Ken Ono, on February 18-19, 2021.
The visit will feature classroom visits and a Zoom Webinar Public Lecture on Thursday, February 18, 2021, 5:00 – 6:15 p.m., titled “Why does Ramanujan, ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity,’ matter?”
Dr. Ken Ono is the Thomas Jefferson Professor of Mathematics at the University of Virginia, the Vice President of the American Mathematical Society, and the Chair of Mathematics of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Dr. Ono was also an Associate Producer and the Mathematics Consultant for the movie “The Man Who Knew Infinity” about Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
A showing of the film “The Man Who Knew Infinity” will be available to University of Mary Washington students on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., at the Zoom link below.
For questions, please contact Dr. Suzanne Sumner at ssumner@umw.edu or call 540-654-1335.
Sir Isaac Newton
College of Arts and Sciences Dean and Professor of Mathematics Keith Mellinger wrote an editorial about Sir Isaac Newton in advance of his “Great Lives” lecture on Feb. 2. The Zoom talk may be accessed online at umw.edu/greatlives.
BORN ON Christmas Day in 1642 to a family of humble roots, Isaac Newton grew to be regarded by many as the most influential scientist who ever lived. As a child, he showed great talent, and before the age of 30, he laid the foundations for mathematical and scientific theories that changed the world.
Michael Hart’s often debated 1978 book, “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History,” placed Newton in second place, perhaps a surprising outcome for one whose work was not political or religious, areas where individuals tend to have profound influence.
After a deep dive into Newton’s contributions, one can easily be convinced. Read more.
Professor of Mathematics Janusz Konieczny
Janusz Konieczny, professor of mathematics, published a research article, The structure of centralizers in the finite symmetric inverse semigroup, in the journal Communications in Algebra. This research was supported by a 2018–19 University of Mary Washington Faculty Research Grant.
Konieczny has published 50 research articles in 29 mathematics journals, including Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Journal of Algebra, European Journal of Combinatorics, Journal of the Australian Mathematical Society, and Israel Journal of Mathematics.
Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics Julius Esunge
The Department of Mathematics hosted the inaugural talk in its new colloquium series, The Life of a Mathematician. This initiative of the new chair of mathematics, Professor Julius Esunge, featured Professor Larry Lehman as the speaker, with several students, alumni and colleagues in attendance. The series aims at addressing such pertinent matters as the factors that contributed towards the career choices of mathematics faculty, the tools they use in their research and the relevance of their work.
Professor Lehman who is in his 35th year at UMW presented a leisurely and engaging talk. The series continues in the spring with Professor Marie Sheckels as the speaker. This series will showcase the excellent work and background of departmental colleagues with a view to encouraging students.
Janusz Konieczny, professor of mathematics
Janusz Konieczny, professor of mathematics, co-authored a research article, Semigroups of partial transformations with kernel and image restricted by an equivalence, published in the journal Semigroup Forum.
Professor of Mathematics Leo Lee
Professor of Mathematics Leo Lee saw the recent publication of his paper “A Domain Decomposition Algorithm for Optimal Control Problems Governed by Elliptic PDEs with Random Inputs” in the Journal of the Applied Mathematics and Computation.
Megan Carter Shepherd ’94 double majored in math and computer science while also breaking records for the Mary Washington swim team. She’s now the COO of SimVentions, an engineering services company in Stafford.
Throughout her four-year college career, Megan Carter Shepherd ’94 broke records with the Mary Washington swim team, winning championships and earning a top spot in the Capital Athletic Conference.
“Cybersecurity wasn’t even something that was discussed when I first graduated,” Shepherd said of her field, which employs only about 20 percent women, according to Cybersecurity Ventures. “Now it’s at the forefront of everything.”
But Goolrick Pool wasn’t the only place she made a splash. Double majoring in math and computer science, Shepherd dove into numbers, equations and formulas – expertise she relies on in her new role as chief operating officer of SimVentions. The Stafford-based engineering services company counts the Navy, Marine Corps and NSWC Dahlgren as customers. Protecting clients’ data, assets and information is more important than ever, she said, since many organizations have shifted to telework due to COVID-19.
She encourages those beginning their careers to secure a cybersecurity certification, like the one UMW introduced last fall. She also recommends finding a mentor and establishing relationships with professors like the ones she found at Mary Washington. Read more.