Department of Mathematics

News

Dr. Michael O'Leary Receives $95,000 Grant from the National Institute of Justice

Towson University (September 20, 2009) — The grant is a two year award from the National Institute of Justice to continue the development of new approaches to the geographic profiling problem. The geographic profiling problem is the following: Given the locations of the crimes committed by a serial criminal, what is the best estimate for the location of the home base of the offender. In previous work, we have developed a new mathematical algorithm to solve the problem that accounts for the effects of distance, historical crime patterns, demographic features of the offender (if known), and local population density. The first prototype piece of software is now being used and evaluated by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Baltimore County Police Department. Supported with this new grant, we will continue developing the mathematical algorithms and improving the software.

Joint Mathematics and Geography Proposal Funded by MHEC

Towson University (June, 2009) — The Maryland Higher Education Commission has awarded two College Preparation Intervention Program grants:

• The Geomatics Academy III at Fairmont Heights High School (88,523) to Dr. Linda Cooper, Dr. Ming Tomayko, and Dr. Felice Shore from the Mathematics Department, and Dr. Martin Roberge, Dr. Paporn Thebpanya, and Dr. Virginia Thompson from the Department of Geography and Environmental Planning.
• The Geomatics Academy at Wicomico High School ($19,079) to Dr. Linda Cooper and Dr. Felice Shore from the Mathematics Department and Dr. Martin Roberge from the Department of Geography and Environmental Planning.

Linda Cooper	Ming Tomayko	Felice Shore

CPIP funds support college partnership activities for eligible Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) sites. The Maryland GEAR UP program, supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, is an early intervention program that calls for partnerships to be developed with local education agencies, institutions of higher education, and other community organizations and businesses to encourage more at-risk students from disadvantaged communities to aim higher, study harder, and take the courses required for college admission and success. With these CPIP grants, Towson University has formed partnerships with two high schools: Fairmont Heights High School of Prince Georges County and Wicomico High School of Wicomico County.

The Geomatics Academy is designed to help strengthen students’ understanding of mathematics, promote college awareness, and introduce students to a variety of careers within the environmental sciences through a series of Activity Days. The integration of mathematics, geography, and environmental science is a novel, engaging approach to generate enthusiasm for learning through hands-on, real-life activities that utilize a variety of technologies (graphing calculator, Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and spreadsheet software).

Dr. Tatyana Sorokina Receives Educational Advancement Foundation Grant

Austin, Texas (May 20, 2009) — Dr.Tatyana Sorokina, an assistant professor in applied mathematics, was awarded an Educational Advancement Foundation Grant to design a new course in Applied Numerical Analysis. The Educational Advancement Foundation is a philanthropic organization that supports (1) the development and implementation of inquiry-based learning at all educational levels in the United States, particularly in the fields of mathematics and science, and (2) the dissemination of the inquiry-based learning methodology inspired by Dr. R. L. Moore (1882-1974), famed professor of mathematics at The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Alexei Kolesnikov is awarded a $75,500 National Science Foundation Research Grant

Towson University (April 27, 2009) — Dr. Alexei Kolesnikov, an assistant professor in pure mathematics, was awarded a prestigious and highly competitive NSF Research Grant in the amount of $75,000. Dr. Kolesnikov's grant proposal is entitled Research in Model Theory: Generalized Amalgamation Properties, and the funding supports his research in this area for the next three summers.

Drs. Sorokina and Spitzer Receive Towson University Summer Research Grant

Sandy Spitzer	Tatyana Sorokina

Towson University (April 24, 2009) — Dr. Tatyana Sorokina, an assistant professor in applied mathematics, has been given an University Summer Research Grant to study Properties of Multivariate Splines.  Dr. Sandy Spitzer, an assistant professor in mathematics education, has been given an University Summer Research Grant to study A Learning-from-Teaching Approach to Elementary Mathematics Methods Courses.

Department of Mathematics Hosted the Second International Workshop on Algebraic Geometry and Approximation Theory

Participants at the Second Workshop

Towson University (April 9–11, 2009) — Dr. Tatyana Sorokina of Towson University and Dr. Luis Garcia of Sam Houston State University organized the Second International Workshop on Algebraic Geometry and Approximation Theory. This workshop was sponsored by the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics and the Department of Mathematics at Towson University.

• Click here for more information.

Dr. Honi Bamberger Receives $92,000 Grant from Maryland State Department of Education

Honi Bamberger	Judith Macks

Towson University (March 31, 2009) — Dr. Honi Bamberger, professor of mathematics, was awarded a $92,000 grant. This grant is being funded by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to work with all of the mathematics teachers (regular classroom, resource, and special needs) during the Summer 2009 and through the academic year 2009-2010. The purpose of the grant is to provide a high level of professional development in mathematics through a two-week summer institute and then ongoing support during the academic year. During the academic year Dr. Bamberger and Judith Macks, a full-time faculty member in the Department of Mathematics, will be planning with grade level teams for mathematics instruction,
co-teaching in classrooms, observing and debriefing with teachers, helping to organize Family Mathematics Nights for the community, and conducting workshops on content and pedagogy at the Sinclair Lane Elementary School. Professors Bamberger and Macks also will be giving Saturday and evening workshops.

Teachers will be given a Belief and Practice Survey prior to the beginning of the summer institute and then at its end. This same survey will be given at the end of the academic year to determine whether beliefs have changed and practices have been altered. Student data on the MSA and SAT 10 will also be analyzed to determine whether increases from past years can be seen.

Mathematics Education Faculty awarded $59,000 Grant from MHEC

Dr. Kaplan	Dr. Krach	Dr. Moyer

Towson University (November 20, 2008) — Dr. Gail Kaplan, Dr. R. Michael Krach, and Dr. Todd Moyer were awarded a $58,949 College Preparation and Intervention Program grant through the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The purpose of the program is to make the students aware of college opportunities and requirements. Their grant is to continue their work with mathematics teachers of the Dundalk area schools through on-going professional development and professional observations performed by the three professors. Additionally, tenth grade students at Dundalk High School will be invited to the Towson University campus five times throughout the spring term. During that time the students will receive mathematical enrichment in Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Geometry, and they will be exposed to the university atmosphere.

Dr. Angel Kumchev Receives Excellence in Scholarship Award at Fisher College of Science and Mathematics Fall Forum

Towson University (October 31, 2008) — Dr. Angel Kumchev was given an Excellence in Scholarship at the Fisher College of Science and mathematics Fall Forum. Since arriving at Towson, Dr. Kumchev has published seven papers and has two more accepted in prestigious refereed journals. In addition to these nine papers, Dr. Kumchev has given four conference talks at national and international conferences, and has presented five seminars at places like the Naval Academy, Johns Hopkins University, Loyola College, University of Memphis, and Shandong University in China. One nominator described one of Dr. Kumchev’s papers as: “… in non-technical terms, Angel’s estimates leave in the dust the then state‑of‑the‑art estimates obtained as recently as 2001 and 2002 by leading specialists.  In a short time after its publication, his results were quoted by eight other papers, with seven other researchers benefiting from the new tools developed by our recipient.”

Department of Mathematics
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Phone: 410-704-3091
Fax: 410-704-4149
E-mail: math@towson.edu