News about Mathematics

Two Pennsylvania College of Technology mathematics faculty members have been named recipients of the college’s 2015 President’s Award for Outstanding Assessment of Student Learning.

Joanna K. Flynn, assistant professor of mathematics, and Ed G. Owens, associate professor and department head of mathematics, received the honor on Jan. 8 at the all-college meeting opening the Spring 2016 semester.

The President’s Award for Outstanding Assessment of Student Learning recognizes initiative and creativity in facilitating student learning and reflects the college’s commitment to ongoing assessment of student learning outcomes.

Read more

William Ma, professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, jointly authored a paper published recently in an international journal, The Journal of Analysis.

The paper, titled “Domain constants and quasiconfirmal maps,” was co-authored with C. David Minda, of the University of Cincinnati.

Read more

William Ma, professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, jointly authored a paper that was published recently in an international journal, Complex Analysis and Operator Theory.

The paper, titled “Two-Point Distortion for Nehari Functions,” was written with two other mathematicians, Diego Mejia, of Universidad Nacional, Colombia, and C. David Minda, of the University of Cincinnati. The work was initiated when the authors were participants in a research seminar at the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center at the University of Cincinnati.

Read more

William Ma, professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, jointly authored a paper that was published recently in an international mathematics journal, Computational Methods and Function Theory.

The paper, titled “Bounded Schwarzian and Two-Point Distortion,” was co-authored with two other mathematicians: Diego Mejia, of Universidad Nacional, Colombia, and C. David Minda, of the University of Cincinnati.

Read more

As part of the Penn College Scholarship Campaign, Kenneth C. Kuhns, assistant professor of electrical technologies/occupations, and Diana L. Kuhns, assistant professor of mathematics, have established a scholarship fund at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The Ken and Diana Kuhns Scholarship will make annual awards of $1,000 until it is fully endowed, at which time it will provide annual awards of $1,000 or more in perpetuity.

Read more

As education news buzzes about the cost for state colleges and universities to provide developmental courses to help high school graduates prepare for college-level classes, two local school districts are pairing with Pennsylvania College of Technology to help ensure their students are ready for college mathematics.

Both Jersey Shore Area Senior High School and Williamsport Area High School approached Penn College to help develop plans to assess and meet students’ needs before they head off to college.

Read more

Students in MTH 156 (Mathematics in Non-European Cultures) presented their study abroad projects in the Bush Campus Center TV Lounge this past week. The group traveled to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and studied the Mayan civilization. The Penn College community is welcome to sign up for next year’s overland adventure through the rain forests and lowlands of the Mayan world.

William Ma, professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, jointly authored a paper that was published recently in The Pacific Journal of Mathematics.

The paper, titled “Schwarzian norms and two-point distribution,” was co-authored with Martin Chuaqui, of Pontificia Universidad Católica, Chile; Peter Duren, of the University of Michigan; Diego Mejía, of Universidad Nacional, Columbia; David Minda, of the University of Cincinnati; and Brad Osgood, of Stanford University.

Read more

Pennsylvania College of Technology recently appointed a director of mathematics and general education in the School of Integrated Studies.

Paul Watson II began his duties on July 1. Among his responsibilities, Watson coordinates the math-placement process for incoming students, oversees operations of the Test Center and supervises its staff, and evaluates and develops full- and part-time faculty. He also coordinates department and School of Integrated Studies general-education assessment efforts with the Office of Assessment, Research and Planning.

Read more

Eight students and two Penn College faculty members Curt E. Vander Vere, assistant professor of mathematics, and D. Robert Cooley, assistant professor of anthropology and environmental science, along with Maya Exploration Center instructor Christopher Powell, studied Maya mathematics and culture in Flores, Tikal, Seibal, Yaxha and Lake Peten Itza, Guatemala, from Dec. 28-Jan. 4.
Photos provided by Cooley

Pennsylvania College of Technology recently approved an agreement with SUN Area Technical Institute in New Berlin to provide selected developmental and first-year college courses at the SUN ATI campus.

The courses are available to high school students enrolled at SUN ATI or its sending districts, adult education students, and currently enrolled or prospective Penn College students. Instruction will be delivered by Penn College faculty during the early-evening hours following regular summer, fall and spring semester schedules at the college.

Read more

Pennsylvania College of Technology recently appointed a director of mathematics and general education in the School of Integrated Studies.

Joanna K. Pruden, an assistant professor of mathematics and previously the mathematics department head, began the new duties on March 15.

Read more

William Ma, professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, co-authored a paper that was published recently in a scholarly journal.

The paper, titled “Möbius Invariant Metrics Bilipschitz Equivalent to the Hyperbolic Metric,” was published in June in Conformal Geometry and Dynamics, an electronic journal of the American Mathematical Society. Co-authors of the paper are David A. Herron and David Minda, both of the University of Cincinnati.

Read more

Six members of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s mathematics faculty recently offered presentations at the annual conference of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.

The conference, held in Washington, D.C., Nov. 20-23, featured more than 200 workshops and presentations for approximately 1,200 mathematics educators from the United States and Canada.

Read more

Robert G. Bowers, retired professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, has been granted “professor emeritus” status by the college’s board of directors.

The board voted unanimously Thursday to award the designation to Bowers, who was the 2007 recipient of the Veronica M. Muzic Master Teacher Award − the college’s highest level of recognition for a faculty member.

Read more