The‐TimesUofIowaMathDepartmentNewsletter

April29,2009

!!

Meganis aseniorfromCedarRapids,IA. Sheismajoring in Leisure Studies withan emphasis in therapeutic recreation. “It’s likephysical therapywith games”,sheadds.Meganisactuallyanold friendofKacey’s.TheywereroommateslastyearandMeganwasKacey’sbigsister inΔΖ (the secret societywe’ll reveal moreabout later in thisdealio). Let’s dive straight to the juicenow!Vegetarian? “Nope”, shesays. Firearms? “Not on me.” Kryptonite? “It’s an unfortunatedisadvantageforSuperman.Nooneelsehasanythingthattakesawayalltheirpowers.It’snotfair.”(TheNewsletterTMassumesweknowheranswertoSupermanorBatman,sowedidn’task.But themanin thishalfoftheAmanda/aBaNewsletterTMcrewwantstoknowwhywomenalways pick Batmanover Superman!!? Superman is bulletproof!! IsBatman?Hello!) MeganisgraduatingthisMaysoweaskedwhat’s next.She’llbedoinganinternshipatOaknollthissummerandthenthecomingfallis unknown. She was happy to tell us though that she is gettingmarried.Weaskedifherbicepswerestrongerwiththeringonit?Shejoked, “Just the left one. I lovewhenpeople say look at that rock. Itmakesmehappy.” Ohwealmost forgot – likeKacey,Megantoohas asecondjob.She’sawaitressatOldChicago.She’llletyousampletheirbeers.There’sabout130 beerstherewith31 on tap!FreegelatofromKacey,freebeerfromMegan–andthewinneris? Wepromisedtounveil thesecret societyΔΖ to ourreaders.Whatis thissecretsocietyabout?“It’snotthatsecret”,shesays.Isit acult? “No.”Investigativereporters unveilthatΔΖis anorganization ofwomenwhoareneithersecretnorinacult.Thereyouhaveit –THEREAL NEWS YOU SEEK! Ona last note we asked about UFO’s. Sheresponds, “I like to honk at cows. They don’t do anything. They justlook at you. You should not honk at horses for the record. Theygenerallyrunandfreakoutandit’snot fun.”Meganthanksforhelpingus math nerds in themailroom.Wewill miss yourfacethis summerandfall,butwe’llaskKaceyforupdates.

Kacey is a junior from Fort Atkinson(yeah, like Kenthemath professor!) Wisconsin. She is double‐majoring in English andJournalism. Journalism! We thought that was cool of course, soswitchingplacesbrieclyweaskedherwhatshe'daskusifsheweretheinterviewer.ShelookedtoAmandaandasked,"WhydoyouworkwithaBa?"

SowhoisKacey?Shetold ushergoalafterschoolistogetintobookpublishing.She'scurrentlyworkinghereandhasa2ndjobattheCapanaCoffeeandGelatobytheICPL‐comeinat7amonaSundayandifyou'reniceshemightgiveyou afreegelatosample(limitafewtinyspoons).She'salsoin thesororityΔΖ.Hermusictastesareeclectic,andshelikes to hangoutwithfriends, etc. Let'smoveonto thejuicystuff.

SupermanorBatman?Shegavethispoignant response, "Ithink youhavetopickBatman becauseintheoryhedoesn't haveanyweakness,whereasSupermandoesn'tworkwithKryptonite."Howdoyou feelabout running overanimals withyour car? She answers, "IwouldprobablysayI'magainst that as I'mavegetarian."Speakingofcool animal facts, Kacey has 9cats and2dogs at herWI home!!Wedidn't believehersoweaskedwhat theirnameswere. (Megan ontheright concirmedtous laterthatthisfact istrue‐ she'sbeen toKasey'shomeandwitnessedcirsthand).ThedognamesareAstro&Yoshi.ThecatsareSnuggles,Pooky,Hercules,Athena,Odysseus,Lollipop,Tootsie‐roll,Hi‐Tops,&Tuxedo.

Giveusaquote."Icanquotelotsofthings.I'manEnglishmajor."Kaceywillbewithusthissummertooandnextfall!Borrowherstapler&

don'tforgettosay"Please".

