Current Headlines
- MATHEMATICIAN ANALYZES MYSTERIOUS OPENING CHORD IN "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT"
 Jason Brown (Dalhousie University) is in the news for his work analyzing the opening chord of the Beatles' song "A Hard Day's Night." The exact nature of the chord, played by George Harrison, was a mystery for 40 years, but Brown used a Fourier transform to analyze the frequencies and solve the mystery. He found an F note in the opening sound that could not be played on Harrison's 12-string guitar and deduced that the note was part of a piano chord played along with the guitar. Brown is also researching other aspects of the Beatles' music, including Harrison's guitar solo in the same song--which he concluded was recorded at half-speed and then sped up in the studio--and whether it was John Lennon or Paul McCartney who wrote "In My Life"--which both artists claimed to have written. On math and music, Brown says, "Music and math are not really that far apart. ... The best music is analytical and pattern-filled and mathematics has a lot of aesthetics to it. They complement each other well." The Halifax Chronicle Herald has more about Brown and his research. (Photo at left: Jason Brown, and his guitar, by Danny Abriel.)
- FEATURE COLUMN and MATH IN THE MEDIA--NOVEMBER ISSUES
This month's Feature Column is "From Bézier to Bernstein," by Bill Casselman. "Bézier curves are ubiquitous in computer graphics. They were introduced implicitly into theoretical mathematics long before computers, primarily by the French mathematician Charles Hermite and the Russian mathematician Sergei Bernstein. But it was only the work of Pierre Bézier, an employee of the automobile maker Renault, and of Paul de Casteljau, of Citroen, that made these curves familiar to graphics specialists... " November Math in the Media includes Tony Phillips' Take on Samurai mathematician, The diagonalization of physics, Science goes to MathFest, and Math meets the campaign ad on YouTube. Also in Math in the Media are Math Digest summaries of recent press coverage of math, including "Knot or not?", by Richard Elwes, in New Scientist, 18 October 2008. (Image to left: Knot design by Rob Scharein, just one of the thousands of decorative knots included with KnotPlot software. See the KnotPlot website.)
- MATHEMATICIAN ON "SINGING ROAD" TEAM
A team including musician/mathematician Paul Du Gre worked on "The Civic Project: Musical Road" -- a project that developed a rumble strip on a road in Lancaster, CA that when driven over (at 55 mph) sounded like the "William Tell Overture." Du Gre notes that the measured slits in the road (varying grooves) became data to to create the tones. The road was paved over so the strip no longer exists, but you can view videos of the Honda commercials that describe the process (and videos--of the production and the reaction--can also be found on YouTube).
- MATHEMATICS AT THE 2008 NATIONAL SACNAS CONFERENCE
 See photos of the student poster presenters and the Who Wants to Be a Mathematician game, and read about Ken Golden's talk "Mathematics of Sea Ice to Help Predict Climate Change" and other math sessions and events at the conference.
- A FAMOUS MATHEMATICAL CASINO?
"The casino is at Monte Carlo. And there is a very useful scheme mathematicians use called the Monte Carlo method. It
makes use of random numbers to draw conclusions which can't be found any other way. For example, if you want to know how long a queue will get at the local bank or grocery store, you run thousands of 'experiments' on your computer. It uses random numbers to choose times for customers to arrive, and times for customers to be served. After repeating this thousands of times, you can see how often there are 1 or 2 or 3 or 8 or 15 or any number of customers in the line..." Read more in the latest issue of the free humorous math newsletter, The Gnarly Gnews.
- NOTICES OF THE AMS--NOVEMBER ISSUE
 The November issue of Notices of the AMS includes feature articles "Möbius Tranformations Revealed," by Douglas N. Arnold and Jonathan Rogness, and "Cross-Cultural Analysis of Students with Exceptional Talent in Mathematical Problem Solving," by Titu Andreescu, Joseph A. Gallian, Jonathan M. Kane, and Janet E. Mertz. Also in the issue: "WHAT IS...a Cross Ratio?" by François Labourie, and another installment of "Ask Professor Nescio."
- 2008 TRJITZINKSY AWARDS
Seven undergraduate students will receive $3000 each from the AMS through the Waldemar J. Trjitzinsky Memorial Fund. The students and their schools are:
*Faith L. Buell, Wright State University
*Phillip David Lorren, Georgia Southern University
*Amanda J. Mueller, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
*Hans Parshall, Humboldt State University
*Aaron Peterson, Luther College
*Daksha Shakya, Ithaca College
*Joseph Zancocchio, College of Staten Island, City University of New York
The fund is made possible by a bequest from the estate of Waldemar J., Barbara G. and Juliette Trjitzinsky, which stipulates that the income from the bequest should be used to assist needy students who may be in danger of not completing the degree program in mathematics for financial reasons. The AMS chose seven geographically distributed schools in a random drawing from the pool of the Society's institutional members, and the mathematics departments at those schools then chose the students to receive the funds to assist them in pursuit of careers in mathematics.
