Department Notes  

Department of Mathematics and Computer Science  
Hobart and William Smith Colleges  


Algebraic Equations, Evariste Galois, and Hector Berlioz...      On Tuesday, November 10th at 4:30pm the Mathematics and Computer Science Department presents Dr. Jeff Johannes of SUNY Geneseo, who will give a talk on algebraic equations, Evariste Galois, and Hector Berlioz. This talk will unfold in three distinct sections. We will begin with a light overview of the history of solving polynomial equations before the 18th century. In the middle part, we will consider the intuitive ideas of Galois and his consideration of the solvability of polynomial equations. The talk will conclude with an extended comparison of the lives of Galois and contemporary composer Hector Berlioz. It will be a wild ride through history, mathematics, and music, assuming almost no prior knowledge. Please join us. The talk will take place in Napier 201. Refreshments will be served at 4:15 in Napier 218.


What Classes Should I Take Next Semester?...      Are you wondering what mathematics or computer science courses you should take next semester? Come hear all the interesting possibilities as the professors of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department introduce the courses they will be teaching! The presentations will be on Thursday, November 5 at 7:00pm in Napier 101. (Refreshments will be served starting at 6:45pm.)


Doing the Math (or CS) to Find the Good Jobs...      Here's a link to a Wallstreet Journal article on job rankings which may be of interest to math and computer science students. The study, by CareerCast.com evaluated 200 professions to determine the best and worst according to five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress.


HWS Students Compete in ACM Programming Contest...      Two HWS team traveled to SUNY Fredonia on Saturday October 17th to compete in the Association for Computing Machinery computer programming contest. The team of Josh Davis, Rob Hendry, and Alex Kridler took home fourth place in the contest while the team of Nate Davidoff, Marcela Melara, and Franz Hahn tied for seventh place. The annual ACM contest required student teams to design and write computer programs to solve nine problems in five hours. The regional programming competition leads to the world finals held in Harbin, China in the spring. The teams are advised by Professors John Vaughn and Marc Corliss.


Naval Undersea Warfare Center...      One of our former students, Colin Merrick, participated in the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Student Internship Program during the summer of 2008. He writes: "The link NUWC Student Internship Program is through URI since they have the government contract to hire students from colleges and universities. It is not just open to URI students. I did this internship last summer and it has now turned into a full time position. If students have any questions please feel free to pass along my email address. Also I am not sure what intern support could be used at our Sonar test range on Seneca Lake but if I hear of any thing I will past it along. This would be more for Physics students or Math students interested in signal processing." If you would like Colin's email address, contact Professor Mitchell.


News From Recent Grads...      We've heard from a number of recent graduates from the Mathematics and Computer Science Department about their careers and continuing education:


Hobart and William Smith Colleges     (See background picture)