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Mathematics Professor Awarded Prestigious Ralph E. Powe Grant

Posted on: September 1st, 2017 by erabadie

Thái Hoàng Lê will use funds to study prime numbers

AUGUST 31, 2017 BY EDWIN SMITH

Thái Hoàng Lê, assistant professor of mathematics

A University of Mississippi faculty member has been selected for a prestigious Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

Thái Hoàng Lê, assistant professor of mathematics, is the third UM faculty member to win the honor. The awards, which run for one year, provide seed money for research by junior faculty at ORAU member institutions with the goal of enriching the research and professional growth of young faculty and resulting in new funding opportunities.

ORAU provides $5,000 for the award, and the winner’s institution is required to match it with at least an additional $5,000.

“I was excited and felt that I was lucky because the award is very competitive, with applicants from many universities and across multiple disciplines,” Lê said. “I am happy because the award is a recognition for my potential to do interesting work. I will use the award for summer support and travel to attend conferences and visit collaborators.”

Lê’s research involves finding patterns in prime numbers, numbers divisible only by themselves and 1.

“For example, can we find an infinite number of pairs of primes which differ by 2?” he said. “Questions like this have been studied since the ancient Greeks, mostly for aesthetic reasons, but since several decades ago, number theory and prime numbers have found practical applications in computer science, such as in coding theory and cryptography.

“As such, prime numbers are ubiquitous in real life, as in cryptosystems to encode messages sent over the internet.”

Research project must be in one of five disciplines to qualify: engineering and applied science, life sciences, mathematics/computer sciences, physical sciences, and policy, management or education.

Previous UM recipients were Davita Watkins, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in 2015, and Nathan Jones, assistant professor of math and computer information science, in 2011.

Originally from Vietnam, Lê earned his undergraduate degree at École Polytechnique in France and his doctorate at the University of California at Los Angeles. He received a gold medal in the 40th International Mathematical Olympiad, an event for high school students, in 1999.

A faculty member at the University of Mississippi since 2015, he teaches several courses, including calculus and analytic geometry.

Lê has been a member of the Institute for Advanced Study and has held post-doctoral positions at the University of Texas at Austin and at École Polytechnique. His research on problems in combinatorial number theory is of interest to some of the very best mathematicians in the world.

“While I view myself as a pure mathematician, I also use my expertise to collaborate with computer scientists and work on applications of number theory and combinatorics to computer science,” he said.

“One of our papers is on randomness extractors; that is, how to convert a source of weak randomness into strong randomness. Of course, randomness is ubiquitous in real life, and we desire perfect, or unbiased, randomness.”

Lê deserves his recognition, said James Reid, chair and professor of mathematics.

“Dr. Lê has an impressive research pedigree for a young mathematician,” Reid said. “He has 17 publications in some of the best mathematics journals in the world, such as the Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society and the Journal of Number Theory.

“Dr. Lê recently received a prestigious research award from the National Science Foundation. The Department of Mathematics is very proud that Dr. Lê’s cutting edge research in additive number theory has been nationally recognized.”

For more about the Department of Mathematics, visit http://math.olemiss.edu. For more about ORAU, visit http://orau.org.

Sullivan Award Recipients Honored with Celebration of Service

Posted on: April 6th, 2017 by erabadie

Honorees have joined efforts to help people across the community

APRIL 6, 2017 BY CHRISTINA STEUBE

Donald Cole Photo by Robert Jordan/ Communications

University of Mississippi senior Miller Richmond, Oxford resident Jo Ann O’Quin and UM alumnus Donald Cole were honored Wednesday (April 5) with 2017 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards in celebration of their volunteer work and service within the LOU community.

The awards are presented annually by the university’s McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement to students, alumni and community members who demonstrate selfless service to others. It is the university’s highest honor recognizing service.

“We are fortunate that the University of Mississippi community is home to so many of these humble servants,” Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said. “In fact, we have so many examples of service in our midst that this year we created a new category for the Sullivan Award to honor an alumna or alumnus alongside the student and community member honorees.

“The vision of the University of Mississippi is to lead and excel by engaging minds, transforming lives and serving others. When these activities happen in concert, we can realize the promise of higher education to change lives, promote social and economic mobility, and enhance the greater good.”

Richmond, student recipient of the award, is a senior international studies major from Madison. He said he has always been interested in community service but really became engaged in helping others at Ole Miss.

“My work as co-director of The Big Event has been my main contribution to local service, but I also feel that my work with ASB, the Columns Society and other student organizations have allowed me to learn more about what service truly means,” Richmond said. “I believe that research that our faculty at the university complete is a form of service, and I have been honored to participate in research alongside some faculty as well as complete my own research abroad in Jordan.”

