Job: Tutor at Peace College

I’m writing to ask if you would perhaps add a blurb to your mathematics blog that Peace College is in need of a math tutor for spring 2011; we need someone who can assist students with college algebra, statistics, finite math, calculus I and calculus II.  Tiffany Burgin has done a great job for us and since she’s graduating this December I thought I would see who else you might have who would be interested.  The pay will be 9.00 per hour and I’m looking for someone who can provide between 10-15 hours per week.

Thank you for your help,
Heather Yokeley, M.Ed.
Director, Learning Services
Peace College
15 E. Peace St.
Raleigh, NC 27604
(919) 508-2163, Finch 201
hyokeley@peace.edu

Summer Internsips

2011 Summer Internships for Undergraduate Students

· 10 week research experience; $5,000 stipend plus travel expenses
· Areas of research: Engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological/life sciences, agricultural sciences, environmental science, emergency and incident management, psychology, social sciences
· Projects offered at:
 National research laboratories: Argonne,  Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, Sandia, Savannah River
 DHS laboratories: Transportation Security Laboratory
Other research facilities, including Battelle, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Naval Research Laboratory

· Locations include CA, CO, IL, MD, NM, NJ, SC, TN, WA
· U.S. citizenship required
· Application deadline: January 5, 2011

www.orau.gov/dhsinternships
Administered by Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

UCLA RIPS - Summer Research opportunity for undergraduate students

The Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) runs a unique summer program for undergraduate students. The Research in Industrial Projects for Students (RIPS) provides an opportunity for exceptional students in math and related disciplines to work in teams on real world research projects proposed by a sponsor from industry or a national lab. Sponsors have included Pixar, Microsoft, Symantec, Los Alamos, the Aerospace Corporation, Amgen, Arete, IBM, Standard & Poor's, Jet Propulsion Lab, and many others. The RIPS web site at http://www.ipam.ucla.edu/rips/ gives the full details including a link to the online application. We encourage all bright, young students to apply, especially women and minorities.

This is an educational and very exciting two month program near the heart of Los Angeles at one of the premiere educational institutions in the United States. If accepted the program covers the student’s travel, housing and most meals, and offers a generous stipend. Students immerse themselves in research and learn how to deal with real world problems.

In addition to RIPS in Los Angeles, IPAM will offer RIPS-Hong Kong in 2011 in partnership with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.  This is an exciting opportunity for U.S. undergrads to work with students from Hong Kong / China on projects sponsored by companies based in the region.  English is the only language required for participation.  The format is the same as RIPS-LA; two American and two Chinese students will form a team.

Counseling Center Programs

The Counseling Center would like to announce 4 programs:

Test Anxiety, Monday 11/29
Cram Like Crazy,  Tuesday 11/30
Holiday Family Stress, Wednesday 12/1
Self Care During Exams, Thursday 12/2

Undergraduate Math/Statistics Workshop at SAMSI (RTP)

Two-Day Undergraduate Workshop - February 25-26, 2011

As part of its Education and Outreach Program for 2010-2011, the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) will offer a two-day undergraduate workshop on topics of current interest in statistics and applied mathematics. In addition to an overview of current and planned SAMSI Research Programs, the program topic

•    Analysis of Object Data

will be covered in some depth. This workshop will be held on February 25-26, 2011 at SAMSI. The program will begin at 9:30 AM on Friday, February 25, and will be completed by 12 noon on Saturday, February 26. Participants are urged to arrive on Thursday evening and will be able to begin their return home by 12 noon on Saturday. Applications received by Friday, January 14, 2011, will receive full consideration.

SAMSI will reimburse appropriate travel expenses as well as provide food and lodging.

Apply Here!