- AMS PUBLISHER'S DISCOUNT SALE
 Save 50% to 75% on hundreds of titles across all areas of mathematics.
- MATHEMATICAL MOMENTS 2008
 See the most recent Mathematical Moments:
*Improving Stents
*Restoring Genius (rediscovering the works of Archimedes)
*Spinning at Infinity (simulating colliding black holes)
*Steering Towards Efficiency (NASCAR and non-race cars) and
*Getting it Together (collective motion)
which are part of eight Mathematical Moments being mailed to college and university departments nationwide. In addition to reading about applications of math, you can also listen to researchers talk about their work. Hear mathematician Kevin Short (University of New Hampshire) talk about what it's like to win a Grammy Award,
physicist Diandra Leslie-Pelecky (University of Texas at Dallas) discuss how math is used by NASCAR engineers, and mathematician Ken Golden (University of Utah) relate his adventures in the Arctic and Antarctic as he seeks to understand the properties of sea ice.
- THE GEOMETRY OF 3-MANIFOLDS
The Geometry of 3-Manifolds is a lecture by Harvard University professor and Fields Medalist Curtis T. McMullen on the Poincaré conjecture, which can be viewed online. The video is divided into sections, including an introduction and a question-and-answer segment. The lecture was part of Harvard's Science Center Research Lecture Series. Other lectures, such as Evolutionary Dynamics by Martin Nowak and Solving Cubic Equations by Benedict H. Gross and William A. Stein, are also available online.
- CROCHETING LORENZ MANIFOLDS
 Dr. Hinke Osinga and Professor Bernd Krauskopf (Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol) have turned the famous Lorenz equations into a beautiful real-life object, by crocheting computer-generated instructions of the Lorenz manifold: all crochet stitches together define the surface of initial conditions that under influence of the vector field generated by the Lorenz equations end up at the origin; all other initial conditions go to the butterfly attractor that has chaotic dynamics. See more information, the crochet pattern and mounting instructions, and read a summary of recent articles on knitting and crocheting mathematical objects.
- CHECK OUT THESE WEBSITES:
- WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE FICTIONAL MATHEMATICIAN?
The PLUS Magazine Blog asks the question and invites readers to pick from among a list of 18 fictional characters. The Square (Flatland)? Charlie Eppes (Numb3rs)? Professor Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes)? You can also view the results of the poll, which re-calculates on an ongoing basis the voter favorites. And if your favorite character isn't on the list you can submit a comment to the blog editors.
- L'EXPLOSION DES MATHEMATIQUES
 The Société Mathématique de France (French Mathematical Society) has translated into English "L'explosion des mathématiques," an illustrated booklet on the many applications of mathematics. Chapters include "What lies behind mobile phones," "Preventing waves from making noise," "From DNA to knot theory," "How to rationalize auction sales," "Puzzles for airline companies," "Financial options pricing," and more. Download individual chapters or the entire pdf of the English-language version of the "L'explosion des mathématiques" booklet.
- NUMB3RS MATH ACTIVITIES
 The Mathematics Department at Cornell University has developed a series of materials on math behind the TV show Numb3rs. To date there are over 60 topics related to episodes in the first four seasons, including "Counterfeit Reality," "In Plain Sight," "The Mole," "Pandora's Box," and "Tabu." (Image to left: Diagram from Cornell's "Tabu" of a "tabu search, a kind of local search in which one moves from point to nearby point, trying to find an optimal solution." Graphic used with permission.) Each topic includes a brief synopsis of the program's plot and how the mathematician character Charlie used math to solve the crime, a more in-depth look at the mathematics, and often a suggested activity or a "Tangent"--a tidbit of historical background or other application of the mathematics.
- MOVIES ON THE FUTURES CHANNEL
See a series of brief movies that connect math to the real world: "First one in the ballpark," "Air coasters," "Ingrid's cross-country practice," "Tetradice," "Response time," and "New car tips," are just a few of the topics.
- AMS BOOKSTORE PARTNERS WITH GOOGLE BOOK SEARCH
It is now easier than ever to find information on over 3,000 AMS books
through the online AMS Bookstore. Choose a book you want to view and use
the power of Google Book Search to explore the contents, view sample
pages and search by specific keyword. From that search result page a
search across the entire AMS Bookstore can identify all AMS books of
interest in seconds.
- MATH DOCTORAL PROGRAMS WEBPAGE
The webpage has separate lists for doctoral programs in mathematics, applied
mathematics and operations research, statistics/biostatistics, and mathematics education. The page was created and is maintained by Sarah-Marie Belcastro.
- MATHEMATICS AND VOTING
 "Does my vote matter? Is the election process fair? Are the votes being counted correctly?" Mathematics and statistics provide the means to deal with the complexity of how votes are cast and counted and how that influences the outcome. Try out different voting methods online.
- PLUS MAGAZINE
How long will you live? How should you write down numbers? Who's your ideal partner? How good is our voting system? And what is a differential equation? These are difficult and momentous questions. This issue of Plus has some answers, along with a tour of digital art and the usual range of podcasts, news and reviews.
The latest issue of PLUS Magazine. Also, check out PLUS's "All the Latest News", including the new Sports Page.
- HELP AT DIFFERENT STAGES IN YOUR MATH CAREER
The Art of Problem Solving website lists mathematics scholarships including national
mathematics scholarship competitions, university-specific mathematics
scholarships, and links to other opportunities such as study abroad and
summer programs. Use the 2006 Assistantships & Graduate Fellowships in
the Mathematical Sciences to compare graduate math programs, see
stipend amounts, locate sources of support, and more. See what past math
majors are doing now, on the Early Career Profile
Network. See the AMS web page for job-seekers that
includes links to advice on how to develop your curriculum vitae, interview,
decide if teaching is for you, apply for jobs, and more.
- SELECTED MATH BLOGS
See these sites for interesting math blogs, and give the authors feedback:
bit-player, by Brian Hayes,
Senior Writer for American Scientist; Numb3rs, by Mark
Bridger, Northeastern University; What's New, by Terence Tao, University of California, Los Angeles; MathTrek Blogs, by Julie J. Rehmeyer, Science News Web Editor and Mathematics Writer; The Mathematical Tourist, by Ivars Peterson, MAA Director of Publications for Journals and Communications; Teaching College Math Technology Blog, by Maria H. Anderson, Muskegon Community College; and Carnival of Mathematics, hosted by WordPress.com.
- AMC 8 , AMC 10 and AMS 12- REGISTRATION DATES. The American Mathematics Contest (AMC) 8 for junior high/middle school students will be held Tuesday November 18, 2008. There are set dates for when you can register at lower rates: NOVEMBER 4-13 ($53). AMC 10A and 12A for secondary school students will be held February 10, 2009 and AMC 10B and 12B for secondary students will be held February 25, 2009. The registration dates and rates for those are: through DECEMBER 15 ($40), DECEMBER 16-JANUARY 26 ($50), JANUARY 27-FEBRUARY 3 (AMC 10/12A, $60), JANUARY 27-FEBRUARY 25 (AMC10/12B, $60). See the WhatWhen schedule for all the AMC Contests.
- NSF EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC SUMMER INSTITUTES . The National Science Foundation (NSF)'s 2009 East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate Students (EAPSI) program is open for applications. The EAPSI develops the next generation of globally-engaged U.S. scientists and engineers knowledgeable about Asia and the Pacific region. The Summer Institutes are hosted by foreign counterparts who are committed to increasing opportunities for young U.S. researchers to work in research facilities and with host mentors abroad. Fellows are supported in eight-week research experiences (from June to August) at host laboratories in Australia, China, Japan (10 weeks), Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan. The program provides a US$5,000 summer stipend, a round-trip air ticket to the host location, living expenses abroad, and an introduction to the society, culture, language, and research environment of the host location. Applicants must be enrolled in a research-oriented Master’s or Ph.D. program, and must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents by the application deadline date of DECEMBER 9, 2008. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
- AAUW EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS. The American Association of University Women (AAUW)
awards Selected Professions Fellowships to women who
intend to pursue a full-time course of study at accredited
institutions during the fellowship year in a designated
degree program in which women’s participation has traditionally
been low. All women who are candidates for the
master of science (M.S.) degree in mathematics or statistics
are eligible to apply.
Applications are now available for Master’s and First
Professional Awards, which carry cash awards of between
US$5,000 and US$12,000. The deadline for applications
to be postmarked is JANUARY 10, 2009.