Miller Richmond Photo by Thomas Graning UM Communications

Richmond said he was surprised to learn that he received the Sullivan Award.

“I’m very thankful to my family and friends for being great examples of service,” he said. “I am glad to have served alongside many great students on this campus, and I could think of many deserving people for the Sullivan Award.”

O’Quin, the community member recipient, is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, but has lived in Oxford for 40 years. A UM professor emerita of social work, O’Quin began attending Council on Aging meetings to get involved with the community and has led the monthly networking meetings for almost 20 years.

In 1985, she started a support group for Alzheimer’s and related disorders that continues to have monthly meetings. She created and organized the Caring for Aging Relatives, or CARE, Fair and Workshop in 2000, which ran for nine years and grew to more than 450 participants. As a result of that success, O’Quin began the CARE support group.

Additionally, she helped start the Memory Makers Respite Day program and the Caregiver Resource Center, which offers free resources and counseling for families dealing with memory issues.

“Looking back, my parents had great influences on me and my interest in service,” she said. “My dad was an advocate for the mentally ill and also racial reconciliation throughout his career and my mom had a heart for caregiving with older adults. My regret is that I lost both of them at early ages and I would like to thank them for making this recognition possible.

“The Sullivan Award is a tremendous honor and reinforces the importance of my dad’s motto to ‘serve your fellow man.’ In a way, it is hard to even accept an award for something that I just think is doing the right thing, when and where I can.”

Jo Ann O’Quin

Cole, recipient of the alumni award, is the university’s assistant provost and an associate professor of mathematics. Originally from Jackson, Cole is an advocate for education, particularly for minority students, and spends time developing projects that promote teaching and guidance of students, especially encouraging them to pursue advanced degrees.

He has always participated in community service, no matter where he has lived.

“I remember once when I volunteered so much time with youngsters having cerebral palsy,” Cole said “I would take my well-bodied son with me to help.

“It brought me to tears when he wanted a wheelchair for Christmas so he could be like those youngsters.”

In the LOU community, Cole has served as a board member for Habitat for Humanity. He’s also been instrumental in the Books and Bears program that provides Christmas gifts to UM Facilities Management workers, Kairos Prison Ministry and the LOFT Foundation.

Cole is an active member of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Oxford, serving as trustee, Sunday school superintendent and deacon.

“I believe that when anyone is bestowed with such an honor is first overwhelmed, feel so undeserving and then can think of many others that’s doing so much more,” he said. “No one ‘seeks out’ such awards, they happen naturally and because you’re doing something that you love and that is natural.

“Like the runner in a relay race, you’re proud to complete your leg of the race as you realize that any one individual provides just one small piece on the entire puzzle.”

UM Professors Awarded SEC Faculty Travel Support

Posted on: October 17th, 2016 by erabadie

Program will allow travel for collaborations on research, teaching and performances

OCTOBER 13, 2016 BY STAFF REPORT

Nine University of Mississippi professors are among more than 100 faculty members from all 14 Southeastern Conference universities selected to take part in the 2016-17 SEC Faculty Travel Program.

The program, in its fifth year, provides support for selected individuals to collaborate with colleagues at other SEC member institutions on research, lectures and other activities.

This year’s UM representatives are Robert Bernard, professor of philosophy; Katherine Dooley, assistant professor of physics and astronomy; Adam Estes, assistant professor of music; Susan Loveall-Hague, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders; Linda Keena, associate professor of criminal justice; Eric Lambert, chair and professor of legal studies; Samuel Lisi, assistant professor of mathematics; Micah Milinovich, associate professor of mathematics; and Jeffrey Watt, Cook Chair and professor of history.

“The SEC Faculty Travel Program continues to garner significant interest from faculty members across the conference, and we are encouraged by how our universities have identified a range of individuals to participate,” said Torie Johnson, executive director of the SEC’s academic initiative, known as SECU.

“This program allows us to facilitate collaboration that stretches from the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields to include the arts and community engagement.”

Through the program, the SEC provides financial assistance for faculty members to travel to other SEC universities to exchange ideas, develop grant proposals, conduct research and deliver lectures or performances.

“The process of writing a grant proposal is complex,” said Daniel Schwartz, assistant professor of history at Texas A&M University and a former participant. “The SEC Faculty Travel Program allowed us to sit down for a week in person, as opposed to conference calls or Skype, and discuss project priorities and craft a compelling application.”

Program participants from each SEC university will travel throughout the academic year.

The SEC Faculty Travel Program is part of SECU, the academic initiative of the Southeastern Conference. The SEC supports and promotes the endeavors and achievements of the students and faculty at its 14 member universities.

