MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

Morteza Shafii-Mousavi, Chair

Chair’s Remarks

This was a very productive year for our department. We worked out the details of the amicable separation of the old Department of Mathematics and Computer Science into two departments. Since July 2001, the new Department of Mathematical Sciences has been restructured at IUSB. The department offers these degrees and programs: B.S. in Applied Mathematics, BA in Mathematics, Minor in Mathematics, Associate Degree in Mathematics, Actuarial Science, Mathematics Education, and Statistics.

We continue our strong relationship with our colleagues in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, which also stemmed from the old joint department. For example, we have developed a joint Master of Science in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science graduate program that will begin fall 2002.

The mathematical sciences faculty are strong and productive. This year, we added a lecturer position, for which we hired Paulette Zizzo, to make a stronger commitment in our offering introductory level mathematics courses. Dr. Yi Cheng went on sabbatical leave and Dr. Michael Kinyon was on leave. They will be returning to the department in fall 2002, stronger in teaching and research. The faculty published nine articles in respected publications, presented fourteen papers at national and international conferences, collaborated in three other mathematical publications, and gave numerous services to the community, university, and our discipline. In memory of our beloved former associate faculty and long-time friend, Dorothy Allen, we have established the Dorothy Allen Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will be used for international exchange students for studying mathematics at IUSB.

The department has continued to be strong in teaching. Almost all of the faculty members received high marks and excellent comments on their teaching from students and peers. Many of the faculty members have received teaching and research awards. This year alone, Professor Michael Darnel received the IUSB Distinguished Research Award; Dr. Anne Brown was selected into Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching FACET; and Dr. Morteza Shafii-Mousavi received IU Trustees’ Teaching Award.

We have made continuous efforts to update the mathematics curriculum, offer new courses, develop new programs, and make initiatives for retention. This year, we continued implementing our annual program assessment plan; implemented the new Indiana’s Standards for Mathematics Teachers in our program for the secondary mathematics education; offered a new course, M451 Mathematics of Finance and Interest Theory; and made revisions in our proposed B. S. in Actuarial Science. Further, we continued to offer the IUSB Connections program, a calculus course for the Purdue Technology program, a statistics course for the nursing program, and a new course T201 Problem Solving for offering in spring 2002. The IUSB Connections is a learning community for innovative collaborative work between programs and departments including English, Mathematics, Academic Resource Center, and Student Services. The program connects freshman level mathematics and writing courses, and it integrates the university support system for student success. Finally, our new Mathematics Friendly Classroom was completed, in which the faculty could teach mathematics using technology efficiently.

Our mathematics majors are active in extracurricular activities. The IUSB Chapter of the MAA Mathematics Club has student club members participating in the professional activities on campus, attending conferences, participating in undergraduate research activities, state and national undergraduate math competitions, and going on field trips to visit museums and national laboratories. Many of our students excel and achieve excellent academic performance. This year, one mathematics major, Sarah Chabot Brindle, received the Mathematics Excellence Award. The department has continued serving the Michiana community. This year we held our annual High School Mathematics Competition in May, in which about 150 high school students participated in team and individual mathematics contests.

Alvis, Dean and Kinyon, Michael. “Birkhoff’s theorem for panstochastic matrices.” American Mathematical Monthly 108 (2001): 28-37.

Brown, Anne, Thomas, Karen, and Tolias, Georgia. Conceptions of divisibility: success and understanding, a chapter in the book Learning and teaching number theory, R. Zazkis and S. Campbell, editors. Ablex Publishing. November 2001. Pages 41-82.

______. Patterns of thought and prime factorization, a chapter in the book Learning and teaching number theory, R. Zazkis and S. Campbell, editors. Ablex Publishing. November 2001. Pages 131-137.

______, DeVries, David, Dubinsky, Ed, and Tolias, Georgia. Learning theory and costructing cooperative learning activities, a chapter in the book Cooperative learning in undergraduate mathematics: issues that matter and strategies that work, E. Rogers, B. Reynolds, N. Davidson, and A Thomas, editors. Mathematical Association of America. January 2001. Pages 71-80.

______, Davidson, Neil, and Rogers, Elizabeth. Spreading the word: designing and presenting workshops, a chapter in the book Cooperative learning in undergraduate mathematics: issues that matter and strategies that work, E. Rogers, B. Reynolds, N. Davidson, and A Thomas, editors. Mathematical Association of America. January 2001. Pages 93-100.

Cheng, Yi. “Bayesian Inferences in Higher Order Asymptotic Optimal Sample Sizes in Two-Stage Clinical Trials.” Proceedings of the Joint Statistical Meeting, August 2001.

Darnel, Michael R. and Conrad, Paul F. “Subgroups and Hulls of Specker Lattice-ordered Groups.” Czechoslovak Mathematical Journal 51, 12 (2001): 395-413.

______, Conrad, Paul F. “Almost Finite-valued Lattice-ordered Groups.” Communications in Algebra 29, 11 (2001): 5067-5083.

Cheng, Yi. “Bayesian Inferences in Higher Order Asymptotic Optimal Sample Sizes in Two-Stage Clinical Trials.” Joint Statistical Meeting. Atlanta, GA. August 2001.

______. “The Application of Edgeworth Expansion in Optimal Clinical Trial Sample Sizes.” Graduate Institute of Statistics. National Central University. Taiwan. January 2001.