Following submission, a confirmation of your application will be displayed. (Print a copy for your records)

Send questions to ugworkshop2010-11@samsi.in

Spring 2011 Course: The Mathematics of Ranking and Clustering

MA 493
The Mathematics of Ranking and Clustering 
Spring 2011
Instructors: Carl Meyer and Chuck Wessell 


The results of ranking algorithms can have far-reaching consequences, from the bowl game a college football qualifies for to the placement of a web page on a search engine's result page. Data clustering, that is finding patterns in large, multi-dimensional data sets, can be the key to identifying genes associated with a disease, diagnosing cancer patients, finding patterns in different voting districts, or determining when your credit card is being used fraudulently. This course will cover the mathematics behind these two fast-growing areas. In examining ranking, we will survey many of the methods that have been developed in the last century and examine how each can be tailored to specific applications. In the clustering portion of the class, we will again survey the history of the discipline, before concentrating on more recent developments in the field including nonnegative matrix factorization and consensus techniques. 

Prerequisites: Linear Algebra (MA 305, MA 405 or equivalent), programming experience (MATLAB will be used in class lectures) 

Grading: Homework and Programming Projects

Oakridge National Laboratories: Opportunities for Undergraduate Students

Information session about opportunities ($$) at ORNL -->

Dr. Arlene Garrison, Vice President for University Partnerships of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)*, will visit NC State University on Thursday, October 28, 2010. An open session is planned for students to hear about research opportunities at National Laboratories, primarily the Department of Energy (D.O.E.), and other programs available through ORAU. Approximately 7000 individual participants are assigned each year offering unique research experiences for those who participate.

Morning session: Student opportunities focused presentation
Oct 28th, 10:00 a.m., Room 306, Cox Hall, NCSU main campus

* ORAU is a consortium of 98 Ph.D. grant institutions of higher education founded in 1946 to support university engagement with Oak Ridge National Research Laboratory (ORNL). The mission and opportunities for sponsoring institutions today goes beyond that original role to include partnership building with more than 12 federal agencies, as well as inter-institutional research collaborations. Valuable interactions can also be leveraged through the UT-Battelle partnership and the contractor programs managed by ORAU through ORISE, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

George T. Barthalmus, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Undergraduate Research
412 Clark Hall, Box 7576
NC State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7576
(919) 513-4187 Office

Navy Scholarship Opportunities

Pizza/Soda Information Session
on
Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officer Program & more

This Wednesday, October 20 at 5:30 p.m.
Room 1202 Burlington Engineering Labs
(entrance at corner of Stinson and Lampe Drives; across from Mann Hall)

To make sure we have enough pizza & sodas, confirm at
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEdscTZ4RGtBdFFoZFVZOWpYOXRDVFE6MQ

The Navy is interested  in math, nuclear engineering and physics (sophomores & above)!
Start Your Career Whilst You Study...
Have your tuition and other costs covered....

Tutors for Hire (NCSU Tutorial Center)

All interested students must be enrolled undergraduates with at least a 3.0 overall GPA and have received a B+ or better in the course(s) they want to tutor.   Required information sessions will be offered after fall break.  Please see http://www.ncsu.edu/tutorial_center/employment.htm for further details.

Tutoring for Hire

The Academic Support Program for Student Athletes are looking for
Science and Math tutors who can work with students this fall and future
semesters. 

http://aspsa.solacedev.com/student/formta

REU presentation

Invitation to Graduate School Seminar:

 REU 101:  Choosing, Making Yourself More Competitive and Making the 

Most of Your Summer Research Experience. 

Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 3:00p - 4:30p
 Talley Center Room 3118. 

(Registration Deadline: Monday, October 11, 2010, or until filled)

Register here -- https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/reu-pds
 

Admission is Free!  Seats are limited. 

RSS Feed -- how to track this blog

This blog provides a way to track posts, very similar to the way you monitor email.  A brief explanation  about how to use RSS feeds is provided at www4.ncsu.edu/~scroggs/mywebsite/RSSfeeds.pdf.

