Past Dinner Meetings

2005 Dinner Meetings

• College of the Holy Cross, April 7, 2005
• Simmons College, April 12, 2005
• Providence College, April 21, 2005
• Framingham State College, April 28, 2005
  

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts

The Twelfth Leonard C. Sulski Memorial Lecture

Frank Morgan, Williams College
"Soap Bubble Geometry, 200 BC - 2005 AD"

Thursday, April 7, 2005

Abstract: Soap bubbles as optimal shapes have fascinated and confounded mathematicians for millennia. The show will include the latest news, questions, explanations, demonstrations, and prizes.

Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts

David Mazur, Western New England College
"A User's Guide to the P vs. NP Problem"

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Abstract: Of the seven, million-dollar Millennium Prize Problems offered by the Clay Mathematics Institute, the P vs. NP Problem is perhaps the best known in pop culture; just watch "The Simpsons" or "Numb3rs". In this talk, we'll go beyond just an acquaintance with the problem's name to understand what P and NP mean. We'll look at the difference between "easy" and "hard" problems. We'll even talk about your options if the problem you're working on is found to be (gasp!) NP-hard. The emphasis will be on how everyone can use the theory, rather than on how the theory is built.

Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island

James Tattersall, Providence College
"Nyctaginaceous Mathematics, Pontifical Geometry, and Barbeau Triangles"

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Abstract: We discuss the geometry of Gerbert the Great, a tenth century educator; the achievements and adventures of Louis Antoine de Bougainville, mathematician, explorer, and student of D'Alembert; and end with recent extensions of the work of the second century (A.D.) mathematician, Nicomachus of Gerasa.

Jim Tattersall received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Virginia in 1963, a Master's degree in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts in 1965, and a Ph.D. degree in mathematics from the University of Oklahoma in 1971. On a number of occasions he has been a visiting scholar at the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics at Cambridge University. He spent the summer of 1991 as a visiting mathematician at the American Mathematical Society. In 1995-1996, he spent eighteen months as a visiting professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was given awards for distinguished service (1992) and distinguished college teaching (1997) by the Northeastern Section of the MAA. In 2001, he was a Visiting Mathematician at Santa Clara University and California State University at San Bernardino. He is former President of the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics, the Archivist/Historian of NES/MAA, and the Associate Secretary of the Mathematical Association of America.

Framingham State College, Framingham, MA

The Third Annual NES/MAA Regional Dinner Meeting in Memory of Kenneth J. Preskenis

Dr. Robert L. Devaney, Boston University
"Chaos Games and Fractal Images"

Thursday, April 28, 2005

A dedicated teacher committed to excellence, a serious scholar, a popular son of South Boston, and a gentleman – Ken Preskenis died on Thanksgiving Day, 2002. Ken Preskenis had a passion for mathematics and for sharing that love with others, especially, youngsters. A relentless pursuer of knowledge, he was a regular participant at the weekly seminars in functional analysis at Brown University where he earned his M.S. in 1967 and his Ph.D. in 1971. He joined the faculty at Framingham State College in 1977 after teaching at Newton College and then at Boston College for a total of 14 years. Ken was the author of a number of articles in analysis and mathematics education, a regular attendee and contributor at MAA/NES meetings, a South Boston Athletic Hall of Famer, and a recipient of the Michael E. Glynn South Boston Community Service Award.

Please join us as we honor the memory of our dear friend and colleague Kenneth J. Preskenis.

Abstract: In this lecture, we will describe some of the beautiful images that arise from the "Chaos Game." We will show how the simple steps of this game produce, when iterated millions of times, the intricate images known as fractals. We will describe some of the applications of this technique used in data compression as well as in Hollywood. We will also challenge students present to "Beat the Professor" at the chaos game and maybe win his computer.

Maintained by Tommy Ratliff tratliff@wheatoncollege.edu
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