Author Archives: kasmana

The Department of Mathematics is proud to announce the names of the recipients of our annual student awards:

Ewa Wojcicka Award: Terence Carey
Scott Ward Award: Calvin Widholm
Sue Prazak Scholarship: Annika Musick
Harrison Randolph Calculus Award: Whitney Kitchen
Undergraduate Outstanding Students: Terence Carey, Rafael Castellanos-Ramos, Tyler Glynn, Riley Haas, Patrick Puckhaber, David Robinson, Kamryn Schemine, Hailey Sparks, Thomas Stanton, and Calvin Widholm.
Best MASC Thesis Award: Luke Paluso
Best MASC Grad Assistant: Naomi Woodbury
Outstanding Graduate Student: Luke Paluso

Join us to celebrate their achievements in person at the SSME Annual Student Awards Ceremony on Thursday in RITA 101-103, 4pm-5:30pm.

Check out this wonderful CofC Today article which explains the role that Professor Amy Langville played in jobs at the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic in North Charleston for Mathematical Sciences Graduate Students Erin Langenstein and Brianna Brunson.

MATH 120 student Sydney Pearson was this year’s winner of the annual Harrison Randolph Calculus Contest.  She receives not only the prestige of having won but also a cash prize of $100!

The recent EXPO of student research featured three students from our department.

Lane Ellisor won a prize for his poster on “The effects of damping on rogue wave formation and permanent downshifting.”

Briana Brunson is earning a master’s degree in mathematical sciences from our graduate program and gave a presentation based on her thesis analyzing raindrop data: “Comparing partitioning methods for rainfall“.

Finally, Will Myrick (who is a math major as well as a data science major) won a prize for his poster about his data science project “Drowsiness detection using a convolutional neural network“.

We are grateful to all three students for making the extra effort to participate in this event and proud of their impressive research results.

Brianna Brunson, Lane Ellisor, and Will Myrick presenting their student research projects

The Mathematical Sciences Graduate Program at the College of Charleston offers master’s degrees in mathematics and statistics (as well as certificates in statistics and operations research).   Even though our application deadline has officially passed, we are still accepting new students with financial support.  

• Our program is very good for students who want to earn a PhD in the mathematical sciences but do not yet have the qualifications to get into their desired programs.  We get them ready for those programs with coursework and an optional master’s thesis.  Last year, our graduates enrolled in PhD programs at Duke University and North Carolina State University.
• Our program is also a good choice for students who whose aim is to earn a master’s degree before beginning a career.  Since we have no PhD students here, our master’s and certificate students receive our full attention.   Alumni of our program work as mathematicians, statisticians, and analysts at places like Citibank in New York, the Naval Information Warfare Center in North Charleston, Boeing, the Medical University of South Carolina, IBM, and Booz Allen Hamilton.  Others with just an MS from our program are teaching at places like St. Edwards University, Trident Technical College and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
• Because our faculty are internationally recognized in our fields of research, our reputations and connections help alumni of our program find good jobs or admission to doctoral programs at other institutions.
• Most of our students receive financial support in the form of a graduate assistantship or fellowship.
• As I mentioned above, we have degree and certificate programs in statistics, operations research, and mathematics (both pure and applied).  It is our belief that whichever one of these is your primary area of interest, you will benefit from learning about all of them and their connections.
• Check out these videos of alumni talking about our program and their career paths
• Finally, let us mention that Charleston is a wonderful city to live in and the College of Charleston has a beautiful campus.  Our program consists mostly of in-person classes, so you can really enjoy all of the advantages of this wonderful city and campus.

If you want more information, please send email to kasmana@cofc.edu or lij@cofc.edu with any questions you may have or click here for more program information.

And, if you are ready to apply, use this application link.

Did you miss last week’s “Pi Day” talk?  (Or, did you see it but want to watch it again?)

You can watch it  by clicking here!

My Favorite Thing(s) About π

A fun talk for π-Day(+1) by Professor Alex Kasman

Tuesday March 15, 2022 from 1-2PM in 223 Maybank Hall.

The presentation will be understood and enjoyed by anyone who has ever heard of the number π≈3.14.  A pie-based snack and free math department gifts will also be available.

With questions or for more information write to kasmana@cofc.edu.

The College of Charleston Mathematics Department is hosting the Southeastern Lie Theory Workshop XII from October 15-17, 2021.

Lie Theory is named after mathematician Sophus Lie (pronounced like “Lee”) and is an area of abstract algebra with important applications in physics, mathematics, and beyond.  This conference brings many experts on this topic to Charleston for research talks and collaborations.  One day of the workshop is formally dedicated to the memory of Ben Cox, a CofC math professor who was an active researcher in this area.

For the schedule and other information, check out the conference website.

Most Honors College classes are designed to be interdisciplinary, with wide-ranging ideas and concepts mingling together in the classroom. This type of educational approach can at times make for some unexpected assignments. For instance, a math class probably isn’t the first place you’d expect to find a treasure trove of student artwork. But for Dr. Annalisa Calini‘s Spring 2021 Honors course, HONS 216 Conceptual Tour of Contemporary Mathematics, the arts proved to be an ideal medium through which to explore mathematical concepts.

“The creative world is full of mathematical ideas,” Professor Calini says. “Sometimes hidden from sight. As part of this course, the students were asked to explore a topic using the lens of their own interests and to bring it to light in their own creative voices.”

Click here for a sampling of the artistic assignments and projects the students turned in throughout the semester.