February 2008 - People Pages

U of Iowa Department of Mathematics
Feb-March 2008
Graduate Student Newsletter
THE Σ-TIMES
What’s in Store for MGB?
MGB Exec Committee
by Paulette Willis, our fearless leader
• Chair: Paulette Willis
First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for your
support and encouragement of our currently running
programs. Because of you, our book drive has been
a success. I must admit that touches my heart. I
want to especially thank Amanda and Ian for helping
me put that together.
• Vice-Chair: Jonas Meyer
• GAUSS Co-Chairs:
Andrew Greene
Jeromy Sivek
• Gen’l Liaison: Jeff Boerner
• Int’l Liaison: Jose Velez
• Heartland Liaison:
Sam Schmidt
eral informative GAUSS seminars. Jeff
is concentrating his efforts on finding out
what additional activities you would like
us to plan. So if you have any suggestions, let him know. Last but certainly not
least, thanks Annie and Andy for a great
newsletter.
We are also working with the MESA tutoring program
and trying to establish our own math tutoring program. Jonas has been working diligently on this project, so if you are interested please see him for details.
Sam has done a great job updating our website,
http://www.math.uiowa.edu/mgb. So when you have
the chance you should check it out! Also, let Sam
know if you have any info you would like to add.
• Newsletter Co-Chairs:
Annie Meyers
Andy Mills
• Social Committee:
Pat Rhomberg
Jose is reestablishing the English Buddy Program
and handling the math T-shirts for this year. Alina
and Pat have worked tirelessly to arranged a chess
tournament, raised money for the book drive by selling candy grams, and have many other activities in
store for us. Andrew and Jeromy are planning sev-
Alina Florescu
Chess Tournament!
By Alina Florescu
The tournament took place Feb 9 at
the IMU. Jason Juett, Patrick
Rhomberg, Carlos de la Mora,
Pace Nielsen, and Jeremy (don't
know his last name yet, will email
you tomorrow), and two teens from
the community who had an event
going on at the IMU played. Jeremy
is an undergrad math major who
served as tournament director.
Because of the odd number of players, Jason Juett played as two different players at the same time.
The games were timed (10 minutes
per player), so Jason was certainly at a disadvantage, but Jason 2 still tied with Jeremy for the first
place, Jason 1 followed, then Carlos, Pace and
Patrick. Jason's national rating currently places
him as #1 in Iowa, he often competes with Jeremy, and has played Carlos too in official tournaments. Everyone had a blast and it was suggested
that we have another round of chess on a week-
night in Muhly Lounge. Please contact the
MGB social chairs Pat Rhomberg and Alina
Florescu if you might be interested in participating, or have any suggestions. We would
like to thank the UI Hawkeye Chess Club for
providing us with boards and clocks.
The S-times
What are the Joint Mathematics Meetings?
We asked Jen Froelich to talk to us about the Joint
Mathematics Meetings. Here's what she had to
say:
What are the Joint Mathematics Meetings?
They are a joint meeting of the AMS, MAA, SIAM,
and a few other mathematics organizations. I've
been to four Meetings so far.
When are the Meetings?
They take place during the First week of January,
and usually last for about 4 days.
Why would someone want to attend?
There are a few reasons. First, networking: you
have the opportunity to meet people in your research area, from other institutions, or from organizations that you may be a member of.
Second, you can give a talk if you wish. This is a
chance to give a talk at a national meeting, or if
that's too high-pressure for you, you can present a
poster. The MAA and the AWM give funding for
these talks, and abstracts are due in September
from anyone who may be interested.
It's also nice to listen to talks in the research area
you're interested in. The whole experience is really
fun. It tends to be a kind of bonding experience for the
students in the department, and it's near to see a new
place. The Meetings are usually in a really great city.
Lastly, there is an employment center at the Meetings,
and lots of institutions use it, especially for teaching
positions. It's a good way to get interviews outside the
employment center, and I'd recommend doing that the
January before you graduate.
When is a good time to go?
