Math Major Receives Award for Presentation
Ellen Panofsky,
a Millersville senior mathematics education major, received a $150 award from
the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) for her Mathfest 2001 presentation entitled "Distance Minimizing
Paths on a Circular Can that Cross One Rim Twice." Held in Madison, Wisconsin, on August 2-4, Mathfest 2001 was attended by some 2000 mathematicians, mathematics
educators and students from across the nation; it is the annual summer meeting
of the MAA. Panofsky,
of Holland, Pa., was among 80 students who presented papers--46 in a
session sponsored by the MAA and 34 in a session sponsored by Pi Mu Epsilon (the national mathematics honor society). Of the
46 student papers presented in the MAA session, 10 were chosen to receive
awards of $150 for exceptional quality.
The awards were provided by the MAA and were presented at the Pi Mu Epsilon Banquet on Friday, August 3. The names of the winners will appear in
future issues of “FOCUS”
and “Mathematical Horizons” magazines. Panofsky was one of
five MU students who participated in a special undergraduate research seminar
last spring under the direction of Dr. Ron Umble, mathematics. The project, involving a previously
unsolved problem, was as follows: Given two arbitrarily chosen points on a
circular (soup) can, find the distance minimizing path connecting them. Other students in Umble’s
seminar included Heather Hesston (senior mathematics major), Joel Mohler
(junior mathematics major), Robert Painter (computer science major, graduated
in May 2001) and Nathaniel Phillips (sophomore physics major). Heather, Joel
and Robert also gave presentations at Mathfest.
MATHFEST
2001
Madison Wisconsin
August 2-4
MU student
speakers Ellen Panofsky, Robert Painter, Joel Mohler
and Heather Heston.
These people are having
entirely too much fun!
Enjoying
the Pi Mu Epsilon banquet, Friday evening, August 3.
$150 MAA
award winners for outstanding presentations.
"There she is...Miss Panofsky...."
Wow! She's a
winner!
"We're in the money...!"