College of Liberal Arts Honors Faculty Members for Excellence

Posted on: May 13th, 2016 by erabadie

Three professors noted for inspiring students and peers with their passion for teaching

MAY 13, 2016 | BY CHRISTINA STEUBE

College of Liberal Arts Dean Lee M. Cohen second from left) with award recipients Gerard Buskes, Matthew Murray and Joshua Brinlee. Photo by Thomas Graning/ UM Communications

Dean Lee M. Cohen (second from left) congratulates recipients of the 2016 College of Liberal Arts teaching awards: Gerard Buskes, Matthew Murray, and Joshua Brinlee. Photo by Thomas Graning/ UM Communications

The University of Mississippi College of Liberal Arts recognized three faculty members Friday (May 13) for their outstanding work in educating students.

Joshua Brinlee, an assistant professor of art and art history, received the Cora Lee Graham Award for Outstanding Teaching of Freshmen. Gerard Buskes, professor of mathematics, was named the Liberal Arts Outstanding Teacher of the Year. The Liberal Arts Outstanding Instructor of the Year award went to Matthew L. Murray, instructional associate professor of sociology and anthropology.

“The College of Liberal Arts has a strong commitment to excellence in teaching,” said Lee M. Cohen, dean of liberal arts. “As such, it is an honor and a privilege to recognize Mr. Brinlee, Dr. Buskes and Dr. Murray as this year’s award recipients. I am certain that our students appreciate these outstanding educators.”

Brinlee was awarded the Cora Lee Graham Award because of his commitment to excellence in freshman education, intellectual stimulation of students and concern for students’ welfare. Brinlee earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts at the Memphis College of Art. He arrived at UM in 2012 as an adjunct professor and in 2014 accepted the position of assistant professor and foundations coordinator.

Brinlee said he is humbled and honored to receive this award.

“This award of recognition was totally unexpected,” he said. “To be given the opportunity to teach students how art enriches and informs their daily lives is an award all by itself. The students are the reason I chose to be an arts educator, and why I will always commit myself to helping them achieve their educational goals.

“Every year I see my former freshmen students graduating and moving on with their lives. My hope is that one day they will look back on their college experience and know that there was a teacher that cared, encouraged, challenged and supported them.”

“He has made a terrific and excellent difference in our department in a short time,” Sheri Reith, associate professor of art and art history, said in a letter of nomination. “The students he is teaching are attentive and interested in the information he is giving. Josh teaches hands-on problems and calls on his students to produce written work as well.

“At the end of his classes, I see his students talking with him, and he is smiling and so are they. He cares for them.”

Buskes has been at UM since 1985, after receiving advanced degrees in mathematics from Radboud University in the Netherlands. He received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award for his excellence in teaching and dedication to his students.

“He truly cares about his students understanding the material in his class, a trait which unfortunately is a rare find in mathematics,” UM student Maegan Easley said in a nomination letter. “His 50-minute lectures often seem like 10 minutes because he makes his class so fun and engaging! He creates a rapport with his students that is unique in the mathematics department.”

Buskes has also inspired other faculty members. David Fragoso Gonzalez, Croft instructional assistant professor of economics and international studies, co-taught a calculus course with Buskes for the last three fall semesters.

“To ensure a seamless transition between our classes, we have sat in each other’s lectures many times, which has allowed me to observe the impact that Dr. Buskes has over his students,” Gonzalez said in a letter of nomination. “By example and by mentorship, my experience with Dr. Buskes has also shaped the way that I try to teach my own classes, and the way that I develop a relationship with students.”

However, Buskes said other faculty members continue to inspire him as well.

“I am so honored by this award and the affirming statements of my colleagues and students,” Buskes said. “I certainly had teachers who inspired and guided me, and to be seen in that light is such a thrill.”

Murray arrived at UM as an assistant professor in 2003. He studied at the University of Connecticut and the University of Salzburg in Austria, and was awarded a doctorate from Harvard University in 1995.

“I am delighted to accept the award as Outstanding Instructor of the Year,” Murray said. “In all of my classes, I encourage students to engage personally and collectively with complex ideas and difficult problems, which I hope prepares them to become informed and involved global citizens.”

Kirsten Dellinger, professor and chair of sociology and anthropology, nominated Murray for the award based on his method of teaching and care for students.

“Dr. Murray’s student evaluations and peer observations have consistently ranked him as an excellent or superior teacher,” Dellinger said in a nomination letter.

“The sheer number of written comments for all courses indicates an enthusiasm and engagement in Matthew’s courses rarely seen when reviewing faculty who have been nominated for teaching awards.”

Dellinger said Murray encourages students to “learn by doing” and gives students the resources they need to do that.

