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