As soon as you can! You especially want to go before
your last year so that you know how the employment
center works. It can be overwhelming when there are
400-plus applications for one position, and sometimes
getting your application looked at may come down to
who you know! (Remember what I said about networking!)
Anything else we should know?
Apply for funding; it is out there! A couple of sources
A Day at the Meetings
By Jitty Stehnova
Imagine the biggest gathering of mathematicians
on this planet. That is one way to describe the Joint
Meetings, but let me give you the details of one day
in San Diego this year.
7 : 00am - Leaving the hotel room. I get on the
elevator in my suit, stand politely in the corner and
listen to two older gentlemen discussing Tao’s
upcoming talk this afternoon. I would like to share
my itsy bitsy knowledge about the subject but the
two are oblivious to any surroundings - yes, I am
definitely at the Joint Meetings again.
7 : 15am - There are about 25 people lined up
for Starbucks coffee, but I stubbornly refuse to
leave without my morning caffeine fix. I spot a few
other graduate students - all in suits - looking as
nervous as I feel.
7 : 30am - Checking in at the Employment
Center. It’s buzzing with professors and graduate
students. I find my folder and head over to the
information table to find out where schools I am
interviewing with later in the day set up their tables,
so I do not get lost in the maze of 50 tables. Some
of the professors are already there when I walk up
to the table so rather than flee as my instincts urge
me, I introduce myself. “But you don’t interview with
us till 2pm in the afternoon?” (Duh, I KNOW that!)
Less than 20 seconds later, I make a polite excuse
and surrender to my rabbit-like instincts.
8 : 00am - My AMS Special Session starts. I
am going over my talk for 3,000,000th time. My
advisor makes sure to tell me he asked this and
that a really good professor is to come and listen to
my talk - I feel like fainting, maybe it’s the suit? Dr.
Bleher is talking right before me, but all I can think
about at that point is 15 minutes to go, 10 minutes
to go, 5 minutes, 2, 1…
Page 2
to consider: The math department, GSS, WISE, AWM, and
MAA. Next year's meeting is January 5-8, 2009 in Washington, D.C.! Check out the website about this year's
meeting at http://www.ams.org/amsmtgs/2109_intro.html
(and next year's is at /2110_intro.html)
Jen Froelich, Giovanna Llosent, Leonida Ljumanovic,
Le Gui, and Jitty Stehnova at this year’s Joint Meetings
10 : 25am - MY TALK. Connecting my computer and pulling up my talk – it does not want
to work. It worked yesterday, so what’s
wrong??? I am using all my computer knowledge to make it run - nothing. I still have about
two minutes before the official start when I
finally remember Ben Galluzzo’s advice about
switching screen formats for Beamer presentations...bingo, the projector screen lights up. I
look up, find those familiar Iowa faces among
the crowd, take a deep breath and start...
11 : 00am - The talk is over! Now, I only
have to survive those interviews. I have time till
2pm, so I check out a few other special sessions, get introduced to a few other professors,
talk to our current and former graduate students, check my email, check my folder at the
Employment Center three different times (just in
case:) and finally get some food with Leonida,
Jen and Giovanna. Everywhere I go, I am surrounded by mathematicians - ladies discussing
Monte Carlo simulations at the computer center, a group of graduate students debating over
the Twin Prime Conjecture by the message
board, another group of students sharing their
find interview experiences, a professor I know
that does not for sure remember my name
explaining to someone Gelfand-Tsetlin patterns
- I am trying very hard to follow and then come
up with something smart to say and join in the
conversation but my brain goes into cache
memory overflow after first 30 seconds.
2 : 00pm - My first interview! Actually more
pleasant than I expected, some interesting
questions came up: “What do you not like about
our school?” (Well, I cannot say that other
schools do this better, nor I can say that I like
everything...ok think positively, think positively,
think positively...oh here it is, I got it!) “...”
3 : 00pm - Done with interview - I feel slightly
brainwashed. I have no more interviews today;
the rest of them are nicely spread over next few
days. All right, going on with the same business check my email, check my folder, go to special
sessions and other talks recommended by my
advisor, introduce myself to professors after their
presentations, try to understand as much as
possible what they are talking about, explain my
research, answer their questions regarding the
research topic they choose (“Oh please don’t ask
me anything I don’t know!!!”)...