Kacey&Megan

You've probably asked to usetheir stapler a million timesandaskedformorechalkortosend a fax. But do you knowwho these mailroom studentworkers are? Well we here atthe Newsletter did someinvestigative reporting tounveil the awesomeness ofthese two ladies, Kacey andMegan.

*WARNING:Theviewsexpressedinthisnewsletterdonotnecessarilyreclectthoseofanyone.

HaveWeMet?

B

B

The‐Times April29,2009!!

JohnGraberAreaofMath:combinatorialrepresentationtheoryJob:adjunctprofessoratBethelCollege,KS

JonVanLaarhovenArea:EuclideanSteinerTreeProblemJob:awaitingtop‐secretclearanceforpositionof"appliedresearchmathematician"withthenationalsecurityagency

HeatherMolleAreaofMath:TopologyJob:AssistantProfessoratFranklinCollege

KevinMurphyArea:Mathphysics/quantummechanicsJob:assistantprofessoratSt.NorbertCollege

StephanieSchmidtAreaofMath:AppliedMathematicstoChemistryJob:industry,haven'ttakenajobyet,havehadoffers

JonathanPreisserAreaofMath:AlgebraJob:ProfessoratRobertMorrisUniversityinPittsburgh,PAE‐mailaddress:jonathan.preisser@gmail.com

HeatherRussellAreaofmath:TopologyJob:Post‐DocatLSUIamgoingtomisstheIowamathdepartmentSOMUCH!Thankstoalloftheprofessors,administrators,andstudentsthathavemademytimeheresowonderful.Keepintouch(hrussell@lsu.edu).

BenGalluzzoAreaofMath:I'manappliedmathpersonJob:ShippensburgUniversity(aka"theShip")inShippensburg,PA.Where(andI'mnotkidding,thehavethebumperstickers)"ShipHappens"

Congratulations!Weaskedthegraduatingfolktoletusknowwhatthey’llbeuptointheupcomingyear.Here’swhatwefoundout:

ThisFebruary,wehad three teamsofundergraduatestudentscompete in the annual Mathematical Contest in Modelingcompetition. The MCM is an international team modelingcompetition that lasts 95 hours. One of our teams scoredSuccessful Participant while the other two teams received ascoreofMeritorious(secondhighesthonor).Additionally,oneof the Meritorious winners also received the Ben Fusaroaward. Of the 1675 teamsthatcompeted thisyear, only twoteamsreceivedthisaward!

This competition was largely supported through VIGRE.Thankstoall the graduate studentswhohelpedorganizethiscompetition.Icouldnothavedonethiswithoutyourhelp!

MCMResults2009Darinrequestedto

notbephotographed,butwegotthissilhouetteofhim ByDarinMohr

! " # # $ % ! " # # $ %

&''()* +)(,-*

&./012,3)* +4*2.,,+*

&*'&.&54* -)1/&.0-)*

6)&-* ,3.&

6)((!')'').* ,-0,-*

6)..0)* ')&12)*

1&66&5) ')&*

1&..,/* '(4+*

1&4(07(,8). ',/&/,)*

12)..0)* '4+'30-*

1,.- .&90*2)*

1414+6).* .246&.6

)55'(&-/ *'0-&12

5&.(01 *'.,4/*

5.&')* *:4&*2

5.))-* */.&86)..0)*

2).6* *8))/!',/&/,)*

3,2(.&60 /,+&/,)*

()//41) /4.-0'*

! " # # $ % ! " # # $ %

&''()* +)(,-*

&./012,3)* +4*2.,,+*

&*'&.&54* -)1/&.0-)*

6)&-* ,3.&

6)((!')'').* ,-0,-*

6)..0)* ')&12)*

1&66&5) ')&*

1&..,/* '(4+*

1&4(07(,8). ',/&/,)*

12)..0)* '4+'30-*

1,.- .&90*2)*

1414+6).* .246&.6

)55'(&-/ *'0-&12

5&.(01 *'.,4/*

5.&')* *:4&*2

5.))-* */.&86)..0)*

2).6* *8))/!',/&/,)*

3,2(.&60 /,+&/,)*

()//41) /4.-0'*

FarmersMarketTheIowaCityFarmersMarketOpensthisweekend,May2nd.ThemarketisopenWednesdaysfrom5:30pmto7:30pm,andSaturdays from 7:30am to 12:00pm, and is located at 410 EWashington St. Below we have listed the produce at themarket, and the months each is in season (according to themarket’swebpageonicgov.org.)Ashadedboxmeanstheitemisinseason.ShownaremonthsMay‐September.

