May 2007 Newsletter
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Hi, All,

In this issue of the Mathematics Undergraduate Newsletter:
- Looming Deadlines (Including Career Center events & Academic Success Workshops)
- Spring Undergraduate Colloquia
- Course Profile: Math 30 - Mathematical Problem Solving, Fall 2007
- Career Profile: Careers in Teaching
- William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition

Looming Deadlines http://www.math.ucsc.edu/undergraduate/opp/index.html

- Cal Teach Fall Internships Information Sessions - May 1, 2, 8, 9, & 15
Visit http://calteach.ucsc.edu for times and locations. Applications are due May 25 and are available at http://calteach.ucsc.edu/application.html.
- Cal Teach “Language and Learning Math” Workshop – May 7
Presented by Dr. Judit Moschkovich, Associate Professor, Mathematics Education, UCSC Education Deptmartment. Thimann Labs 391, 6:00 - 8:00pm, dinner and dessert will be served.
RSVP to Barbara Sorensen, bjsoren@ucsc.edu, and indicate your major and year at UCSC.
- Texas Instruments Demana-Waits Scholarship Application Deadline – May 11
Scholarships awarded up to $10,000 for students completing their sophomore year and pursuing a career goal of becoming a secondary school math teacher.
Visit http://www.nctm.org/about/met/demana-waits.htm.
- The 10th Annual Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium
The Division of Physical and Biological Sciences and the Jack Baskin School of Engineering are pleased to announce the Tenth Annual Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium. The symposium will be held on June 7, 2007 in the courtyard of Jack Baskin Engineering. The deadline for submitting abstracts is May 11.
Please see http://nsbo.ucsc.edu/dean/UGRSApplication2007.pdf for more information.
If you have any questions please contact Symposium Coordinators:
Physical and Biological Sciences – Paula Schneider 469-3493 or pschneider@ucsc.edu
J. Baskin School of Engineering – Virginia Carrillo 459-2868 or virginia@soe.ucsc.edu
- Rick Hooper Scholarship Application Deadline – May 12
Administered through UCSC’s Center for Global, International, and Regional Studies will award one undergraduate who demonstrates interest in one of the following:
   *Increasing understanding of the Arabic language or the Arabic-speaking or Muslim world
   *Study at a college or university in an Arabic-speaking or Muslim majority country
   *An internship in peace and conflict resolution or human rights
   *Study or work in Palestinian human rights issues
Visit http://www2.ucsc.edu/cgirs/rickhooperaward.html.
UCSC Contact: Center for Global International and Regional Studies, Room 303 Social Sciences 1, global@ucsc.edu, (831) 459-2833
- Taiwan Scholarship Application Deadline – May 31
Renewable scholarships up to $30,000 for students who want to pursue their studies in Taiwan. Scholarships can be used towards an undergraduate, master’s, or Ph.D. degree.
Visit http://www.tw.org/scholarship/SPOT.htm.

Career Center Events http://www2.ucsc.edu/careers/

- For Academic Jobs: "Higher Education & Community College: The Teaching Portfolio" – May 3
- Resume/Cover Letter Workshop – May 3, 15, 30, June 4
- Law School Info Meeting with Santa Clara, USF, & New York Law School – May 4
- Interview Workshop – May 8, 21
- For Academic Jobs: Course Design – May 10
- Internship Workshop – May 17
- Grad School Workshop – May 17, June 6

Academic Success Workshops http://www2.ucsc.edu/csas/

- Time Management, May 2, 7-8:30pm, second floor lounge, Hong-Lim Residence (F-dorm) Oakes College
- Writing the Research Paper, May 8, 2:30-4pm, McHenry Library, Room 350
- Test Anxiety, May 9, 3:15-4:45pm, BayTree Building, Conference Room

Upcoming Colloquia http://natsci2.ucsc.edu/semedit/flyer.seminar.html?x=329
Wednesday afternoons at 4:45 in Baskin Engineering 301A

Wednesday, May 2
Dr. Frank Bäuerle, UCSC Mathematics Department
Games Night: “For Sale”
The richest real estate mogul at the end of the game wins!

Wednesday, May 9
Brian Moffet
“Animating Math”
Brian Moffet will show several methods of incorporating computer animation to help visualize mathematics.

