FULLERTON COLLEGE
Math Colloquium and Math Seminars
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On the Thursday prior to the start of the Fall 2024 semester (precise date TBA), 9am-3pm (lunch break from 11:45am-12:30pm), we will hold our annual Fall Mathematical Science Mini-Conference via Zoom. Prospective participants should email Dr. Dana Clahane, organizer, in order to receive a Zoom link at least 24 hours before the mini-conference starts. At the conference, Dr. Clahane will take questions about the six Math Seminar classes we offer, and most if not all of the session will be a workgroup session on the open problem of finding how many positive integers are less than their tangents.
Students who are interested in working as paid summer research interns should consult mathprograms.org and should seriously consider enrolling in one of our two-unit Math Seminar courses: Math 290F/290HF Pure/Honors Pure Math Seminar, Math 291F/291HF Applied/Honors Applied Math Seminar, and Math 295F/295HF General/Honors General Math Seminar for 2 units of transferable (CSU/UC) credit for giving talks on unsolved problems in math, writing a mini-thesis on such a problem, and fully participating in math competitions (the AMATYC Student Math League and Putnam Competition). Dr. Clahane's paid NSF REU Summer internship placement success rate for students who have completed at least one Seminar course is 100%.
It is very wise to get exposure to proving your mathematical work is correct, and the Seminar courses are a great complement to a solid other math course you are taking. Do so if you want to be competitive with other students once you are in upper division courses. It's wise to think this way rather than to be a mere GPA chaser at a community college.
More Details
IF AT LEAST 12 STUDENTS REGISTER/ENROLL BY THE FIRST MONDAY OF THE SEMESTER, THEN FC WILL ONCE AGAIN HOST THE
Joint Meetings of the FC Math Colloquium and Math Seminar Courses
FALL 2024
Tuesdays
4:30-6:35pm
Location: North Science Building 600, Room 624
FOCUSED POTENTIAL RESEARCH TOPICS: TBA: Large Values of Tangent, the Mathematics of Neural Networks, Atiyah's Claimed Todd Map, Control Theory, Evolution Algebras, or other topics depending on the interests and background of the participants.
NO Prerequisite mathematics is required for enrollment into these courses. Any student at any level of math preparation, no matter how low, can take a Seminar course and do well, and ALL students can choose to take Honors Seminar courses now - you are strongly encouraged to take the Honors courses instead of the regular sections.
These Math Seminars are designed to introduce students to and engage them in open/unsolved problems in mathematical science, while improving students' ability to read and write higher-level mathematics proofs. Contact Dr. Clahane at dclahane@fullcoll.edu for more details or for answers to questions you may have.
REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED for you to participate! Just show up! But registering is a good idea and increases your chances of getting into a paid REU internship and graduate school beyond transfer. The research, scientific typesetting, and presentation skills that you learn in these Seminars may make them the most useful classes you ever take.
Choose any of the following courses (they all meet at the same time, with the same instructor, same Room as above).
MATH 290 PURE MATH SEMINAR/MATH 290H HONORS PURE MATH SEMINAR
MATH 291 APPLIED MATH SEMINAR/MATH 291 HONORS APPLIED MATH SEMINAR
MATH 295 GENERAL MATH SEMINAR/MATH 295H HONORS GENERAL MATH SEMINAR
For a sample syllabus and grading policy, see
http://staffwww.fullcoll.edu/dclahane/courses/mathseminars.html
2 units, CSU/UC Transferable credit
If YOU ENCOUNTER ANY PROBLEMS REGISTERING, IMMEDIATELY CONTACT DR. CLAHANE so that he can assist you.
Location and Parking: Fullerton College is located at 321 E. CHAPMAN, FULLERTON, CA 92832-2095. The North Science Building (600) is the building just east of the library. Please help yourself to these directions to and maps of campus. Visitors can park in any student lot as long as they purchase and correctly display a valid daily parking permit, available at kiosks in the parking lots.
Funding: The outside faculty speaker honoraria have been instutionalized as of Spring 2017 and are provided by the Math & Computer Science Division. Lunch for all William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition participants is also now permanently funded by the Math & Computer Science Division
Also, later in Fall 2024 and every Fall thereafter:
WILLIAM LOWELL PUTNAM MATHEMATICAL COMPETITION
Saturday, December 7
8am-4pm
Lunch 1-2pm provided by the Math & Computer Science Division - students should register in advance by emailing Dr. Clahane no later than October 10, but advance registration is only required if you want lunch to be served to you that day.
This is a six-hour, two part exam consisting of twelve challenging math problems that test student mastery of mathematical skills needed for success in higher level mathematics - the competition is held throughout the USA and Canada and is appropriate for students who have had or who are enrolled in calculus.
See the link at the left side bar link for more details, to be posted shortly, or see the above google calendar for practice and competition locations.
MORE INFORMATION AND OLD EXAMS/OUTLINES OF SOLUTIONS can be found in Prof. K.S. Kedlyaya's "Putnam Archive" at http://kskedlaya.org.
WHAT HAPPENS AT THE MATH COLLOQUIA?
Updates by students who have made progress on their research projects
Talks by mathematicians on unsolved problems that college students can explore, including special guest university and four-year college mathematics faculty and researchers and scientists in mathematics in industry.
Discussions of Putnam, AMATYC Competition, and College Math Journal/Math Magazine problems
Training on how to find problems, make new discoveries, and clearly talk/write papers on the results.
A lively, friendly, supportive atmosphere that is comfortable and welcoming to persons of all backgrounds and abilities.
Continued development of an unsolved problems website that contains self-contained explanations that can be understood by anyone at any level, for each problem presented (under construction).
Communication of interesting historical information related to math and its applications.
Most importantly, encouragement of ALL students and faculty, regardless of your background and/or so-called "ability" in mathematics, gender, ethnicity, age, past experience in math or socioeconomic status, to take a look at what is unknown by starting a research project with a faculty member and carrying it on as long as you can - you do not need to be a math expert or a math major or a math "whiz" (a term Dr. Clahane hates and believes is mythical) in order to make important discoveries in mathematical science.
ONLINE RESOURCES FOR PRESENTATIONS