Scholarship for techincal students interested in a foreign language

Information Session on the US Department of State Critical Language Scholarship Program
Julia Sylla, Program Director

Monday, October 4
4-5:30 P.M.
Multipurpose Room, 2nd floor, Honors Village Commons Building

Interested applicants should review the full eligibility and application information on the CLS Program website at www.clscholarship.org/applicants. Arabic, Chinese, Persian, Russian, and Japanese institutes have language prerequisites, described at http://www.clscholarship.org/applicants.htm#prerequisites. The deadline to apply for the 2011 CLS Program is November 15, 2010.

State of NC Undergraduate Research Symposium at Meredith

State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS)

Meredith College is pleased to welcome the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium to campus Saturday November 20, 2010.

Important Dates

• September 10, 2010 - Call for applications and abstracts
• Registration open until OCTOBER 15nd Closes at 5:00 PM E.S.T
• November 20, 2010 - This year SNCURCS event hosted at Meredith College

link

Hertz Foundation Fellowships for Graduate Education

Up to $36,000/9 mo to support your STEM studies.

http://www.hertzfoundation.org

Financing Your Graduate Education

================================================
Invitation to Graduate School Seminar:
 "Financing Your Graduate Education"
 Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 9:00a - 11:00a
 Talley Center South Gallery
 (Registration Deadline: Monday, September 27, 2010, or until filled)
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/financinggs
Admission is Free!
=================================================

Undergraduates interested in attending graduate school and new graduate students are invited to attend an extremely informative seminar entitled "Financing Your Graduate Education" on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, from 9:00 a to 11:00 a  in the Talley Student Center South Gallery.   This panel presentation will help students discover the different sources of financial support available to them to help fund their graduate school careers with an emphasis on applying for fellowships.  Dr. David Shafer, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Richard L. Blanton, Director, University Honors Program and Professor of Plant Biology, and Marlene Schaffer, Senior Assistant Director, Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will be the speakers.

Registration is required at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/financinggs.  Registration deadline is Monday, September 27th, or until all seats are filled.

Questions or comments can be made by contacting Alison Al-Baati, Director of AGEP at alison_albaati@ncsu.edu or (919) 513.0005.  E-mail and voice messages should include your name, email address, phone number, and department.

Thanks and I hope to see you there!
Alison

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) ($ for grad school)

An updated NSF program solicitation is now available:

   Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

Undergraduate seniors planning to pursue graduate study and beginning
graduate students are eligible to apply.  See

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=6201&org=DMS

for details, and please encourage qualified students to apply. 

Full Proposal Deadline Date: November 18, 2010  for mathematical sciences applications

Synopsis of Program:

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce in the United States.  The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in fields within NSF's mission.  The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in
science and engineering research. The ranks of NSF Fellows include individuals who have made transformative breakthroughs in science and engineering research and have become leaders in their chosen careers and Nobel laureates.

Conference: SUMS @James Madison University

SECOND CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR UNDERGRADUATE PAPERS AND POSTERS

SUMS Conference
Saturday October 23, 2010
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia (about two hours west of D.C.)

The sixth annual Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (SUMS) Conference at James Madison University is a one-day undergraduate research conference that will feature:

 * undergraduate contributed talks on mathematical research
 * undergraduate and high school poster sessions on research and expository topics
 * panel sessions on REU programs, graduate school, and industry
 * a special AMC workshop for high school students and faculty
 * invited opening and closing addresses from dynamic, engaging mathematicians
For more information, to register, to apply for travel funds, submit a paper or poster, or print a conference poster, please visit www.math.jmu.edu/SUMS.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Brown (brownet@math.jmu.edu)
Laura Taalman (taal@math.jmu.edu)
SUMS Directors

AGEP-ARE

I am pleased to invite you to apply for NC State's Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate  (AGEP) Academic Research Experience (ARE).   Funded by National Science Foundation, NC State's AGEP SRE program is designed to give undergraduate students from under-represented groups research experience and professional development to help make them more competitive candidates for graduate school .  Undergraduates considering a Ph.D. in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and certain Social Sciences with a 3.2+ GPA are eligible. 

