Department Notes  

Department of Mathematics and Computer Science  
Hobart and William Smith Colleges  


Welcome Malcolm Wallace King...      Professor Erika King and her husband Charles King are the proud new parents of Malcolm Wallace King. Malcolm was born on May 7, 2008 at 1 am and weighed 7lbs, 10.5 oz and is 21 inches tall.

Malcolm and Mom
Malcolm and Mom

Games 4 Girls...      The results for the 2007 Games 4 Girls contest (sponsored by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) have been announced:

  • 1st place: Skip Tracer (Arizona)
  • 2nd place: Snogard's Tale 2 (Ohio State)
  • 3rd place: Extreme Girl (William Smith)
  • Honorable mentions: Self-defense (Michigan)
The team consisted of Lisa Maticic, Franchessca Branlund, Meghan Cox, Katelyn Tyson, and Sara Young. (In addition to fame, third place also comes with a fairly substantial monetary prize.) Thanks to Professor Bridgeman for organizing the team. Last year's team also placed third nationally.

In Memoriam: Professor Abigail Mosey...      Abigail Mosey Abigail Mosey, a valued member of the mathematics faculty from 1944 – 1991, died February 18, 2008, in Geneva. Mosey earned her baccalaureate from Nazareth College in 1936 and her M.A. from Syracuse University in 1944. She began her career at the Colleges in 1944, as a replacement instructor in the Navy's V-12 program. She became a full-time instructor in 1946, assistant professor in 1954, associate professor in 1958, and full professor of mathematics in 1979.

Provost Walter Durfee described her as "one of the best teachers the department had in my 40 years of experience." She always sought experiences which would broaden her value as a teacher and counselor for whom, according to a former student, "learning and life were fully integrated." A faculty peer stated that, "her dedication to her teaching, her loyalty to the Colleges and her concern for the well-being of each of her students are outstanding." Mosey’s enthusiasm, intellect, patience and understanding touched generations of students during her 47-year career at the Colleges. She received the Faculty Prize for Teaching in 1978. The Abigail Mosey Book Prize was established in 1980 with gifts from alumni and alumnae and is awarded to a student for generosity in helping others to learn and appreciate mathematical ideas.

In 1996, the Alumni Association of Hobart College and the Alumnae Association of William Smith College jointly awarded Mosey the Distinguished Faculty Award.

Cornell Summer Math Institute...      We expect to run the Summer Math Institute (SMI) at Cornell in 2008 (June 7-August 2). The SMI Program's primary purpose is to better prepare undergraduates, particularly women and underrepresented minorities, for the rigors of beginning courses in Ph.D. programs in the mathematical sciences. The main component of SMI in 2008 is an analysis course at a level comparable to Cornell's honors undergraduate analysis course. There is also a project component to SMI. Detailed information is available at http://www.math.cornell.edu/~smi/ Please circulate this information to interested students in your department. It is expected that applicants have taken at least one course in advanced calculus, analysis, topology, or complex analysis. Students who will graduate during the 2007-2008 academic year are eligible to apply. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents.

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:

  • Jenn Zaleski '07 (Math) completed a Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Biostatistics at the University of Washington. She now works as a statistician for the USDA-NASS at the New England field office in Concord, NH. You can see one of her first reports on line .
  • Colin Merrick '00 (Math) led the NY Yacht Club Team Silver Panda to a U.S. Team Champoinship in October, 2007. Merrick was a former assistant sailing coach for HWS and a three-time All-American ICYRA while a student.
  • David Sugar '02 (CS) is now in his second year in the position of Helpdesk/Database Manager at The Boys' Latin School of Maryland (where he also attended high school).
  • Brooke Atwood '07 (Math) has accepted a postion with ACE USA iInsurance Underwriter in Atlanta, GA. She worked for the summer at the Cornell-New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva assisting one of the researchers with data mining.
  • Rick Beyer '07 (CS) has accepted a postion with Meditech in Framingham, MA. He starts the new position - programmer development - on September 17.
  • Chris Hagar '07 (Math) is employed at a small niche company that does search engine optimization and analyzes Web services, with clients like Yahoo and AOL.
  • Liane Gray '07 (CS) is now working as a programmer for SYSTRA in Lebanon, NH.
  • Lindsay Brown '06 (Math) is teaching middle school mathematics in Mammoth Lakes, CA (beginning in August).
  • Leya Tesmenitsky '04 (Math/Biochemistry) is finishing her masters in mathematics at Clarkson and will be going to the University of Buffalo for her PhD.
  • Carla Delucia '05 (Math) has accepted a position as a Financial Aid Counselor at Fisher College in Boston, MA. She is also teaching a college algebra course there as well.
  • Phil Fiero '06 (Math) has been hired as a Client Analyst at Health Dialog. He uses statisitics to analyze claim data and delivers the results to client healthcare companies. He works in Boston and Portland (ME).
  • Pamaela Kirby '06 (Math and Chem) is working at Cato-Meridian High School (less than an hour from Geneva). Pamela teaches two sections of Regents chemistry with all of the labs that go with it as well as two classes of Chemistry in the Community.
  • Amanda Allen '06 (Math) who was teaching 7th graders Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 at Sudbrook Magnet Middle School in Maryland just had her first child in September.
  • Mike Tien '06 has entered a Masters of Public Health program at the University of Southern California.
  • Brian Lenihan '03 (CS) is currently working for the Florida Panthers (NHL) as a Video Editor and Music Director.
  • Derrick Moore '05 (Math/Physics) is in his second year of Law School at Cornell University after working for a year at HWS as the Math Intern.
  • Karl Brautigam '04 (CS) writes: "Back in April '07, I left NBC Universal to take an interactive marketing post at Warner Bros. Entertainment (part of Time Warner – they own everything from TMZ.com, Time Magazine, AOL, Sports Illustrated, Warner Bros., DC Comics/Mad Magazine, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and many other media properties). In my new role (as an interactive marketing analyst), I handle all of the web site tracking/analytics for WB Pictures’ domestic theatrical films as well as overall digital research for the interactive marketing division."
  • Dana Olanoff '99 (Math/Classics) who taught here from 2003 to 2005 is completing her Ph.D. in mathematics education at Syracuse University.

Opportunities for CS and Math Majors...      There are a number of summer programs as well as other work and study opportunities mathematics and computer science students. Follow the link below to find out more about them. View opportunities.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges     (See background picture)