SociaintheKitchenrecipefromSociaGarcia,thedepartment’sself‐proclaimed

“domesticatedlady”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

page3

Brownies!!!(inhonor ofAdamMcDougall’sbirthday)

Youwillneed:

4eggs1cupsugar1cupbrownsugar1stickmeltedbutter11/4cupscocoa2teaspoonsvanillaextract1/2cupclour1/2teaspoonkoshersalt1/2cupchoppedwalnuts1/2cupchocolatechips

Directions:

Preheattheovento300degreesF.Beateggsuntil cluffythenaddboth sugars. Stir in remainingi n g red i en t s , a nd m i x t ocombine. Pourthebatterintoagreased and cloured 8‐inchsquare pan and bake for 45minutes.Check fordonenessbyinserting a toothpick into thecenter of the pan, it shouldcome out clean. Remove to aracktocoolbeforeenjoying.

Spotlighton:Hobbies!This issuewehavecirst‐yearBinLi,whoenjoysplayingsoccer, badminton,and eating duck. We were very fortunate to get the transcripts of thefamousinterviewofBinbyworldsoccergianttitanPele.

Pele:So,Bin.I’mabigfan. Letmeaskyou: which i s your favor i te ‐badmintonorsoccer?

Bin: They are equal. I play moresoccernow,becausebadmintonis notsopopularhere.

Pele: Howlonghaveyou playedeachsport?

Bin: I played badminton in highschool and undergrad. I’ve playedsoccersincemiddleschool.

Pele: So you play ona soccer teamhere?

Bin:Yeah. Iplayonateamwithotherstudents and some professors. Weplay2 to3gamesaweek. Wehaveanannual game against an Iowa Stateteam in Ames, IA. Ames has muchbetterChineserestaurantsthanhere.

Pele: Ihearya. What’syourpositioninsoccer?

Bin:Rightwing.

Pele: What a coincidence! I alsoplayed a position in soccer! Do youreallyliketowin?

Bin:Yeah,sure.

Pele: Awesome. Me too. Tellme alittleaboutbadminton.

Bin: Here it’s different. We use ashuttlecock with duck feathers, butherepeople useplastic. Thefeathersarefragile,soIusuallygothrough 7or8 shuttlecocks in one game. Thismakes it very expensive to playbecausetheycostmorethan$2apiecehere. Ican’tplaywiththeplasticones‐itfeelstoodifferent.

Pele: Duck, huh? Do youliketo eatduck?

Bin:Uh,sure.IlikePekingduck.

Pele: Yes. Okay, one last question.Canmenplay?

Bin:What? Youmeanbadmintonandsoccer?

Pele:Yeah.

Bin: Well sure. That’s a weirdquestion. You know, the US has thebestwomen’ssoccerteam.

Pele:Ohno,IaskedifMENcanplay.

Bin:Oh.Iguess.

Pele: Okay,IknowIsaidthatwasmylast question,but the public needs toknow ‐ what do you think ofLaurentJay’shair?

Bin: Professor Jay’s hair looks like aFrenchmoviestar.

Pele:Iheardthat.

“That’s a weird

question.”

Bin

Pele

!"#$$$$%!&'#($ $$$)*+&,$-./$-001!!

Farmers Market

The‐Times April29,2009!!

• Vertical stripes supposedly make you look thinner, but they alsomakeyoulooklikethe scoresofslackerundergradswhoalsoheedthatadvice.

• Sandals+ socksareOK. Socksfeelnice, andalsoserve todisguiserabidcasesofhobbitfoot.

• Theshorterthehaircut,thebetter. Thatwaynoonecantellif youbotheredtoshower(orevenwashyouhair!)beforeventuringontocampus. A similar rationale can be used to justify wearing asweatshirt, as nobody can tell if you’ve got the same tee onunderneathmultipledaysinarow.