“We are fortunate to have such a well-rounded, research-active faculty member in the department introducing students to anthropology and geography as well as providing advanced training for students who will move on in the field of archaeology,” she said. “I am thrilled that he has received this well-deserved honor.”

All three recipients were recognized at the spring faculty meeting and will be honored Saturday during the college’s commencement ceremonies. Each received a commemorative plaque and $1,000.

UM Lands $1.2 Million Grant to Benefit Math Teachers

Posted on: March 2nd, 2016 by erabadie

Center for Mathematics and Science Education kicks off Project C4 to enhance classroom efforts

FEBRUARY 29, 2016 | BY ELIZABETH MCCORMICK

$CMSE professional development coordinator Julie James (left) advises a Mississippi teacher during a professional development workshop.$

CMSE professional development coordinator Julie James (left) advises a teacher during a professional development workshop.

The Mississippi Department of Education has awarded a $1.2 million grant to the University of Mississippi Center for Mathematics and Science Education to fund a professional development initiative that will benefit up to 120 math teachers in Mississippi public schools over the next three years.

Dubbed the C4 Project, the Creating Continuity and Connections across Content Project seeks to improve student achievement in mathematics among K-8 students and enhance teacher performance. C4 will fortify teachers’ content knowledge and, more importantly, their big-picture understanding of objectives and the learning processes across multiple grade levels.

“In this project, teachers in grades K-8 will all be together in one class and look at the spectrum of how students learn math across those grade levels,” explained Julie James, CMSE professional development coordinator. “We want to equip these teachers with a bigger picture understanding of where they fit in the puzzle of how students learn mathematics.”

The grant funding for C4 hails from the Mathematics and Science Partnerships, or MSP, between MDE and the U.S. Department of Education. This is the third major grant-funded project the CMSE has launched through MSP-MDE funding since it opened at UM in 2006.

Starting this summer, the project will benefit select educators in north Mississippi through a two-week summer institute. An annual conference for participating teachers, as well as follow-up activities led by accomplished mathematics instructors throughout the academic year, is also in the works.

The second focus of C4 is on formative assessment, a concept that integrates assessment into the teaching process, James said. Formative assessment training will be an online component of the project and the major focus of the annual conference.

“This is an opportunity to help teachers learn how to assess students on a daily basis or on a weekly basis, so when it comes time for the end of unit or even the state test, there’s no surprises,” James said. “Teachers will know how everyone is going to perform because you know what they’ve learned and will have evidence from the students.”

The CMSE will use an assessment team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham to evaluate the project throughout its three-year run. Both teams will work together to measure the impact of C4, assessing content knowledge at the beginning and end of summer institutes among teachers.

“I really hope we can begin to embrace the new college and career readiness standards statewide and come together as a state to improve mathematics education,” said Alice Steimle, CMSE associate director. “We can work together to form these communities of teachers that learn from each other, learn best practices and rely on one another in this network of teachers that we’re creating with the C4 Project.”

Laura Sheppardson, associate professor and associate chair of mathematics

James Reid, professor and chair of mathematics

James Reid and Laura Sheppardson, both professors in the University of Mississippi Department of Mathematics, will also work with the C4 Project by providing in-depth content instruction during the summer institutes.

“There will be opportunities for teachers to come in and do some pure math things that are beyond the classroom,” James said. “This gives teachers an opportunity to see how math is applied beyond K-12. Their focus will be more on real world application of math.”

UM Students, Staff Lead Community MLK Day of Service Events

Posted on: January 15th, 2016 by erabadie

Volunteers gathering to conduct food drive and promote wellness

JANUARY 11, 2016 | BY EDWIN SMITH

Donald Cole will deliver the keynote address. | Photo by Robert Jordan/ Communications

University of Mississippi students and staff will be spearheading efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in Lafayette County and Oxford during 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances.

The opening ceremony for the Lafayette-Oxford-University MLK Day of Service begins at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 18 at the Oxford Activity Center. Program participants include Oxford Mayor George “Pat” Patterson and Lafayette County Board of Supervisors President Jeff Busby. Donald Cole, assistant provost, special assistant to the UM chancellor for multicultural affairs and associate professor mathematics, will deliver the keynote address.

Afterward, awards will be presented to four outstanding LOU volunteers in two categories. Community member recipients are Patrick Alexander and Jacqueline Certion, both of Oxford; and Judith Thompson of Abbeville. Faith Meyer of Oxford is the student recipient.

“It is exciting that University of Mississippi students and staff are choosing to make a difference in the lives of others,” said Kacey Schaum, assistant dean of students for leadership and involvement. “Volunteering builds communities and strengthens relationships. To have our students take opportunities to participate in endeavors like these is amazing.”