6 : 00pm - Meeting with David Manderscheid
(my advisor). He is scratching half of my work I
have done over the last three weeks and wants
me to fix it – soon-- “How about another meeting
tomorrow?” “Sure” (!#$&%#!$!!!)
7 : 00pm - Graduate Student Reception Finally some friendly faces, want to get rid of my
suit and would like to throw my shoes from a
balcony at our hotel room on the 20th floor! I am
trying to organize some Iowa grad students and
head to the restaurant together. We settle down
on Baja Rocking Lobster Restaurant and Ian,
laughing at my “Baja” pronunciation, is booking a
table for us.
8 : 30pm - We are waiting for the food forever.
All tables around us are occupied by other math
groups. I can’t figure out why I am so tired or so
cold. It’s raining and cold in San Diego but I
guess still better than snow and -2F back at
Iowa.
10 : 30pm - Back in the hotel room, ironing
another suit and going over some information
regarding schools I am interviewing with tomorrow.
11 : 00pm - Trying to do some research for
tomorrow’s meeting...not very successfully...my
brain goes on strike and refuses to negotiate.
?pm/am - So exhausted - 3 more days of this!
U of Iowa Department of Mathematics
A CALENDAR!
FEBRUARY!
2/21 – Attendance lists due in OSIRIS by 5 pm.
APRIL!
2/29 – Degree applications due for May graduates.
4/5 – Sonia Kovalevsky day! For more info see
http://math.uiowa.edu/events/kovalevskyday.htm
MARCH!
3/1 – High School Math Competition for more
info contact Prof. Muhly,
pmuhly@math.uiowa.edu
4/7- MGB General Meeting, all are welcome! 4:30,
Muhly Lounge
3/3—MGB General Meeting, all are welcome!
4:30 Muhly Lounge
3/15 – Spring Break begins!
3/24 – Spring Break ends!
3/27 – Midterm class lists due in OSIRIS by 5
pm.
3/28-3/30 – Visitors’ Weekend – potential students visit! For more info contact Prof. Anderson, dan-anderson@uiowa.edu, or Paulette,
pnwillis@math.uiowa.edu
If you have any events going on that you would
like announced in subsequent newsletters
(published monthly) please let Annie
(almeyers@math.uiowa.edu) or Andy (Andrewmills@uiowa.edu) know!
Q: What is your favorite math joke?
Jon Preisser
ex is sitting at home when all of
a sudden there's a knock on his
door. It's his buddy Constant,
all out of breath. “Help me!
There's a derivative in that
alley over there, and he threatened to turn me into nothing!”
ex replies, “Don't worry, he can't
hurt me. I'll straighten him
out.” ex rushes over to the alley,
where he sees Mr. Derivative
lying in wait. “Hey!” ex says,
“You threatened to turn my
buddy Constant into nothing!
Well, if you wanna keep that up,
you're gonna have go through
me!”
Charlie Frohman
Paul Drube
Tim Gillespie
Why didn't Newton invent
group theory?
Why did they put Cauchy's dog
to sleep?
Because he wasn't Abel.
Because he left a residue at
every pole.
I was at this party one time, and
all the functions were there!
There was sin(x), polynomials, ln
(x), and even the old school functions like the greatest integer
function. Everyone's having a
good time, when I noticed the
exponential function crying in the
corner. “Go on,” I said, “integrate
yourself into the party!” “Why?”
replied ex. “It's not going to make
any difference!”
Derivative eyes ex. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah! And you can't possibly
hurt me! I'm ex!”
“You must not know who I am.
I'm d/dy!”
Page 3
The Sum-Times
A GAME!
(recommended for use during seminar…)
More at: http://www.nikoli.com/en
A COMIC!
xkcd by Randall Munroe
The MGB Newsletter is created/distributed by Annie Meyers and Andy Mills.
Questions, submissions, ideas, and the like can be sent to us at: mgbnewsletter@gmail.com
http://www.xkcd.com