Request for Photos

We'd like to use the lobby monitors in SAS Hall to run some photos of math majors doing things they do outside of class: dancing, playing a sport, making pottery, riding a motorcycle, sailing, building a house, ROTC service, caring for a child ... whatever you do that is important to you!  Do you have a picture of yourself we could use for this?  If you do, please email it to Prof. Schecter at schecter@ncsu.edu.  He can also answer any questions you may have.  Thanks very much!

Job at Peace

Hi, I’m writing in regards to an important campus need we have currently.  I would love to see if you have a particularly helpful, personable, and professional undergraduate who would be interested in working with our students in need of added assistance in statistics and Calculus I.  8-10 hours per week of coverage is needed and students are usually paid 7.35 per hour.  It would be a great opportunity for anyone interested in teaching and/or academic support related to mathematics.  If you know of any viable candidates, could you please have them contact me at the email and/or phone number below:


Heather Yokeley, M.Ed.
Learning Services
Peace College
(919) 508-2163, 2nd Finch
hyokeley@peace.edu

Graduate Fellowship Writing Workshop

Graduate Fellowship Writing Workshop
3-5 PM, August 20, 2010
4201 SAS Hall

** Please RSVP **

Dear Mathematics Students,

I will organize a 2-hour writing workshop for graduate research fellowships on August 20, 2010.  We will focus on the NSF graduate research fellowship, but the basic ideas apply to many other possible fellowship:  (NDSEG fellowship, Hertz Foundation Fellowship, DOE Fellowship, etc.).  The awards can make a huge difference in your graduate career, freeing you from teaching responsibilities and giving you more time for research.

The NSF fellowship is available to US citizens, Nationals, and permanent residents, who are either in their final year of undergraduate school, or in their first or second year of graduate school at the time of application, and who plan on doing graduate research in science, engineering, or mathematics.  The writing workshop will focus on the three two-page essays that are required in the application:  the personal statement essay, the previous research experience essay, and the proposed plan of research essay.  You can find more details about the fellowship here:

http://www.nsfgrfp.org/

If you plan on applying for these fellowships, the time to start working on these essays is now, before the busy-ness of the Fall semester starts.

Participants to the workshop should bring drafts of their essays. Students will take turns providing constructive criticism for each others essays.  We will also have a panel of past recipients of these fellowships who will be able to answer some of your questions about applying for these fellowships.  If you don't have copies of your essays, we will find something beneficial for you to do.

** I would appreciate it if you could let me know if you plan on participating. **

See you on Friday,
Seth Sullivant

Job opportunities in our Math Multimedia Center

The Math Department hires Maple and Matlab consultants to work in our Multimedia Center.  Please contact Seyma Bennett Shabbir if you are interested.  Most positions are filled as the semester starts.

Become an NCSU Tutor!

(from previous blog) The Undergraduate Tutorial Center is currently recruiting chemistry, math, and physics tutors for summer and fall 2010!

Top 5 reasons to become a tutor:

-- solidify subject knowledge for future courses and GRE preparation
-- develop communication skills
-- develop leadership skills
-- earn money
-- prepare for future employment

All interested students must be enrolled undergraduates with at least a 3.0 overall GPA and have received a B+ or better in the course(s) they want to tutor. Required information sessions will be offered after spring break. Please see http://www.ncsu.edu/tutorial_center/employment.htm for further details.

Co-op opportunities

(from previous blog) Contact point for co-ops

Pam Floryanzia
Cooperative Education Coordinator
NC State University Cooperative Education Program
Division of Undergraduate Academic Programs
300 Clark Hall, Box 7110
Raleigh, NC 27695
919-515-4421 (Voice)
919-515-2300 (For Appointments)
pam_floryanzia@ncsu.edu (Email)

From previous blog

The following posts are taken from the WolfBlogs undergraduate blog.

