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Math Community Guide: 2015 Pi Mu Epsilon Ceremony

BSU Mathematics Department Events, BSU Math Club, and more

About

Pi-Mu-Epsilon
The Mathematics Honor Society
Massachusetts Gamma Chapter
Bridgewater State University

 

Established on May 10, 1972
by the late Dr. Murray Abramson
then chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department

 

2015 Inductees

Aly Aly
Heather E. Bond-Beeloo
Kolin Campbell
Paul A. Coner
Nina Culver
Dwayne Delaney
Patrick Holton
Lisa Nicole Kelliher
Terrence S. Kelleher
Emma Masson
Nariel Monteiro
Fred Neilan
Maxwell F. Norris
Guillermo Ortiz
Daniel Pandolfo
Lindsay Robertsson
Jessica M. Salem
Amanda L. Stewart
Yaqin Sun

Historic Documents

1987 Departmental Memo
1988 Departmental Memo

Click to view Guest Book

Related Links

What is Pi Mu Epsilon?
Abramson Colloquium Speaker List, 1983-2013

Current Advisor

Dr. Laura Gross, 2010-2015

Previous Advisors

Drs. Jacqueline Anderson, Laura Gross, and Annela Kelly, 2013-2014
Dr. Ward Heilman, 2004-2010
Prof. Thomas Moore, 1980-2003
Dr. Murray Abramson, 1972-1979

Programs

Π  Μ  Ε

2015 Abramson Colloquium &
Pi Mu Epsilon Induction Ceremony

Sunday, April 19, 2015, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Conant Science Building Room 120

Induction Ceremony

Introduction by Dr. Laura Gross

Presided by
Ms. Kerrie Pratt, '15 (Math Major)

 

Abramson Colloquium

Dr. Ira Gessel, Theodore W. and Evelyn G. Berenson Professor of Mathematics, Department of Mathematics, Brandeis University

Title: Systems of Numeration

 

Abstract

The Romans represented numbers by using different letters for 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000. The Hindu-Arabic system which we now use is a positional numeration system, in which the position of a digit gives a power of 10 with which it is multiplied. There are many other positional numeration systems. The most well-known is the binary system in which powers of 2 are used instead of powers of 10. I will discuss some additional lesser known positional numeration systems, such as base -2 (negabinary) and balanced ternary, in which digits 0, 1, and -1 are used, and the factorial and Fibonacci numbering systems. There is even an interesting numeration system with an irrational base, the golden ratio.

Dr. Gessel's Biography

Ira Gessel attended high school in Dayton, Ohio, and graduated from Harvard University in 1973 with a major in mathematics. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from MIT in 1977, under the direction of Richard Stanley. He taught at MIT from 1978 to 1984 and has been at Brandeis since 1984. Gessel has served two terms as chair of the mathematics department, and is currently the undergraduate advising head in mathematics. Gessel's research is in enumerative combinatorics, which deals with counting things like permutations and combinations. He has supervised twenty-five Ph.D. students and is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.

Related Link

Dr. Gessel's Home page

In Memory of Dr. Murray Abramson

Murray Abramson

Dr. Murray Abramson, a faculty member from 1966 to 1987. He had chaired the Mathematics and Computer Science Department for years when he passed away in 1987. He held a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College, a master's from Syracuse University, and a doctorate from Columbia University.

"Quiet and gentle, he was beloved by his students and fellow faculty members. He served the college on the tenure and curriculum committees for many years and was especially interested in the foreign student exchange program. Possessed of an ever-curious mind, he read widely and enjoyed auditing college courses in the areas of art and music." -- from his Memorial and Diorama Presentation held at the Clement C. Maxwell Library on February 6, 1988.

Publications

A Development of the rational number System, a programmed text, by Murray Abramson. Boston: Holbrook Press, 1970

First and second level examination of the tenth annual Olympiad High School Prize Competition, by Murray Abramson and Hugo D'Alarat, 1974.

Instructor's manual for a development of the rational number system, 1970

Language of sets - teachers manual. Performance data & Interpretation: Donald A . Cook. Lesson plans: Murray Abramson, 1963

Programming instruction in a development of the rational number system, doctoral dissertation, 1968

(Source: University Archives)

Gettysburg Diorama

Gettysburg Diorama

A very realistic portrayal of the third and final day of the Battle of Gettysburg, this diorama was made by Dr. Paul Abramson in memory of his brother Dr. Murray Abramson. The 13,000 tiny figures representing Lee's army of 75,000 men and Meade's amy of 97,000 are meticulously painted by hand and the land features carefully and faithfully put in place.

The diorama is currently located near the balcony of the third floor of the Maxwell Library. Please visit the library's Archives/Special Collections for more information.