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Math Professor Connects UST to Global Math Community(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) HOUSTON, Oct. 17 -- The University of St. Thomas issued the following news release: Dr. Mary Flagg, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Cooperative Engineering, has spent her first year on campus creating a strong connection between UST and the global mathematics community. This summer Flagg traveled to Spineto, Italy, for the conference "Algebraic Structures and Their Applications," and to Park City, Utah, for the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton Park City Math Institute Sumer School on the Mathematics of Materials. This fall she traveled to New Orleans to attend "Future Directions in Commutative Ring Theory Inspired by the Contribution of Laszlo Fuchs" at Tulane University. The Park City Summer School, funded by the National Science Foundation, brings together scholars, teachers and students from all over the world and all across the spectrum of the mathematical community. Flagg was one of eight participants invited in the Undergraduate Faculty Program. The workshop's purpose was to develop curriculum material for an undergraduate course in the mathematics used in materials science. Flagg will offer MATH 4393 Special Topics in Math of Materials in spring 2015 to share what she learned. The algebra conference in Italy was held at the Abbey of Spineto in southern Tuscany. The conference brought together about 70 researchers in abstract algebra and category theory from around the world. Flagg presented a paper, "Power Graphs of Rings," on the connections between ring theory and graph theory. Flagg joined the faculty of the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Cooperative Engineering in 2013. She has a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Houston, with a specialty in abstract algebra. She also has a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Rice University. Flagg is excited to be able to pursue her diverse interests in pure and applied mathematics both with mathematics majors and future engineers. The strong sense of community and the close connections between students and faculty of her department creates a unique opportunity to develop innovative and challenging programs to equip graduates with the technical foundations and problem solving skills employers and graduate schools desire. "As a teacher, I am excited to be part of a community because I can envision using our small class size and collaboration possibilities within the department and with other STEM departments to create a truly innovative curriculum that will set our students apart," Flagg said. "Our undergraduate students are our focus, and I can't wait to show them the amazing diversity of Mathematics - from climate change to transportation challenges, from nanotechnology to understanding the universe. Now is a great time to explore mathematics at the University of St. Thomas!" TNS 18DejucosGrace-141018-30FurigayJane-4904758 30FurigayJane (c) 2014 Targeted News Service |