Other activities scheduled are:

Jan. 4-15 – a letter-of-appreciation writing campaign for civil rights leaders John Perkins and Charles Evers. Also, “I Have a Dream” art project. Participating schools include Oxford-University School and Lafayette High School.
Jan. 16 – Delta Service Corps VISTA is sponsoring a canned goods drive for the UM Food Bank, Pantry and Love Packs. Drop-offs may be made between noon and 4 p.m. at CVS, Larson’s Cash Saver and Walgreen’s.
Jan. 18 – Ole Miss athletics/UPD-sponsored “Dream Team” 5-K wellness walk/fun run. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Oxford Activity Center. The first 50 participants to register get free T-shirts.
Jan. 18 – Volunteer projects at the Veterans Home in Oxford.
Jan. 18 – Sorting of food collected during the food drive.

“Learning the larger history surrounding civil rights and MLK is important, but we see a need to educate our students about living leaders who made great movements right here in Mississippi,” said Sara Baker, co-coordinator of the letter-writing campaign. “We hope to give proper gratitude to local leaders. We hope to educate students on the civil rights movement here in Mississippi and give them a local, current perspective about the continuous issue.”

Community participation is crucial to the success of the service observance, said Sarah Ball, Volunteer Oxford director.

“This national day of service honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and commitment to transforming our nation through service to others,” Ball said. “The LOU MLK Day of Service offers community members a chance to engage in a variety of volunteer opportunities that are designed to give back to the community.”

Patrick Elliot Alexander, assistant professor of English and African American Studies.

An assistant professor of English and African American Studies at UM, Alexander created a Prison-to-College Pipeline Program for inmates at Parchman Penitentiary. He is also volunteers with the Rethinking Mass Incarceration in the South Conference.

Thompson is a UM assistant professor of teacher education. A lifelong volunteer, she has been involved with the Boys and Girls Club, CREATE Foundation, Leap Frog, Lafayette County School Board and other groups. She is chair of the LOU Excel by 5 Steering Committee, a community-based project that strives to improve the quality of life for children ages 5 and younger.

Jacqueline Certion,
FASTrack academic advisor

A senior academic adviser for the UM FASTrack Program, Certion started a free summer program for tutoring students in math and reading. She is also involved in the Boys and Girls Club, Sigma Gamma Rho sorority and other organizations.

A sophomore from Austin, Texas, Meyer is involved in Kappa Delta sorority at UM. She chaired its Personal presence, Attitude, Communications skills and Enlarging our world committee and worked with Prevent Child Abuse America and the Girl Scouts.

For more information about LOU MLK Day of Service events, contact Ball at volunteer@oxfordms.net or Schaum at krschaum@olemiss.edu.

Celebration of Achievement Honors Minorities, People of Color

Posted on: December 9th, 2015 by erabadie

Annual event begins at 5:30 p.m. May 8 in Tad Smith Coliseum

APRIL 30, 2015 BY EDWIN SMITH

2014 Celebration of Achievement. Photo by Joe Worthem/Ole Miss Communications

2014 Celebration of Achievement. Photo by Joe Worthem/UM Communications

As part of University of Mississippi’s Commencement activities, the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement is honoring more than 230 minority graduates who have excelled during their tenure as students.

The annual Celebration of Achievement is set for 5:30 p.m. May 8 in Tad Smith Coliseum. The free event is open to the public.

“This event is an opportunity for family, friends and the university community to come together and honor graduating students of color and other underrepresented populations,” said Courtney Pearson, a graduate assistant and program co-coordinator. “Each honoree is invited to have an escort who will have the privilege of presenting them with a medal that honors their achievements here. We would like to increase the number of attendees that come out and support these graduates that are being honored.”

Program participants include Brandi Hephner Labanc, vice-chancellor for student affairs; Valeria Ross, associate dean of students; Charles Ross, associate professor of history and director of the African American Studies program; Donald Cole, special assistant to the chancellor for multicultural affairs and associate professor of mathematics; and Julia Bussade, instructor in Spanish and Portuguese for the Department of Modern Languages.

Chase Moore, former director of the UM Gospel Choir and associate director of the Student Activities Association, will sing the university alma mater. Student reflections will be given by Camila Versaquez, president of the Latin American Student Organization, and Briana O’Neil, president of the Black Student Union.

Begun by Valeria Ross years ago, the Celebration of Achievement program has become very meaningful to students who have been honored.

“To a first-generation college student coming from a family who thought they would never be able to afford to put their child through college, the Celebration of Achievement ceremony means everything,” said Cedric Garron of Winona, a 2014 recipient. “As a minority student, my decision to attend the University of Mississippi was questioned by my community, my classmates and sometimes by my friends. For an extended period of time I began to doubt my own choice, but I entered in the fall of 2009 with very high hopes.”

