November 22, 2024

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

UMW Mathematics Professor Receives Fulbright Grant

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Julius Esunge, assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Mary Washington, has been selected to receive a prestigious 2015-2016 Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant. Esunge will teach and conduct research at the University of Buea in the Republic of Cameroon beginning in the spring of 2016.   Assistant Professor Julius Esunge The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program. The scholarship program gives professors a unique opportunity as ambassadors of American higher education, pursuing research and teaching opportunities around the world. An expert in stochastic analysis, Esunge blends mathematics and statistics to understand and solve real-world problems. As part of his Fulbright grant, Esunge will return to the place of his undergraduate studies – the University of Buea – to teach two semesters of probability and actuarial mathematics and lead a weekly graduate seminar in stochastic analysis. He also will construct and compare predictive models for healthcare costs. “The opportunity to return to the University of Buea and actively mentor a new generation of students is priceless,” said Esunge, who joined the UMW mathematics department in 2009. “I have the opportunity to map a path for the current students and motivate them through passionate teaching.” Esunge received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Buea, a master’s degree from Lehigh University and a master’s degree and doctorate’s degree from Louisiana State University. “Dr. Esunge is a very popular and effective teacher, and I know he will have a tremendous impact at the University of Buea,” said Jonathan Levin, provost at UMW. “It is a special pleasure to see him bring his talent and expertise to his own alma mater in Cameroon.”

Denhere Presents at Joint Mathematics Meetings

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Melody Denhere, assistant professor of mathematics,  presented her work “Rank Estimation for the Functional Linear Model” in a session on Probability and Statistics at the Joint Mathematics Meetings which were held in San Antonio, Texas from Jan. 10 – 13. This work was a collaboration with Huybrechts Bindele from the University of South Alabama.

Earlier, Denhere also attended the 2014 Blackwell-Tapia Conference held in Los Angeles, California from Nov. 14 – 15. The conference and prize honors David Blackwell and Richard Tapia (who won the National Medal of Science in 2010), two seminal figures who inspired a generation of African-American, Native American and Latino/Latina students to pursue careers in mathematics. At the conference, Denhere presented a poster on work she carried out with her student, Victoria Moore, during the summer through the Jepson Summer Science Institute.

Taking on Twitter

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Is it a human or a Twitter bot?

Researchers from the University of Mary Washington and the Naval Surface Warfare Center want to know for sure.

UMW computer science majors Bryan Holster and Chris Zimmerman, under the guidance of Professor Stephen Davies, have teamed with scientists at the center’s Dahlgren division to get to the bottom of this sometimes perplexing social media mystery. The partnership is one of several ongoing collaborations between the University and the Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Student Abstract Accepted for Pi Mu Epsilon National Council

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Senior mathematics student Kimberly Hildebrand’s abstract titled Using Independent Bernoulli Random Variables to Model Gender Hiring Practices has been accepted for presentation at the 2014 National Pi Mu Epsilon Conference from August 6 to 8 in Portland, Ore.

Here is the abstract:

Gender bias is a problem in the workforce at large. In order for society to progress it is important that hiring practices do not use gender as a competitive factor. Hiring practices based on gender can be represented statistically using Bernoulli Random Variables and the Beta and Binomial Distributions. Using the moment generating function (MGF) of the Bernoulli and Binomial Distributions, it is possible to calculate the expected value (mean) and variance for the number of women hires for n positions. The probability generating function (PGF) of a sample size n can be used to find the probability of hiring a specific number of women (X). A computer program was used to run trials to simulate different male/female distributions using recent data on the proportion of women earning a PhD in a variety of disciplines. The simulations were used to represent hiring results for seven faculty positions. Situations where the female proportion is centered at 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 were studied. Trials that included random proportions of women for each position were run as well. Results revealed that it is actually unusual for employers to hire one or fewer women for seven positions, which could provide evidence of gender bias.

UMW Showcases STEM Activities

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Small drones buzzed overhead as more than 600 people viewed the latest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the Anderson Center at the University of Mary Washington on March 29 during the third annual  STEM Summit 16. Click to view slideshow. Showcasing the achievements of the region’s students, educators and businesses, the event featured more than 50 booths, including the UMW departments of biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental science, geography, mathematics, physics and the admissions office. Germanna Community College, the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren and a variety of regional schools also showcased 3-D printers, experiments and robotics among other STEM-related technologies. Missy Cummings, director of the Humans and Autonomy Lab and associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke University, delivered the keynote address. One of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots, Cummings discussed drone technologies and human-machine collaboration. The Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual event is sponsored by Central Rappahannock Regional Library (FredTech) and Lockheed Martin. A few steps away in the Goolrick pool, five local school teams – from elementary to high school – competed in the regional SeaPerch competition. The SeaPerch program, funded by the Office of Naval Research, is an innovative underwater robotics program that equips teachers and students with the resources they need to build an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Teams guided their remote-controlled submersibles through a series of tasks, including navigating an underwater obstacle course and retrieving weights. Teams also presented to a panel of judges about the overall projects. Two teams, both from the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity Dahlgren School, won the competition and will go on to a national SeaPerch competition in Mississippi. A different buzz could be heard further down Campus Walk during the 8th Annual UMW High School Calculus Tournament. Six local high school teams, consisting of 23 students, competed in a jeopardy-style competition and used individual buzzers to signal the correct answers. The Paul VI High School team from Fairfax took home the championship title with team members Christina Wulff, Stephanie Ibanez and Stephanie Keener. The Mountain View High School team from Stafford finished second. Thomas Sheehan, also from Paul VI High School, earned the top individual score of the tournament. More than $600 in prizes were awarded to the student winners as well as the schools represented by the top two teams. The event was sponsored by Dynovis.

UMW to Host STEM Events, March 29

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Science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be in full swing at the University of Mary Washington on Saturday, March 29 with the following events:

SeaPerch Competition

Local high school and middle school students come together to compete with SeaPerch robots or underwater remotely operated vehicles at the Anderson Center pool from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out www.seaperch.org for more information.

 STEM Summit 16

UMW will host the third annual FredTech STEM 16 Summit showcasing the achievements of the region’s students, educators and businesses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the Anderson Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More information available at http://members.fredericksburgchamber.org/events/details/3rd-annual-stem-summit-3205

 Calculus Tournament

Six teams from regional high schools come together to compete in a tournament sponsored by the Department of Mathematics in Monroe Hall from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call or email (540) 654-1332(540) 654-1332 or llehman@umw.edu for more information.