Department of Mathematics

Updates
WMU Department of Mathematics
October 2009 Edition
_____________________________________________________________ Garman named 2009 Distinguished Alum. The department has selected Brian L. Garman (PhD 1976, SpA 1974, MA 1974) as its Distinguished Alumnus for 2009. A native of Mendon, Michigan, Brian completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University in 1967, returned to Michigan to teach at Three Rivers High School, and began his graduate work at Western in 1971. This culminated in his PhD in Mathematics in 1976 under the direction of Professor Art White in the area of graph theory. In 1980, Garman accepted a position at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida, where he currently serves as Associate Professor of Mathematics. Throughout his career, Garman has displayed a passion and a talent for applying his knowledge of graph theory and computers to the solution of practical problems. Most notably, he developed an algorithm to manage scheduling for the U.S. Tennis Association’s Boys 16-18 National Championships, held each year in Kalamazoo. That solution evolved into the Garman System, which is a computer system for scheduling matches now used for all USTA matches, as stipulated in their official rules. Brian has served as Assistant Referee for the NCAA tennis championships since 1980, and as Assistant Director of the Boys’ tournament in Kalamazoo. On May 20th of this year, Garman was inducted into the ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame as a Contributor in recognition of his achievements. Players recognized by the ITA include Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Stan Smith. Congratulations!
______________________________________________________________ Zinchenko joins faculty. The department is pleased to welcome Dr. Maxim Zinchenko as Assistant Professor of Mathematics. Maxim received his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Missouri in 2006, and joins the WMU faculty after a 3-year postdoctoral appointment at the California Institute of Technology. Maxim brings a wide range of teaching experience to his new position. One of his goals "is to become a teacher who fascinates students with the beauty of mathematics, and cultivates admiration and respect for sciences in them". Moreover, Zinchenko has already established himself as a promising researcher in the areas of operator theory, differential equations, and mathematical physics, as seen in his growing list of publications and lectures. Maxim was recently awarded a 3-year research grant by the US National Science Foundation, entitled "Perturbation theory for almost periodic Jacobi matrices with applications to orthogonal polynomials". Congratulations and Welcome! _____________________________________________________________
Kline awarded promotion. Faculty member Kate Kline has been promoted by WMU to the rank of full professor. Kline began her career at Western in 1997, and works in the area of mathematics education. Her cv includes a long list of publications, lectures, and grant funding, in addition to her work on curriculum reform in department courses designed for teaching majors. Kate has also served on various review panels for government and professional organizations at the state and national levels. Congratulations!
______________________________________________________________
Doorlag joins department staff. Our newest staff member is Connie Doorlag, who joined the department in July of this year as Associate Director of the Michigan Mathematics Rural Initiative 2 Project. Connie earned her BA in Secondary Education with Mathematics and English majors from WMU in 1981, and also holds the MS in Education (K-5 Mathematics) from Walden University. Connie brings to her new position a wide variety of experience teaching mathematics, including the Parchment and Portage Adult Education programs, the Kalamazoo Academy, Kalamazoo Central High School, and WMU. For the past 20 years, she has been a pre-service mathematics education instructor at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Additionally, she has homeschooled four children who have all now graduated from high school. Welcome!
____________________________________________________________________
Three external grants awarded. The department is proud to acknowledge three recently-approved external grants.

Ok-Kyeong Kim, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, received funding from the National Science Foundation for her project, Collaborative research: assessing teachers' pedagogical design capacity and mathematics curriculum use. Project dates are 2009-2013, in the amount of $369,799.

Ruth Ann Meyer, Director, MMRI/MMMIP Projects, received funding from the Michigan Department of Education in support of the Mathematics and Science Partnership project. Project dates are 2009-2010, in the amount of $349,873.

Maxim Zinchenko, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, received funding from the National Science Foundation for his project, Perturbation theory for almost periodic Jacobi matrices with applications to orthogonal polynomials. Project dates are 2009-2012, in the amount of $96,333.

Congratulations!____________________________________________________________________

CPMP receives national recognition. The Core-Plus Mathematics Project, co-directed by Chris Hirsch and Steve Ziebarth, was recognized recently by the US Department of Education as an exemplary program, and by the Business Higher Education Forum as a program that is making a difference in the nation's schools. The Project's work and influence was described in an article appearing in the June 18, 2009 issue of the Western News, which can be accessed at: http://www.wmich.edu/westernnews ____________________________________________________________________
Dutta receives dissertation fellowship. PhD student Anirban Dutta was selected by the Graduate College for one of its Dissertation Completion Fellowship awards for the fall 2009 semester. The fellowship is intended to assist full-time doctoral students with the completion of their dissertations by providing funds for their tuition and stipend, thereby relieving students from other duties in their department. Anirban is working under the supervision of Professor Jim Zhu in the area of financial mathematics. Congratulations! _____________________________________________________________
Ervin China awarded AGEP Fellowship for Mathematics. The department welcomes Mr. Ervin China to its PhD program in Mathematics. Ervin attended Morehouse College as an undergraduate, and earned the Masters degree in mathematics from Eastern Michigan University last spring. Ervin comes to our program as a WMU-AGEP Fellow. The National Science Foundation funds the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), which is a highly competitive program. The primary goals of AGEP are to (a) significantly increase the number of underrepresented minorities obtaining graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and ( b) enhance the preparation of underrepresented minorities for faculty positions in academia. Welcome and Congratulations!
_____________________________________________________________
Math Student Commons upgrades. The Math Student Commons, located in Rood Hall 3361, is now better than ever! Thanks to funding supplied by the WMU College of Arts & Sciences, the Commons received a major overhaul this summer. Improvements include new paint, carpet, and furniture. The Commons is open weekdays 8 am to 8 pm, and has seen increased use each year since it opened in the fall of 2007. This space is intended as a casual place for students to study, discuss mathematics (free chalk!), relax between classes, browse its collection of books and journals, view the gardens behind Lee Honors College, or play a game of chess. Enjoy!