Inside Domain Newsletter

MATH, COMPUTER SCIENCE & PHYSICS DEPARTMENT FALL 2014

Priority Registration for Spring Semester 2015: November 3-18 Thanksgiving Recess, Begins 11pm: November 25 Last day of classes, Fall Semester: December 8 Final Examinations: December 11-17 Semester Ends: December 17

WINTER BREAK: ENJOY!

Important Dates to Remember: Fall 2014

STATEMENT FROM OUR CHAIR:

AAC&U SUPPORTS FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY STEM PROGRAM WITH GRANT According to Press Release: On (July 15, 2014) — “Fairleigh Dickinson University has been awarded over $275,000 by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as part of its Teaching to In-crease Diversity and Equity in STEM (TIDES) The funds will be used in the Computer Science Talent Advancement Program (CS-TAP) to encourage minori-ties and women to pursue computer sci-ence degrees.FDU was one of just 20 insti-tutions selected out of over 200 applicants. Fairleigh Dickinson University was the only New Jersey institution to receive the full award. The grant money will impact 100 students per year. AAC&U is the lead-ing national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its mem-bers are committed to extending the advan-tages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915,

AAC&U now comprises more than 1,300 member institutions—including accredited public and private colleges, community colleges, research universities, and com-prehensive universities of every type and size. The Computer Science Talent Ad-vancement Program (CS-TAP) aims to encourage students to explore computer science in action while building a strong skill set,” said Kiron Sharma, Professor of Computer Science, who is the Principal Investigator for the CS-TAP project and also directs the Science Technology, Engi-neering and Mathematics (STEM) Institute of Education at Fairleigh Dickinson Uni-versity. “Faculty in the program will ac-tively redesign introductory courses and teaching methodology to integrate innova-tive and interdisciplinary solutions offered by computer science.” This was a result of collaborative effort from our CS faculty and faculty from Petrocelli college. Con-gratulations to all involved.”

Welcome to the second issue of our de-partment’s newsletter, Inside Domain. So much has happened since our first issue. Our department was awarded a grant from AAC&U (American Associa-tion of Colleges and Universities) to in-crease diversity and equity in STEM education with a focus on computer sci-ence. We welcomed Dr. Brian Knorr, Assistant Professor of Physics, who joined us this fall. Dr. Knorr earned his PhD in Physics from Lehigh University. Congratulations to Dr. Robert Mayans

for receiving the 2014 Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching. We held our second Ice Cream Social in September of this year. The event was a huge success and was attended by both faculty and students. Congratulations to our graduating class of 2014 . Our new group of Alumni have already gone on to new and excit-ing endeavors working for Picatinny Arsenal, Data Motion, Morgan Stanley and the government, to name a few. We wish them success in this new stage of their lives.

The department has developed two new concentrations for our undergraduate students. A Data Mining concentration for students pursuing a BS in Computer Science, and a Financial Mathematics concentration for students in the Mathe-matics BA program. Enjoy reading about the accomplish-ments of our faculty and students. Good luck with the puzzle. Wishing you all a successful Fall semester. Laila Khreisat, PhD Chair, Department of Mathematics, Computer Science & Physics

I N S I D E D O M A I N

N E W S L E T T E R

Dr. Kiron Sharma

P A G E 2

SPOTLIGHT: Prof. Kiron Sharma Dr. Kiron Sharma, professor of Math, Computer Science and Physics joined FDU in 1996 and has made significant contributions to the university through numerous scholarly achievements and dedicated service. Dr. Sharma served as the math department chair from 2002-2011 and has been involved in several grass roots efforts geared towards men-toring and challenging students in a vari-ety of capacities. Dr. Sharma was the winner of the 2012 Distinguished Faculty Award for Service, and is a highly valued member of the FDU community. Most recently, in June 2014, Dr. Sharma was instrumental in procuring a three year grant of over a quarter million dol-lars from the Association of American Colleges & Universities. The grant will fund model curricula development and professional development programs for faculty dedicated towards the success of women and underrepresented students in computer science and other STEM fields. Dr. Sharma has submitted several grant proposals and has been successful in at-taining funding in excess of a million dollars for FDU. As a co-director of the Science, Technol-ogy, Engineering and Mathematics Insti-tute of Education (SIE) at Fairleigh Dick-inson University, Dr. Sharma organizes professional development programs for

school teachers in the areas of science and mathematics. The SIE is funded by grants procured from corporations and foundations. The mission of the institute is to prepare highly qualified and versa-tile teachers who will motivate, attract, and encourage talented youth to explore and pursue careers in science, math and technology. In fall of 2013, the organiza-tion hosted a symposium, “Decoding the next Generation Science Standards” that was attended by 240 educators from across the state. (For more information on the SIE, go to www.fdu.edu/sie). The SIE is hosting its second annual state-wide symposium on November 21st, 2014. Dr. Sharma is credited to reviving FDU’s Archimedean Society which was origi-nally founded in the mid 70’s and active until the mid 80’s. Dr. Sharma says, “We decided to reinitiate the Society in the spirit of involving students in collabora-tive activities with the faculty and for introducing professional and research opportunities. Activities in recent years have involved lectures from professionals in the computing field, problem solving with puzzles and presentations on student research projects.” Although there are notable industry positives in the fields of science and technology, Dr. Sharma says, “…I am troubled by the fact that our na-tion, on the whole, is doing a poor job in educating our children in the fields of science and math. The latest 2012 PISA (Program for International Student As-sessment) test results, released Dec. 3, 2013, show that the U.S. lags among 65 countries even after adjusting for poverty. The results from the test show that stu-dents at the 90th percentile in the United States — the very top — are below the average student in Shanghai. “ Dr. Sharma says, “My focus, in part, is to improve teacher education programs. Our teachers should be equipped with the tools to generate enthusiasm in the minds of young children and to enable them to acquire the right skills to excel in the computational and scientific fields.”

In addition to these numerous achieve-ments, Dr. Sharma has played a key role in the establishment of the Center for Cybersecurity & Information Assurance on the Metropolitan Campus located in Teaneck, NJ. Dr. Sharma is also in-volved in FDU’s mathematics honors society Pi Mu Epsilon. Dr. Sharma obtains deep satisfaction from seeing students returning to attend graduate programs at FDU. She is also heartened by FDU’s commitment to the expansion of global education. Dr. Sharma says, “I am really thrilled to see the opportunities that our students have to explore the world in many different ways. The university has kept true to its mission of global education by providing a host of options for our students to become world citizens. I would like to see us expand even more. Among the many options to explore, our students can participate in activities organized by the United Na-tions, attend lectures presented by Global Virtual Faculty from different parts of the world, and study abroad for a year or even for two weeks.” In enhancing the University’s mission of global education, Dr. Sharma formed a partnership with Amity University in India to facilitate the expansion of the Two Worlds study-abroad program for undergraduate stu-dents. Dr. Sharma earned a B.S., University of Delhi, India, a M.Sc. from the Indian Institute of Technology in India, a M.Tech/M.Phil. from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India and a Ph.D. from City University of NY. Her research interests involve algorithms and com-putational complexity, and performance issues for students in mathematics, computer science and related fields as well as the use of technology for devel-oping reasoning and problem solving skills. Additional research interests are in sustainability and growth connected with information technology in the global marketplace.

Interviewed by Rachel Victor

P A G E 3

Student Spotlight: Daniel Aviles FDU Graduate student Daniel Aviles began his academic career as a Com-puter Science Major with a minor in Graphic Design. After a while, he real-ized that 3D Animation was a field of art he had more interest in, so he de-cided to keep Computer Science as his major and pursue a concentration in Game Development. Daniel Aviles is and has been an excel-lent student and a positive role model

for all incoming and current under-graduate students pursuing degrees in Computer Science. Daniel was awarded a grant from Novo Nordisk to study the performance of the Bayesian Classifier, which was later supported by a grant from ICFNJ (Independent Col-lege Fund of NJ). He also worked for the Math, C.S. & Physics Dept as a lab assistant and lab grader. During his senior year, he worked on a project where he studied the hot field of Data Mining. He later presented the project at Liberty Science Center and won an outstanding presentation award and also received tickets to the NJ Devils hockey game. He was also recognized by the Math, C.S. & Physics Dept as graduat-ing with the highest GPA in Computer Science.

Daniel Aviles graduated in the Spring of 2014 with a B.S. in Computer Sci-ence and one of the first undergraduate students to graduate with a concentra-tion in Game Development. Daniel Av-iles chose to continue his studies and is now pursuing his Masters with the 5 year accelerated program we offer. In addition to being a Graduate Student and further pursuing his degree, Daniel continues to assist the tennis team as a Volunteer Assistant. He has also been meeting the demands of being a com-muter, along with working part-time, 20 hours per week as an Easy Tech Associ-ate for Staples. We would like to congratulate Daniel Aviles on a job well done! We are sure you will excel in all your endeavors!

Teacher of the Year Award Winner: Robert Mayans

Robert Mayans, Ph.D., Associate Pro-fessor of Mathematics received the 2014 Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching. No surprise, Dr. Mayans has “enthusiasm, a deep love of mathemat-ics and a passion he strives to communi-cate with his students by requiring sus-tained effort.”

A graduating senior writes “Professor Mayans has truly been one of the best professors I was lucky enough to have for three separate courses in my college career.” Another graduating senior writes, “The Discrete Structures course was one of my favorite classes in col-lege. The material was very challeng-

ing; however, Dr. Mayans broke it down in ways that made it easy for me and my classmates to understand.”

These comments are consistent with chair Dr. Khreisat’s assessment. “You can always see him in the department helping students with math problems that they are struggling with, patiently taking the time to explain every step in the process, making sure that the stu-dent understands.” Brad Levy, Associ-ate Director, EOF writes. “Teaching is an art; it is never easy, always challeng-ing and hopefully rewarding. Professor Mayans has an excellent understanding of his academic area and a real talent for communicating this to his students.”

Dr. Mayans joined Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2003. He currently teaches Calculus II and Combinatorics and has previously taught a variety of mathematics and computer science courses including Numerical Analysis, Differential Equations, Multivariable Advanced Calculus, Algorithms, Linear Algebra, and the Honors Contemporary

Mathematics course. If you have not had the chance to meet Dr. Mayans, please join the department events, where you can taste Dr. Mayans’ brownies, prepared enthusiastically.

Welcome our New Physics Professor: Brian Knorr

Dr. Brian Knorr received his B.S. in Physics from Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2009, M.S. in Physics from Lehigh University in 2011, and his Ph.D., in Physics from Lehigh Univer-sity in 2014. Dr. Knorr’s doctoral re-search focused on Raman and Fluores-cence spectroscopy of rare earth doped laser-induced crystals-in-glass. This semester Dr. Knorr is teaching General Physics I; General Physics with Calcu-lus I and Basic Electronics with Appli-cations. When he is not doing physics he enjoys carpentry, frisbee, hockey and chocolate chip cookies. We welcome Dr. Knorr to our department and to FDU!

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Dr. Robert Mayans

Archimedean Society Meeting (2/18/2014 )

Archimedean Society Meet-ings provide an opportunity for students to join the fac-ulty for presentations, deli-cious food, chatting with the faculty and meeting with friends. FDU Senior Robin Wells presented her research on Applications of Linear Algebra to Differential

Equations. She and Este-fania Ruiz were inducted into Pi Mu Epsilon, the na-tional honorary mathematics society. At the senior award ceremony Robin received the Outstanding Achieve-ment in Mathematics Award. Congratulations Robin!!

Spring 2014 EVENTS

Mary Rauscher made a presentation about her ex-perience working on Mobil-ity & Computing Technol-ogy at Alcatel-Lucent—Bell Labs as well as her experience with iPhone App Development—Using MacMini, Objective C and

Xcode. Mary has a very interesting story on how she began her journey and what lead her to pursue a Mas-ter’s degree in computer Science. The article will be featured in our next issue. Stay tuned!

I N S I D E D O M A I N

Archimedean Society Meeting (4/15/2014)

“If there’s no struggle, there’s no progress.” Frederick Douglas

P A G E 4

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

Academic Distinction in Computer Science Assessment—Kyle Corsi; Academic Dis-tinction in Mathematics Assessment—David Mautone; Academic Distinction for Highest GPA in Mathematics—Estefania Ruiz; Aca-demic Distinction for Highest Overall Scho-lastic Average Among Computer Science Majors—Daniel Aviles; Academic Distinc-tion for at least a 3.8 Overall Grade Point Average Among Mathematics Majors—Estefania Ruiz; Academic Distinction for at least a 3.8 Overall Grade Point Average Among Mathematics Majors—Rebecca Schulman; Academic Distinction for at least a 3.8 Overall Grade Point Average Among Mathematics Majors—Robin Wells Departmental Recognition for Research: Daniel Aviles Timothy Barlow Kyle Corsi Kevin Miller Mary Rauscher Robin Wells Department Service Distinction: Kyle Corsi Congratulations to all!

P A G E 5

I N S I D E D O M A I N

Most Likely To Quietly Take Over the World – Jonaid Anwar; Most Likely To Party Like a Rockstar – Lanie Andrews; Most Likely To Get Out of Trouble by Smiling – Estefania Ruiz; Most Likely To Em-barrass themselves in Public – Daniel Aviles; Most Likely To Cor-rupt the Minds of Young Children – Aaron Solomon & Chris Perez; Most Likely To build a killer robot – Professor Kalb; Most Likely To

drive a Bentley – Amanda Sangemino; Most Likely To be a high school teacher – Robin Wells; Most Likely To bring a Harry Potter movie to life: Erin Flemming; Most likely to never be done – Prof. Wag-ner; Most Likely To be CEO of over 100 companies – Kyle Corsi; Most likely to never grow “up” – Dave Mautone, as in he’s short and he’ll never grow, haha. Lilla you have to do that one for him because face

it, its super funny haha; Most likely to feed the students – Prof. Sharma; Most likely to be a fan of the Walking Dead – Prof. Khreisat; Most likely to secretly be Indiana jones – Prof. Slaby; Most likely to support student activities – Prof. Mayans; Most likely to walk in a bar and people think she’s Taylor Swift but then they realize she’s not and throw food at her…”repeatedly” Christopher Perez – Paulina Onisk

9TH Annual Math, C.S. & Physics Department Senior Dinner Irrational Thoughts of Math Students by Lanie Andrews, Erin Flemming & Colleen Furbeck As our time here comes to a finish, we hope everything we’ve learned doesn’t diminish…we started here in 2010; we know so much more now than we knew then: you pro-fessors, I’m sure, taught us all that we know about l’hospi-tal, cayley, even driving through snow! So here is a run-down of what each of you taught, about math, or life; here is what we thought! Most of us had professor Slaby in the beginning, you proved bad handwriting couldn’t keep us from learning. You taught us the probability of passing a stats class was not very high. But that we’d get through it with a smile, what a guy! Dr. Sharma, we love you, just maybe not your class. But when you’re helpful and bring food we’ll show en mass! Sometimes the hardest part of computer science was

remembering to save our files. But we’ll always remem-ber the language you taught us and all of your smiles! Dr. Mayans, although we’re still unsure how to pronounce your name, we are grateful of your support of our athletic fame. You taught us the importance of working together but if we handed in copied work you’d reign down on us like the worst weather! Dr. Kalb, what a year we all spent with you. Learning math isn’t just theoretical but something to actually do. From playing with mirrors and learning about torque you can’t solve any problems without pictures and showing your work! To professor Namazi, the man with proof writing super powers. We wouldn’t have passed your classes without the library and office hours. Fact: you taught some of the hardest classes ever. But cryptography was fun, we won’t forget that- never! Dr. Wagner, let’s just say your suspenders hold a special place in our hearts. Like what we learned when integrat-ing by parts. “Are we done? No, we’re never done!” Not until now you’re our last class then we’re grading – holy cow! To all of our teachers here tonight or not we look to leave you with this last thought. Thank you for encouraging us, helping us, really when things weren’t clicking, our ab-sences, your office hours, your meetings, for tests, for quizzes for graded homework and emails. We’ll think of you always, everyday that we teach, for now our goal of being teachers is finally in reach!

OUR 2014 SUPERLATIVES WINNERS!! CONGRATULATIONS!!

Spring 2014 Events (CONT.)

Turn your brain cells into big buck$. Prof. Penrice is offering a cash reward in the amount of To the first student to submit a solution to the following puzzle:

Math, Computer Science & Physics Dept.

Puzzle

8

1

$ 2 k

k

For More Information: Math, Computer Science & Physics Dept. 285 Madison Avenue - M-ZN2-02 Madison, NJ 07940 Phone: 973-443-8680 Fax: 973-443-8683 Administrative Assistant: Lilla Vinci lvillane@fdu.edu

Editor: Parwin Penrice Co-Editor: Yuliana Teper Co-Editor: Lilla Vinci Reporter: Rachel Victer Information Contributors: Math/CS/Physics Faculty

Don’t forget to join the ACM today so we can move forward with our ACM student chapter! Swing by the depart-ment for more information or any ques-tions regarding our ACM chapter or how to become a member.

Like our Facebook page: Math, Computer Science & Physics Department Fairleigh Dickinson University

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR 2014 GRADUATING SENIORS!!

Connect with us on Linkedin: Math CS Physics Dept Fairleigh Dickinson University

Solutions may be submitted by email to penrice@fdu.edu or in person. Only Math or CS majors are eligible to par-ticipate. The submitting student will have to demonstrate that he/she understands how to calculate the reward amount. Group submissions are welcome but the group members will have to share the reward. Submissions from faculty members will not be considered. GOOD LUCK!

THREE’S COMPANY

There are nine people in your circle of friends, and you want to invite them to dinner, three at a time, over the next twelve Saturdays. Is there a way to ar-range the invitations in such a way that pairs of friends meet each other at your dinners just once?

Marek

Laila

Kiron

Robert

Lilla

Diane

Neelu

Yuliana

Parwin