- AMS-AAAS MASS MEDIA FELLOWSHIPS--CALL FOR APPLICATIONS. In affiliation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the AMS sponsors ten-week fellowships for graduate students in mathematics to work full-time over the summer as reporters, researchers and production assistants in U.S. mass media organizations--radio and TV stations, newspapers and magazines. The program is intended to strengthen the connections between science and the media, to improve public understanding of science, and to sharpen the ability of the fellows to communicate complex scientific issues to non-specialists. Graduate students in mathematics at U.S. institutions with outstanding written and oral communication skills and a strong interest in learning how the media works. Applicants should be available for a telephone interview in March and be able to accept assignments anywhere in the U.S. Fellows are provided a weekly stipend for ten weeks, as well as travel expenses to and from AAAS in Washington, DC and their sites. the application deadline for summer 2009 is JANUARY 15, 2009.
- ISM DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. The Institut des sciences mathematiques (ISM) is accepting applications to the ISM Doctoral Fellowship Program. The fellowships provide financial support to outstanding, new students to pursue a doctoral program at one of the ISM member universities (Concordia University, Laval University, McGill University, University of Montreal, UQAM, and University of Sherbrooke). Application deadline is JANUARY 16, 2009.
- CARLETON SUMMER MATHEMATICS PROGRAM FOR WOMEN
 This is a month-long program (June 21-July 19) for mathematically talented first-
and second-year undergraduate women. At the heart of the program are two demanding, intense courses under the
supervision of female faculty who are accomplished researchers and
extraordinary teachers. Participants also take
part in a variety of mathematical events: panel discussions on graduate
schools and careers, colloquia, recreational
problem-solving, and visits from at least one REU organizer and the
organizer of the Budapest Semester. The program leaders endeavor to
excite students on to advanced degrees in the mathematical sciences by introducing them to new and exciting areas of mathematics that they would not
see in a standard undergraduate curriculum, and, more importantly, to increase each woman's confidence in her own
abilities and connect them into a supportive network to carry them
through the remainder of their undergraduate and graduate education.
For more information, contact Deanna Haunsperger, by email at dhaunspe@carleton.edu, or by writing
her at the Department of Math/CS, Carleton College, Northfield, MN 55057. Application deadline is FEBRUARY 19, 2009.
- SIAM UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ONLINE - CALL FOR PAPERS. SIAM Undergraduate Research Online (SIURO) is a web-based publication devoted to undergraduate research in applied and computational mathematics. Topics include analysis, discrete mathematics, statistics, operations research, optimization, dynamical systems, modeling, and computation. Papers written by undergraduate students (or teams of students) are being accepted on an ongoing basis and will be posted online as they are accepted. The SIURO web site lists the editorial board and has instructions for authors, review policies, etc.
- STIPENDS FOR STUDY AND TRAVEL. The September 2008 issue of Notices of the AMS includes opportunities for graduate
support, postdoctoral support, travel and study abroad, and study
in the U.S. for foreign nationals. There are various deadlines throughout this academic year.
- ATTENTION STUDENTS!
If you are a member of the AMS, MAA, SIAM, AMATYC, AWM or CMS/SMC,
please please keep your contact information current on the online Combined Membership List. The directory is a
great networking tool, so be sure your mathematical colleagues all
over the U.S. and Canada can find you!
FOR POSTDOCS
- PIMS POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS. The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS)
invites nominations of outstanding young researchers in the mathematical sciences for Postdoctoral Fellowships
for the year 2009–2010. Candidates must be nominated by one or more scientists or departments affiliated with PIMS,
or by a department (or departments) affiliated with PIMS. For the 2008–2009 competition, the amount of the
award is CA$20,000 and the sponsor(s) is (are) required to provide additional funds to finance a minimum stipend
of CA$40,000 (plus benefits). Nominees must have a Ph.D. or equivalent (or expect to receive a Ph.D. by December 31, 2009) and be within three years of their Ph.D. at the time of the nomination (i.e., the candidate must have received her or his Ph.D. on or after January 1, 2006). the deadline for nominations is DECEMBER 12, 2008. The fellowship may be taken up at any time between April 1, 2009, and January 1, 2010. See complete details on the fellowship and required nomination materials.
- NSF-AWM TRAVEL GRANTS. NSF-AWM Travel Grants program enables women to attend research conferences in
their fields, thereby providing a valuable opportunity to advance their
research activities and their visibility in the research community. The
grants provide full or partial support for travel and subsistence for a
meeting or conference in the applicant's field of specialization. A
maximum of US$1,500 for domestic travel and US$2,000 for foreign travel will be
available. Women must hold a doctorate (or equivalent experience) and
have a work address in the US (or US home address, in case of unemployed
mathematicians). There are three award periods per year, with
applications due OCTOBER 1, FEBRUARY 1, and MAY 1.
- ALL DEADLINES
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