Dear Colleagues,

We are happy to announce that the SEAMS Workshop (better known as Cha-Cha Days) will return to the College of Charleston, in Charleston, South Carolina, this coming Fall.

Mark the date for the weekend of September 24th to September 26th. Arrivals are expected Friday afternoon for an opening colloquium by a distinguished speaker; the workshop will take place all of Saturday and Sunday morning.

Cha-Cha Days, now in its 7th year, has continued to provide a lively forum for young scientists to report on their research progress in areas of the applied mathematical sciences, and meet senior scientists from the Southeastern US. It has been a great networking opportunity for over 300 participants to date. Cha-Cha Days has been made possible through generous funding from the National Science Foundation and the support of the organizing institutions: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the College of Charleston, The National Institute of Aerospace, and the University of Central Florida.

Your help has been fundamental for the success of the past workshops. Please send us once more your recommendations for participants in the following three categories:

1. The Junior Speakers. These are mainly selected among advanced graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in their final year. If you have an exceptional undergraduate, let us know! As in previous years, we plan to invite about 15 junior speakers.

2. The Poster Presenters. The evening poster session has been one of the highlights of the meeting, we hope to invite 25-30 poster presenters, selected from among undergraduates and graduate students.

3. The Audience. This consists mostly of graduate and advanced undergraduate students. There will also be senior members of the organizing institutions and representatives of organizations interested in recruiting from this pool of young mathematical scientists.

Also, please pass the news onto your applied mathematics colleagues at your institution and nearby ones!

If you are interested in attending, please contact Dr. Fenn.

FIRST CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR UNDERGRADUATE PAPERS AND POSTERS

SUMS Conference
Saturday October 23, 2010
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia (about two hours west of D.C.)

The sixth annual Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (SUMS) Conference at James Madison University is a one-day undergraduate research conference that will feature:

 * undergraduate contributed talks on mathematical research
 * undergraduate and high school poster sessions on research and expository topics
 * panel sessions on REU programs, graduate school, and industry
 * a special AMC workshop for high school students and faculty
* invited opening and closing addresses from dynamic, engaging mathematicians

Since its inception in 2004, the SUMS conference has grown to include over 200 participants annually. Most of these are college and university students and faculty; there is also a high school contingent.

Registration and lunch are free. Â Limited travel funds are available on a rolling application basis. Â The deadline for registration with lunch and abstract submission is October 8. We have two very exciting invited talks this year:

OPENING ADDRESS
Ravi Ramakrishna, Cornell University
Elliptic curves: What are they and why should we care?

Elliptic curves can be thought of from many points of view. Geometrically, they look like the surfaces of donuts, which are relatively straightforward objects. Arithmetically, they are extremely complex. Both the solution to Fermat's Last Theorem in the '90s and the Conjecture of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer (one of the Clay Math Institute's million dollar problems) involve elliptic curves. In this talk I will explain what it means "to look at a donut arithmetically", why other sorts of surfaces are better understood and explain relations to classical Diophantine questions going back to ... Diophantus.

CLOSING ADDRESS
Cliff Stoll, Acme Klein Bottle Company
Low Dimensional Topology for Fun and Profit - or how to extract money from the 4th dimension...

For over ten years, Acme Klein Bottle has provided nonorientable manifolds to math folk. Like much of mathematics, it's marginally profitable, but endlessly entertaining. While thousands of computer models of the Klein Bottle grace the Internet, physical models are rarely built. Using Pyrex glass and a torch, we supply the finite but unbounded demand for one-sided, R3 immersed, zero-volume, borosilicate Riemannian manifolds. So how do you make a Klein Bottle? Come to Cliff's talk and find out!

For more information, to register, to apply for travel funds, submit a paper or poster, or print a conference poster, please visit www.math.jmu.edu/SUMS.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Brown (brownet@math.jmu.edu)
Laura Taalman (taal@math.jmu.edu)
SUMS Directors

NCSU Undergraduate Mathematics

This blog replaces the old NCSU Undergraduate Mathematics Blog.