Garron said his tenure at UM was never a perfect, stress-free journey.

“I struggled academically and socially during my freshman and sophomore year, but with the help of the amazing faculty and staff members I was able to eventually fill out the first of hopefully many degree applications,” he said.

As graduation approached, Garron found himself thinking of how he wasn’t going to be recognized as an honor graduate or be the person wearing multiple cords from those prestigious honor societies so many of his classmates had joined. What he did have to look forward to was the Celebration of Achievement ceremony.

“Seeing how proud my mother was to escort me to the front of hundreds of my fellow minority graduates and place a medal of achievement around my neck created an indescribable amount of emotion,” he said. “We as a family were able to take a minute to reflect on just how large of an accomplishment my graduation was. Celebration of Achievement was not only a chance to celebrate my success, but the success of hundreds of my brothers and sisters in the Ole Miss family. That is a memory I will cherish forever.”

For more information, contact the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement at 662-915-1689 or inclusion@olemiss.edu.

Mathematical Probability Theory Topic of Spring’s Final Science Cafe

Posted on: April 20th, 2015 by erabadie

Algebra professor uses dice to demonstrate unique factorization

April 17, 2015 | By EDWIN SMITH

Mathematics Professor Sandra Spiroff uses dice to demonstrate theories of probability.

The theory of unique factorization, with an application to mathematical probability, is the topic for a monthly public science forum organized by the University of Mississippi Department of Physics and Astronomy.

The spring semester’s third and last meeting of the Oxford Science Cafe is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday (April 21) at Lusa Pastry Cafe, 2305 West Jackson Ave. Sandra Spiroff, associate professor of mathematics, will discuss “Unique factorization and a roll of the dice.” Admission is free.

“Starting from the familiar factorization of integers into prime numbers, we extend the concept of unique factorization to polynomials and beyond,” Spiroff said. “In particular, we will discuss how unique factorization, or the lack of it, probably jeopardized early attempts to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem.”

Spiroff’s 30-minute presentation will also present an interesting application to the probabilities associated with rolling a pair of dice.

“If time permits, we will run some experiments and play the casino game of craps,” she said. “The mathematical difficulty of the majority of this talk is high school algebra, and many examples will be given.”

Spiroff earned her doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master’s degree from Saint Louis University and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. Her research areas include commutative algebra, with specialization in the topics of divisor class groups and Chow groups.

Undergraduate courses she teaches are linear algebra and abstract algebra. Previously, Spiroff held the position of VIGRE postdoctoral assistant professor-lecturer at the University of Utah.

For more information about the Department of Physics and Astronomy, visit https://olemiss.edu/depts/physics_and_astronomy or call 662-915-5311.

Professors, Staff Receive Lift Every Voice Awards at UM Black History Month Kickoff

Posted on: February 9th, 2015 by erabadie

FEBRUARY 8, 2015 | BY EDWIN SMITH

Shawnboda Mead (center) congratulates 2015 Lift Every Voice Award honorees Brandi Hephner LaBanc (left) and Jennifer Stollman. | Photo by Mary Knight.

“Lift Every Voice” is traditionally known as the Negro national anthem, but the song title is also the name of an annual award presented at the University of Mississippi.

Four UM employees received this year’s “Lift Every Voice” award Feb. 3 during UM’s Black History Month kickoff celebration in the Ole Miss Student Union. Honored were Joseph Ward, professor and chair of history; Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs; Jennifer Stollman, academic director for the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation; and Kirk Johnson, associate professor of sociology and anthropology and African-American Studies.

Kirk Johnson

“The Black Faculty and Staff Organization of the University of Mississippi founded the ‘Lift Every Voice’ award to recognize an individual, group or entity that has contributed to the betterment of human relationships on our campus,” said Shawnboda Mead, director of UM’s Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement. “Particular emphasis is given to the areas of diversity, multiculturalism and inclusion. Recipients of this award have worked beyond their normal employment boundaries and performed the ‘extra mile’ of service to their fellow man for the university.”

