Author: max

  • Computer science curricula, programming languages, and minds

    Joel Spolsky recently posted some interesting musings about computer science education under the heading The Perils of JavaSchools. They make particularly interesting reading given the current configuration of our introductory computer science courses at Gustavus (now about 15 years old) and given that we’re slowly warming up for a discussion of whether we want to…

  • Gusties Compete in Programming Contest

    On Saturday, November 5, Gustavus students Justin Delegard, Dan Treiman, and Alex Wauck competed in the ACM North Central North America Regional Programming Contest. The regional contest spans seven US states and one and a half Canadian provinces, and this year included 186 teams. Teams participate from local satellite sites; the Gustavus team was one…

  • Math Teaching: What’s the Real World Like?

    A discussion with alumni about teaching positions Godfather’s Pizza, back room, 5:30pm, November 18, 2005 Pizza and soft drinks will be served This event is for students interested in teaching mathematics in secondary schools. Math majors ranging from the class of 1999 to the class of 2005 will come back to talk about their varied…

  • Alumni Roundup

    Here is a sampling of what various graduates of our department are up to.

  • Math Careers: What’s the “Real World” Like?

    A discussion with recent grads about employment Godfather’s Pizza, back room, 6:15pm, November 10, 2005 Pizza and soft drinks will be served This event is for math majors interested in careers outside of the computing and teaching areas; other events are adressing those two areas. Math majors who graduated over the last handful of years…

  • Computing Careers: What’s the “Real World” Like?

    A discussion with recent grads about employment Godfather’s Pizza, back room, 6:15pm, October 18, 2005 Pizza and soft drinks will be served This event is for students interested in computing careers, whether they are majoring in computer science or in math. MCS majors who graduated over the last handful of years will come back to…

  • See and learn about IT in the real world

    We’ve got a great opportunity to see how information technology is deployed on a large scale, and to learn about it from Gustie alumni among others. On Wednesday, October 12th, I have arranged for a bus trip up to Thomson Legal and Regulatory (TLR) in Eagan, a southern suburb of the twin cities. We will…

  • Zupan Wins Award for Presentation

    Gustavus math major Alex Zupan won the Council on Undergraduate Research award for the best research talk in the MAA Student Papers sessions at MathFest 2005. We have a photo of him receiving the award, complements of Paul Fishback. Zupan’s talk on Numbers and Patterns in Segments in the Hausdorff Metric Geometry was based on…

  • The Grokster Decision: Winning a Battle to Lose a War?

    The Supreme Court’s decision in MGM v. Grokster is interesting not only in its own right, but also as an occasion to think deeply about the recording and movie industries’ strategies. Why exactly do they want to face adversaries who are ever more difficult to hold liable? There may actually be a sensible answer.

  • Applied Math Change Approved

    At the May 19th meeting of the full faculty of the college, final approval was granted for a change in the math major and minor. A new Discrete Dynamical Systems course, MCS-357, will replace MCS-353 in all roles within the major and minor. The new course will be offered in fall of even years, starting…