November 2006 Newsletter
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Hi, All,

In this issue of the Mathematics Undergraduate Newsletter:
- The Math Undergraduate Lounge
- Looming Deadlines (Including Career Center events)
- November Undergraduate Colloquia
- Course Profile: Math 130, Celestial Mechanics, Winter 2007
- Career Profile: Math and Science Film Consulting
- Applying to Teaching Credential Programs


Math Undergraduate Lounge, Update

Baskin 269 is set aside for Mathematics undergraduates to gather for small study groups, hold meetings of interest to other Math students, or study on their own. There are two small rooms, one large table and one small one, several desks, and a blackboard. We're a bit short on chairs right now, but we're working on that, and we'll also be mounting a bulletin board for timely undergraduate notices.


Looming Deadlines

- National Physical Science Consortium Fellowship Application Deadline - November 5
Visit http://www.npsc.org/students/.
- Teach For America Application Deadline - November 5
Visit http://www.teachforamerica.org/.
- Cal Teach Winter Internships Application Deadline - November 15
Visit http://calteach.ucsc.edu/info.html.
- UC Center in Sacramento Internship Winter 2007 Application Deadline - November 17
Visit http://intern.ucsc.edu/uccs.html.
- Goldwater Scholarship nomination packet due PB Sci. Dean's Office - January 8
Scholarships up to $7,500.
For nomination packets visit http://www.act.org/goldwater. The nomination packets are quite extensive. Start the process for completing the application at least one month prior to the due date.


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

- Graduate/Professional School Information - November 17, 27, & 30
- Selecting an Internship Workshop - November 6 & 16
- Resume & Cover Letter Workshop - November 8 & 30
- Job Interviewing Techniques - November 14


Upcoming Colloquia http://natsci2.ucsc.edu/semedit/flyer.seminar.html?x=310

Wednesday, November 8
Barbara Sorensen and Gretchen Andreason,
UCSC's Cal Teach and California Math & Science Teaching Program
"Undergraduate Exploration of Teaching Careers"
Abstract: Are you interested in teaching Math? Barbara and Gretchen will discuss the California Teach program here at UCSC.

Wednesday, November 15
Dominic Dotterrer
UCSC Mathematics Department
"Spectral Analysis on a Generalized Zig-Zag Product of Graphs"
Abstract: We will discuss the definition of the zig-zag product that generalizes the whole category of directed multigraphs, infinite or finite, regular or not.

Wednesday, November 22
No colloquium (Thanksgiving)

Wednesday, November 29
Dr. Frank Bäuerle, Lecturer, UCSC Mathematics Department
Games Night: "Twixt"
Abstract: Twixt is a two-player abstract strategy game and a member of the connection game family.


Course Profile: Math 130 - Celestial Mechanics
Instructor: "Richard Montgomery"

The Mathematics Department is offering Celestial Mechanics in the winter quarter. Celestial mechanics is the science of the motion of celestial bodies under the influence of gravitational forces. It usually describes and predicts motions in the solar system, both of natural bodies such as planets, satellites, asteroids, and comets, and of artificial bodies such as space probes. It can also be applied to small stellar systems.

This class solves the two-body (or Kepler) problem, and then moves onto the N-body problem where there are many open problems. The class includes central force laws; orbital elements; conservation of linear momentum, energy, and angular momentum; the Lagrange-Jacobi formula; Sundman's theorem for total collision; virial theorem; the three-body problem; Jacobi coordinates; solutions of Euler and of Lagrange; and the restricted three-body problem. Prerequisites for this class are courses 19A-B and either course 23A or Physics 5A or 6A. Courses 21 and 24 strongly recommended. Enrollment is limited to 35 students.

For more information visit:
http://www.dynamical-systems.org/threebody/info.html


Career Profile: Math and Science Film Consulting

Harvard professor Jonathan Farley is an award-winning scholar, but he wouldn't mind being known as a Hollywood mathematician. Inspired by the box-office success of math-themed movies like "A Beautiful Mind" and "Good Will Hunting," Farley figured there was a growing demand in Hollywood for experts who can make sure the numbers add up on the screen. Farley and colleague Lizzie Burns founded a consulting company to offer their expertise to television producers and filmmakers - and hit it big with his first client, the CBS drama "Numb3rs," which stars Rob Morrow as an FBI agent who recruits his mathematical genius brother to help solve crimes. Farley believes his company - Hollywood Math and Science Film Consulting - fills an unmet need.

Farley has recruited some of his colleagues, including Harvard postdoctoral fellow Anthony Harkin, to serve as consultants. Harkin said mathematicians love to police television programs and movies for errors. One of the most famous, he added, comes from the The Wizard of Oz. "When the scarecrow gets his brain, he incorrectly states the Pythagorean theorem," Harkin said. "If any mathematician had looked at it, they could have easily fixed that flaw."

Farley gives high marks to the makers of "Numb3rs" for what he says is an accurate portrayal of how mathematicians work and interact with each other. "Getting the math right is very important to our creators," said Andy Black, a researcher for the show. "We do want to have that kind of credibility." The show also works closely with Gary Lorden, who chairs the math department at the California Institute of Technology, and one of Lorden's graduate student's hands filled in for those of the math genius played by David Krumholtz. Farley is banking on mathematics consulting in Hollywood. "More and more projects are featuring math on the forefront," Farley's agent said. "It's the Hollywood bandwagon mentality."


Applying to Teaching Credential Programs

Before you can enter a teaching credential program in California, you must pass a series of CSET (California Subject Exam for Teachers) exams and the CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills for Teaching) exam. You should have completed the exams and have the results to turn in with your application (which may be due as early as January; see below). Some schools may allow you to apply and then prove you passed the exams by early June, but it is not recommended to do so. To have your test scores back by the application deadline, you need to register at least two months in advance. CSET and CBEST exams are offered six times a year. Your scores will be sent out about one month after the test date.

Visit these web sites for more information and to register for an exam: http://www.cset.nesinc.com/ and http://www.cbest.nesinc.com/.

Timeline
November/December- Application for Teach for America due November 5th. Register for December CBEST exams. Register for January CSET exams. CBEST exam offered in December. Request applications from schools you are interested in.
January- CSET exams offered. Register for February CBEST exam. Applications for credential programs at most UCs are due.
February- CBEST exam offered. Register for March CSET exams.
March/April- Applications for most teacher intern programs due. CSET exams offered in March. Register for April CBEST exam. Applications for credential programs at most CSUs are due. CBEST exam offered in April.
May- CBEST exam offered. Deadline to send in your CSET scores to the schools you applied to.
**Note: These are just guidelines, and each school has its own specific deadlines, so contact the school you are applying to for more information. Some schools may let you wait to take the CSET within the first semester of the program.


--
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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