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Previous recipients include Thomas Wallace, former vice chancellor for student affairs; Johnnie Williams, former vice chancellor for administration and finance; Leroy Wadlington, former pastor of Second Baptist Church in Oxford; Glenn Hopkins, dean emeritus of the College of Liberal Arts and professor emeritus of mathematics; Gloria Kellum, vice chancellor emeritus for university relations; Maurice Eftink, dean emeritus of the Graduate School and professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Chancellor Emeritus Robert Khayat; Donald Cole, assistant to the chancellor for multicultural affairs and associate professor of mathematics; Warner Alford, alumni director emeritus and former athletics director; Kirsten Dellinger, professor and chair of sociology and anthropology; Jackie Certion, senior academic adviser; Patrick Perry, director of the LuckyDay Program; Curtis Wilke, associate professor of journalism; Aileen Ajootian, professor of classics; Susan Glisson, director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation; Jeff Jackson, associate professor of sociology; Charles Ross, associate professor of history and director of African-American studies program; Susan Grayzel, professor of history and director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies; Morris Stocks, provost and professor of accountancy; and Chancellor Dan Jones.

The Appeal of the Academic Challenge

Posted on: August 15th, 2014 by erabadie

By LUCY SCHULTZE | Courtesy of The Oxford Eagle

Martial Longla, assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Mississippi | Photo by Bruce Newman, Courtesy of The Oxford Eagle

Raised in a poor village in west Cameroon, Martial Longla could have succumbed to the hardships fate dealt him. Instead, he gave in to the appeal of a daunting challenge.

Cryptic equations scribbled on a chalkboard looked like a mountain begging to be climbed, as Longla sat in his high-school classroom, captivated. Today he’s scaled those heights to secure his first academic appointment, as an assistant professor in the University of Mississippi Department of Mathematics.

Longla officially joined the faculty this semester, coming from the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a doctorate as well as a second master’s degree in statistics. This semester he’s teaching a total of about 70 students, in foundations of mathematics and in calculus.

Previously, Longla spent a decade in Moscow as the result of a scholarship opportunity. He learned the Russian language and also honed his English skills, earning money for necessities by working as a three-way translator with his native French.

His time in Russia was a rich experience of social activism and creative expression, as he employed African dance, singing, percussion, poetry and humor in an endeavor to correct the prejudice that people of color faced in Russian society.

While he misses the stage, he’s focused for now on getting settled in his new environment in small-town Mississippi. He chose UM over job offers in New York, both for the warmer climate and for the connection he felt with colleagues in the math department here.

His wife has remained in Cincinnati thus far, but he hopes she’ll be able to join him soon.

The Oxford EAGLE visited with Longla, 35, in his office in Hume Hall.

So how are you liking Oxford so far?

“I think it’s going to be fine. I’m not yet seeing what people were telling me that I’m going to see here.

“I was at the airport, and there was a lady there—apparently from Ohio, where I came from. And I was in my African dress, so she was interested and she said, ‘Where are you coming from?’ ‘I’m coming from Cincinnati.’ She said, ‘And where are you headed?’ I said, ‘Oxford.’

“‘Oxford, Ohio?’ ‘No, Oxford, Mississippi.’ What did you forget there?!’ ‘What do you mean?’ She said, ‘You are going to see.’

“That was two months ago. So I’ve been asking some of the colleagues around: ‘What is it that I’m not yet seeing?’

“You know, some people are still living in the past. Even when I told my friends that I had some job offers, and then I decided to go to Mississippi: ‘Martial, what is wrong with you?’ They said, ‘You do know the history, right? And you are going there?’ ‘Yes, I’m going to Mississippi.’”

Was mathematics something you connected with early on?

“No. To be honest, when I was in primary school, I was very good at languages. So everybody was sure that I was going to be a journalist, and that is what I was aiming for. All the time you would see me reading. I was not doing the exercises in mathematics. I was not interested at all. I was just an average student in a class—until I got to high school.

“About half way in high school, I met an instructor. If I did not meet that man, I don’t think I would be doing mathematics. The instructor comes into class—just a young boy, like me. He was just as short as I was at that time. And then he doesn’t have any notes. He comes just with a piece of chalk. And then he asks a question: ‘Where did we stop last time?’ You tell him. He goes to the board and continues the lecture.

“‘Example.’ It comes from the brain. ‘Solution.’ He gives you the exercises, and he doesn’t look anywhere. Come on! A human being can do this, and I cannot understand it? This is not normal; it cannot happen this way. And then I told my friends: ‘I’ll become a mathematician.’”

How did your work change from that point?

“I started studying. Every day, I get back home, first thing before I eat, I go to the board, review all the theorems we had in class, try to prove them without opening the notes, make sure I understand what was there, then do the exercises before I eat. Every day, every day. My parents said, ‘What is happening with this kid?’ My mom said, ‘Martial, what do you do? You used to like to eat, now you don’t eat at all.’ I said, ‘It’s OK. I just know what I want.

“From that point on, things started to change. The next test, I get a 16 out of 20. Then a 17.By the end of the year, every test that comes, I have 20 out of 20.Then I become the first-ranked student in the class.”

Why did you pursue your studies in Russia?