Wednesday, May 16
Christopher Gray
"A Mathematical Model of an Oscillating Chemical Reaction"

Wednesday, May 23
Dominic Dotterrer
"Braid Groups and Their Contexts in Mathematics"
Dominic will define the braid group, exhibit some of its subgroups as well as some of its actions and representations as matrix groups.

Wednesday, May 30
Chris Brumwell
“Recursion Theory”

Course Profile: Math 30 – Mathematical Problem Solving
Instructor: Bruce Cooperstein

The Mathematics Department is offering Mathematical Problem Solving in the Fall quarter, taught by Bruce Cooperstein. Mathematical Problem Solving will draw concepts from elementary logic, set theory, discrete mathematics, number theory, and abstract mathematics. We will go over strategies and tactics when working through math problems, including psychological strategies. You will learn fundamental tactics such as the search for symmetry, the extreme principle, the pigeonhole principle, and the identification of invariants.

Mathematical Problem Solving is great preparation for upper division couses, graduate school, teaching math, solving problems in other disciplines, as well as the annual Putnam Mathematical Competition. (See details about the Putnam Competition later in this newsletter.) The prerequisite for Math 30 is either Math 11A, 19A, 20A, or a Math Placement Exam score of 40 or higher.

Career Profile: Careers in Teaching

If you love to learn and want to make a difference in others' lives, then a career in teaching may be right for you. Teaching can be an extremely satisfying career full of opportunities for personal and professional development. Whether at the primary, secondary, community college, or university level, few other professions enable you to make such a positive and lasting impact on people’s lives and help shape the minds of the future. Qualified math teachers are in high demand; just last month the U.S. House of Representatives approved two bills that will raise the number of qualified math and science teachers in U.S. schools.

Public school teachers in every state are required to hold a bachelor’s degree and complete an approved teacher-training program. In California, you must take the CSET series of exams before you can enter a teaching credential program. You can waive the CSET at UCSC by completing the Mathematics Subject Matter Program.

Community college instructors are usually required to hold a Master’s degree. Some colleges in California may also require special course work or occupational expertise. Universities usually require instructors to hold Ph.D.s. While not required, education courses or practice teaching increases employment possibilities.

There are critical teacher shortages in mathematics, and there are many incentives for qualified math teachers. Incentives include loan cancellations, fellowships, grants, bonuses, and even tax credits or reduced interest rates. There are also shortages of qualified teachers in low-performing schools and there are various programs to support these teachers. Programs like Teach For America teachers receive loans, grants, and awards for teaching in the nation’s lowest-income communities. The Texas Instruments Demana-Waits Scholarship (see "Looming Deadlines" in this newsletter) awards up to $10,000.

For more information visit http://www.teachcalifornia.org/, and http://www.math.ucsc.edu/undergraduate/careers/teaching.html.

William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition

The Putnam Competition is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduates, awarding scholarships and cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500 for the top students and $5,000 to $25,000 for the top schools. The competition is funded in memory of William Lowell Putnam, who was an advocate for intercollegiate intellectual competition. The exam has been offered since 1938 and is administered by the Mathematical Association of America.

The competition takes place at the undergraduates’ university on the first Saturday of December, and consists of two three-hour sittings. Each competitor attempts to solve twelve problems, which can typically be solved with basic knowledge of college mathematics but which require extensive creative thinking. Each question is worth 10 points for a total of 120 points possible.

At each university, as many students who wish to take part in the exam may enter, but the school’s official team consists of three individuals. A team’s score is the sum of the ranks of its three-team members. The top teams and their members receive cash prizes, and the top 100 students are published in American Mathematical Monthly. The top five individual scorers are named Putnam fellows and awarded a $12,000 scholarship plus tuition for graduate study at Harvard University.

Last year there were 29 undergraduates from UCSC that participated in the competition. For those interested in competing, Math 30 – Mathematical Problem Solving is a great course to take in fall for preparation. See article above for more information on this course. If you are interested in competing in this year's Putnam competition, please contact Bruce Cooperstein at coop@ucsc.edu. For examples of past problems, see Naomi Brokaw in Baskin Engineering Room 194.

For more information on the Putnam Competition visit http://math.scu.edu/putnam/. Visit http://www.unl.edu/amc/a-activities/a7-problems/putnamindex.shtml for past problems and solutions.

--
Naomi Brokaw, Undergraduate Advisor
UCSC Mathematics Office, 194 Baskin
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Phone: 831-459-4691 Fax: 831-459-3260

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