• Shirtsthatlookthesamewhenaccidentallywornbackwardsareadeciniteplus.

• Avoid anything that betrays your afciliation with anything, ashorriblepeoplemightjudge youbywhatyouwear(asopposedtoyourawe‐inspiring intellectandsparkling personality). Themathdepartmentshirtsarecinethough,Iguess.

• Don’t wearanything remotely resembling anything worn by aBa,lestyoustealhisthunder…

APublicServiceAnnouncementbyPaulDrube

BonusCartoonComplimentsofourguestcartoonist,JohnRost.ImageinspiredbytheSmoothManifoldscourse.

Paulhasgenerouslyprovideduswithsomeofhissecretfashiontips:

To your right is a Pat Rhomberg paper doll. You should practice yournewfoundfashionexpertise.Butbecareful!Therearewronganswers.

Pat

Pat’sClothes

NewResult:TheTusruta‐ZupanianTheorem

9.3.4

Proposition. Let !, " ! R. Then ! " " = !.

Proof. By contradictaposition.

1

9.3.4

Proposition. Let !, " ! R. Then ! " " = !.

Proof. By contradictaposition.

1

B

page5

!!!

!!!"Dearaa(advicecolumn)Thisresponseiswrittenbyourresident

advicecolumnist,aBa.IfyouhaveanyquestionsforaBa,youcanemailthemtomgbnewsletter@gmail.com,oranonymouslysliptheminaBa’smailbox.

B

B

B

Upcoming Events

TheWeather:tornadoand

cloodwarnings

DearaBa,

A lot of us have been talking and we think thisadvicecolumnisfullofpoo.WhatqualiHiesyoutogive advice? Are youon some sorta DearAbbykick? You are NOT qualiHied! Were the last 2issue’squestionseven submitted by realpeople,or did you make them up? I bet you’re evenwritingthisquestionyouliarandpretendingthatsomeinquiringgradstudentwroteit!

Sincerely,FedUp

DearFedUp,

Wehereat theNewsletterTMwant toapologizeto allthe readers. Yes, I made up the questions andtheanswersto thelast2issue’squestions. Andyes,Iamsorryto say I diditagainandmadeupthequestionfrom FedUpabovetoo. So I guess I ambusted(bymyselfoddlyenuf). Thetruthisout. Well,whydidIdo it? Well, CUZ NO ONE WROTE US WANTINGADVICE!!!?? So let this be apleafor others towritefor adviceinthe futureissues. Our emailaddress ismgbnewsletter@gmail.com – we await yourquestions.

SorryfortheB.S.,aBa

B

River Run (been done that)

Farmers Market OpensMother’s DayFirst Day of FinalsLast Day of School

AprilApril 26

MayMay 2May 10May 11May 15

DIDYOUKNOW?(regardingalibraryservice)

To all you budding young researchers and seasonedveterans,perhapsthisissomethingyoudonotknowaboutour library that you might cind useful. It’s called ILL(interlibrary loan). Say there’s a paper you found thatexistedbut was not inone ofour journals in the library.Then, you can still look for it via ILL. That means thatdifferentmathlibrariesaroundtheglobe(?)willbehuntingfor thearticleyouwant. Whensomeone groovy cinds it,they do the groovy thing – they photocopy it JUST FORYOU! Andthenthey email it toyoutoo! Anditcosts youZILCH (ie. Zero dollars and zero cents). Check it out.Happyresearchingtoall.

B

The‐Times April29,2009!!

We hope youenjoyed thenewsletter.If there’s anything youwould like tosee in future newsletters, maybe anevent you’d like to promote, or anycommentsyouhaveforus,sendusanemailatmgbnewsletter@gmail.com.Yourhumbleservants,aBaandAmanda.

“ODE142HW#6”

B

2

3

1

4 5

1

1

2

2 3 4

4

5

56

6

6

1

2

3

4

5

6

Games!!!‐StrimkoYoucancindthisgameatwww.strimko.com.Therules:Forannxngrid...1.eachrowmustcontain1throughn2.eachcolumnmustcontain1throughn3.eachstreammustcontain1throughn(astreamisasetofconnectedcircles)

EasyMedium

Hard