Darnel, Michael. “A Galois Correspondence for Lattice-ordered Groups.” University of Florida Conference on Ordered Algebras. February 2001.

______. “Group Operations on Ordered Sets.” Colloquium, Andrews University. 9 November 2001.

______. “Changing the Group Operation on an Ordered Set.” Colloquium, Bowling Green State University. 30 November 2001.

______. “Finding Some Order in Algebra”. Distinguished Research Award Lecture. Indiana University South Bend. 1 November 2001.

Shafii-Mousavi, Morteza, and Kochanowski, Paul. Workshop on “How to Design & Teach a Project-based Finite Mathematics Course for Freshmen.” Indiana University Northwest. Gary, IN. 20 April 2001.

______, Kochanowski, Paul. “Integrating Business, Education, & Social Sciences in a First-year Finite Mathematics Course.” Mathematics Association of America–Integrating Math and other Disciplines. AMS/MAA Joint Meetings. New Orleans, LA. 12 January 2001.

______, Kochanowski, Paul. “Mathematics in Action: Social and Industrial Problems.” Mathematics Association of America–Implementation of National Projects. AMS/MAA Joint Meetings. New Orleans, LA. 13 January 2001.

______. “IUSB Connections: A Learning Community” (with Connections Team). 19^th Annual Spring Symposium “Access to Excellence: Communities of Learning for Our Century.” Indiana University Memorial Union. Bloomington, IN. 13 April 2001.

______. “An Innovated Program to Improve the Teaching of Mathematics” (with Connections Team). Mathematical Association of America Math Fest 2001. University of Wisconsin. Madison, WI. 3 August 2001.

______. “Promoting Success by Connecting Mathematics and Writing Courses” (with Connections Team). American Association of Two-Year Colleges Conference. Toronto, Canada. 15 November 2001.

______, Smith, Ken, and Ruhl-Smith, C. “IUSB Connections: A Learning Community.” 21^st Annual Lilly Conference on Teaching, “Teaching><Learning Odyssey.” Miami University. Oxford, OH. 15-18 November 2001.

Zizzo, Paulette. “Calculators in the Mathematics Classroom.” Detroit Area Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Plymouth, MI. 5 November 2001.

Shafii-Mousavi, Morteza, and Kochanowski, Paul. “Integrating Business, Economics, and Social Sciences in a First-year Finate Math Course.” American Mathematical Society Abstracts 22, 1:123 (January 2001): 208.

______, Kochanowski, Paul, and Warren, Jesse H. “Mathematics in Action: Social and Industrial Problems.” American Mathematical Society Abstracts 22, 1:123 (January 2001): 227.

______. “21^st Century Calls for Global Education.” International Honors Society (Inaugural Speech). IUSB International Programs. 9 March 2001.

Agarwal, Sushma. Non-Tenure Track Committee; chair, Asian American Committee; talk for the conversation hour of the Asian American Committee on “Hinduism: A Religion Or a Way of Life” with Dr. Raj Kohli, February 14, 2001; organized “A Celebration of Asia,” featuring artwork by local Asian artists; session on “Asians as Model Minority,” Conversations on Race V.

Brown, Anne. Trustees’ Teaching Award Committee; Academic Senate Curriculum Committee; Academic Senate Research and Development Committee; UCET Advisory Board; Elementary Education Advisory Board.

Cheng, Yi. IUSB Academic Personnel Committee; LAS Liberal Graduate Studies Committee; LAS Student Probation, Dismissal, and Readmission Committee; gave statistical consultations to Elizabeth Bennion and Tom Mailloox.

Shafii-Mousavi, Morteza. Search and Screen Committee, School of Education Dean; Honors Advisory Committee; International Programs Committee; Board of Review Committee; Advisory Board, Phi Beta Delta, and Honors Society; IUSB Distinguished Teaching Award Selection Committee; Senate Teaching Committee; IUSB Summer Math Institute; South Bend Area High School Mathematics Competition; UCET Advisory Board.

Song, Yu. LAS Budget Committee; Academic Senate PTR Committee; organized the South Bend Area High School Mathematics Competition.

Williams, Lynn. Animal Use and Care Committee; VCAA Summer Sessions Committee; VCAA Task Force on Institutional Research; Student Probation, Dismissal, and Readmission Committee; Ad Hoc campus Fee Review Committee; College Task Force on Direct Admits; College Committee on Advising.

Williams, Lynn. President’s Council on the Arts and Sciences; University Committee on Southeast Asian Exchanges and Contracts.

Shafii-Mousavi, Morteza. “Iran: History, Culture, and Government.” Forever Learning Institute, October 2001.

Alvis, Dean. Refereed a paper for Representation Theory, an electronic journal of the American Mathematical Society.

Brown, Anne. Editorial board, American Mathematical Monthly; Joint AMS-MAA Committee on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education; executive committee, Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education Community; one of 40 mathematicians and mathematics educators nationwide invited to participate in the Mathematicians Educating Future Teachers Conference (September 7-8, 2001, in Washington, D.C.)

Shafii-Mousavi, Morteza. Referee, Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning; President, Honors Society for International Scholars, Phi Beta Delta; chair, Mathematics Association of America Service Award Committee; Mathematics Association of America Distinguished Service Award Selection Committee.

Shafii-Mousavi, Morteza. Applied for a Texas Instruments grant to conduct an Integrated Multiple Technology (IMT) Institute for mathematics/science teachers. Proposal was not funded due to TI budget cuts.