“I didn’t have other options. Scholarships are very hard to obtain, and it was a surprise for everybody when I actually got it. My father was like, ‘How did you do that?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know. It just happened.’ Because usually, when scholarships come, by the time you hear there are already some applications from other people—from the circle of people who know about that, so they just go ahead and have their relatives apply.

Back in my village, it was very far from the capitol city where you have the Ministry of Higher Education, where all those scholarships are.

“When I moved to the capitol city for the university, a friend said to me one night, ‘Martial, I heard you were interested in traveling abroad. Do you know I was passing by the Ministry of Higher Education, and I saw them putting an advertisement that there were some scholarships for Russia? The deadline is tomorrow.’ We are at 5 p.m. I said, ‘Really?’ She said, ‘Yes, if you’re interested.’”

How did you make that deadline?

“I called all my friends. I said, ‘Guys, this is the thing: I shouldn’t miss this. Here’s what they want. You go for this document, you go for this document, and we all meet at the ministry at this time. One person will go to notarize a birth certificate, the other will go to collect the pictures, the other a certificate that I’m healthy. And everybody just rushed. They all gave me everything they had, and I knocked at the door.

“The people looked at me. I said, ‘I’m coming for the scholarships to Russia.’ Someone said, ‘Oh, really?’ ‘Yes.’ So a lady takes the papers. She ‘How? What? You got a 19 out of 20 in mathematics?’ ‘Yes.’ She’s like, ‘OK.’ She looks at physics, 19.5. Chemistry, 18. Then she looked at me and asked: ‘Do you really want to go to Russia?’ I just asked her as an answer: ‘Do you have other options for me?’ She looked at me again and said, ‘OK. Just come back when the results are out. We will need your HIV test at that point.’”

So where did you end up?

“I ended up in a southern town of Russia called Rostov-on-Don. I had no money and couldn’t get anything from my parents. So, my only hope was success. After several months in a hospital with a broken knee junction, I decided to transfer to Moscow.

“I was in Moscow, at the People’s Friendship University, with a very large family of foreign students. With the student organizations fighting for the students’ rights and things like that—trying to prove that the black guys are not as bad as they think they are. So we had to go to some Russian high schools, talk with the kids about African culture, show them some plays and performances. This was backed by the Peoples’s Friendship University of Russia, that in his mission wanted to work for more integration in this world. ”

It sounds like sort of a cultural-ambassador role.

“That’s mainly what we were doing, yes. It was very exciting, and when people started talking about what it would be like here, I said, ‘Hey, I don’t think there is anything that you can go over that I haven’t seen in my life.’

“I’ve been called names. I’ve been called names by my own students—before realizing that they’re going to be my students. They call me ‘monkey,’ and then the next day, they would come in the classroom and I would be in front of them. In Russia, you’d have some groups of young guys going around beating guys. These guys were supported and paid by some extremists that needed to prove that the government was not protecting foreigners in Russia. I know this because some TV programs I was invited to featured some of the mentors of these young folks. So, one pays another to harm You, while others try to protect You in the same country! So I don’t think there’s anything that might happen to me here that I haven’t seen.”

Do you feel a gap between your experience and that of the students you teach here?

“When I look at the students in this country which were in the same conditions that I was in, I don’t see them behaving the way I was behaving. Because, I think, of politics. And the second thing is because of the system itself.

“Because when you put too much accent on the fact that we don’t have opportunities, we don’t have options, we don’t have this, we don’t have that—you end up having people that don’t try to do their best. Not that they are unable to do so, but because they just know that’s how it is.

“So most of the time, when I talk to the students, I just try to make them understand that being a minority is not a reason to fail. Is not a reason to expect that people will be just giving away grades to you, to make sure you go through. Because doing that doesn’t help you. It keeps you where you were.

“So if you need to succeed, get that out of your brain. It’s true, yes. It’s true that you are from a minority and that there has been some discrimination, and that maybe still exists. But for you to succeed, you need to make sure you put in that brain: It’s all up to you. You’re not living in history. You’re living right now. And right now is the time for you to do the right thing.”

Why choosing the U.S. over Russia?

It was not a choice. It was a necessity. I loved my environment in Russia. I never thought I will ever move away from Moscow. The Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia was like a country inside Moscow, with its own government and rules. The rector of the University was a very good man and was very supportive of my actions. He personally wrote a letter of recommendation for me when I told him that I needed to move to US. I was worried about my future. I needed to secure a place where I could live with my wife and possibly my parents. I understood that for my 22 brothers and sisters, and my own family, I needed to do more. My heart still beats for Moscow. I will not say that I regret coming to U.S. but I am certainly not happy for moving from my main land—RUDN.