Boise State Mathematics Department Celebrates New Master's Degree Program with Two Lectures Sept. 19

Boise State University�s Department of Mathematics will celebrate the inauguration of its new master�s degree program in mathematics with guest lectures by two nationally prominent scientists on Monday, Sept. 19.

Ron Graham, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California-San Diego, will discuss �Searching for the Shortest Network� from 3:40-4:30 p.m. in Room 106 of the Multi-Purpose Classroom Building.

Graham, past president of the Mathematical Association of America, is one of the world�s best- known mathematicians, computer theorists and technology visionaries. In math, he pioneered worst-case analysis in scheduling theory, online algorithms, quasi-randomness and Ramsey Theory, a branch of pure mathematics that states that complete disorder is impossible.

Graham is in the Guinness Book of World Records for using the largest number ever in a mathematical proof (so large there isn�t even a notation for it), now known as �Graham�s number.� He holds the Irwin and Joan Jacobs Endowed Chair in Computer and Information Science and is chief scientist of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology. He joined the UC-San Diego faculty after a 37-year career at AT&T.

Also speaking Sept. 19 is Fan Chung, who has joint appointments in the departments of Mathematics and Computer Science and Engineering at UC-San Diego. Chung will discuss �Random Graphs and Internet Graphs� from 10:40-11:30 a.m. Room 106 of the Micron Engineering Center.

Chung formerly headed the mathematics, information sciences and operations research division at Bellcore and was named a Bellcore fellow in 1991. She gave an invited address at the 1994 International Congress of Mathematicians and is the author of approximately 200 scientific papers. Chung joined the UC-San Diego faculty in 1998.

The Boise State Department of Mathematics launched its new master�s of science degree program in mathematics this fall with 10 students in its first class, said Alan Hausrath, department chair. �We�re off to an excellent start, and we�d like to encourage everyone who is interested to attend the lectures on Sept. 19,� he said.

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Contact: Alan Hausrath, Department of Mathematics, (208) 426-1172, ahausrat@boisestate.edu 

Media Contact: Janelle Brown, News Services, (208) 426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu