Professor Karen Weinstein will be the Rush Hour presenter on Tuesday, October 4th at Noon in Rector Science Complex Stafford Auditorium.  Her talk will be "Monkeys in the Snow and Cold: the Evolution of Body Proportions in Macaques".  Free pizza!

The Math & Computer Science Department is co-sponsoring "Nothing to Hide" by Rita J. King on Tuesday, September 27th at 7:00 p.m. in the Stern Center Great Room.  Everyone welcome.

Abstract: While Facebook has served as a catalyst for discussions about privacy issues, it's only one aspect of a major shift permeating the world.  Platforms come and go but privacy issues continue to influence and shape modern life.  Perceptions of what privacy is and what it's worth are changing. In addition to internet privacy issues, urban environments are increasingly filled with surveillance cameras.  Nearly everybody on the street is carrying a mobile device, maybe capturing some fragment of your story arc in the form of an image or overheard snippet of conversation.  Digital algorithms can piece together the puzzle of your life by recognizing your patterns, habits and even  your face.  How will the construct of identity and society be affected? How will "you" be affected?

Join us for a Math & CS Department Majors & Faculty BBQ on Thursday, October 13th from Noon-1:30 pm in the Rector Courtyard.  Rain Location will be Rector Atrium.

The Math & CS professors will provide side dishes & desserts.  They will also be grilling hot dogs, hamburgers & veggie burgers to perfection.  Come out & enjoy the fun!

A representative from The National Security Agency (NSA) will provide a Math/CS Chat on Tuesday, September 27th at Noon in Tome 115.  The talk title is "The Secret Lives of Mathematicians".

Abstract: The National Security Agency (NSA) plays a critical role in the United States Intelligence Community.  From code making to code breaking, the NSA's primary objectives include both offensive and defensive aspects of communications analysis and development, none of which would be possible without an elite force of mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers, and many more.

This talk aims to give an overview of career opportunities in math and computer science at the NSA, and present several key examples of public-key cryptography, including the Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange and RSA.

Free pizza.

Our very own Professor Dave Richeson will present the Rush Hour Talk on Thursday, September 22nd at Noon in Stafford Lecture Room in Rector Science Complex.  Talk title: "Proving the Impossible". 

Abstract: "Nothing is impossible!" It is comforting to believe this greeting card sentiment; it is the American Dream.  Human flight and the four-minute mile were proclaimed to be impossible, but both came to pass.  Yet there are impossible things, and it is possible to prove that they are so. In this talk we will look at some of the most famous impossibility theorems - the so-called "problems of antiquity."  The ancient Greek geometers tried and failed to square circles, trisect angles, double cubes, and construct regular polygons using only a compass and straightedge.  So did future generations of great mathematicians.  It took two thousand years to prove conclusively that all four of these are mathematically impossible.  No, not even Chuck Norris can square the circle.

 Pizza provided.

The Math & Computer Science department faculty will host an open house during Family/Homecoming Weekend.  The event will be held on Saturday, September 24th from 3:30-5pm in the Tome 2nd Floor Library.  Students - bring your family out to meet your professors!  Everyone welcome!  Snacks provided.

Join us for our next Math/CS Chat on Tuesday, September 13th at Noon in Tome 115.  Qi Wang will present "Make Connections between Classroom Learning and Real World Situations".  Qi will cite examples from his summer internship experience to explain how students can make connections between what they have learned in class and what we will do in real-world scenarios. 

Diego Struk will also present "Interning with One Laptop Per Child".  During the summer of 2010, Diego worked for One Laptop Per Child in the Ancash Region in Peru.  He had a great experience.  He will talk about the challenges he and his team faced during the deployment, his experience, the organization and opportunities to get involved with it.  Lunch provided.