Spring 2006 Schedule of Speakers

 

Date	Location	Speaker	Topic
February 28, 2006	Fowler 309 4:00 pm	Robert Vriesman Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies	The Beauty of Mathematics: My Approach to Teaching Mathematics
	Abstract and background: Robert Vriesman is a teacher of Mathematics at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES) in Los Angeles where he has served as Chair of the Department for the last six years.  A National Board Certified Mathematics Teacher, a  talented and respected educator, he is also a practicing musician who earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Masters’ Degree in Music.   “ …my love of the art of music lead me to another art...the art of mathematics.  The aesthetic appeal of mathematics is easily fostered in middle school and high school students.  I will talk about the need to foster this aesthetic appeal and to alleviate students fears.  I will show ways to introduce topics in a way that "sneaks up" on students before they have had a chance to develop any new anxieties.”
March 31, 2006	Fowler 309 12:30 pm	Tyler Evans Humboldt State University	On some generalizations of Fermat's, Lucas's and Wilson's theorems.
	Abstract : Mathematicians love a good counting argument, especially when applications of it yield a variety of seemingly unrelated results. In a recent (March 2005) note in the MONTHLY, the authors use a single combinatorial lemma to derive three classical divisibility results from number theory: Fermat's (little), Lucas's and Wilson's theorems. This lemma can, in turn, be derived with Burnside's theorem and an action by a cyclic group of prime order. In this talk, we generalize this lemma by considering the corresponding action by an arbitrary finite cyclic group. In so doing, we obtain three divisibility theorems for which the aforementioned classical theorems are, respectively, the cases of a prime divisor. The talk is appropriate for all undergraduate mathematics students, and those with experience in abstract algebra and number theory are particularly encouraged to attend.
April 21, 2006	Bird Studio 6:30 pm	Martin Flashman Humboldt State University	Mathematics  and Music: A Colloquium/Concert Presentation
	Professor Flashman will discuss some mathematical problems of tonality- scales and proportionality in theory and in practice as applied to the guitar. Why are there twelve tones in conventional western music? Why do individual key scales sound differently? How does the construction of a guitar effect its tonality for scales? Following the lecture presentation Professor Flashman will perform a selection of songs accompanied by himself on guitar. "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and ... The Blues" About the speaker/performer: Besides his professional interest in mathematics (Ph.D from Brandeis University), Professor Flashman has performed for many years as a folk-pop musician at numerous Humboldt County venues including restaurants, bars, county fairs, weddings and Bar Mitzvah's.