Established on May 10, 1972
by the late Dr. Murray Abramson
then chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department
Sarah Ashley
Alessandra Bisconti
Jacqueline Bornemann
Allen Charest
Sarah Days-Merrill
Devin DeBruyn
Hannah Rae Dickie
Sean Doherty
Haley Fitzgerald
Leigh Ann Foley
Emily Harrington
Hannah Kennedy
Catlain McCarthy
Kelsi Spencer
Brittney St. Germaine
Dr. Rachel Stahl
Zachary Wright
Dr. Wanchunzi Yu
Historic Documents
1987 Departmental Memo
1988 Departmental Memo
Click to view Guest Book
Related Links
Current Advisor
Previous Advisors
Dr. Laura K. Gross, 2010-2015, 2017-2018
Dr. Annela Kelly, 2013-2014, 2016
Dr. Jacqueline Anderson, 2013-2014
Dr. Ward Heilman, 2004-2010
Prof. Thomas Moore, 1980-2003
Dr. Murray Abramson, 1972-1979
Π Μ Ε
Sunday, April 8, 2018, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Dana Mohler-Faria Science and Mathematics Building Room 120
Introduced by
Dr. John Pike
Presided by
Ms. Sophia Maniscalco, '19
Ms. Christine Marcotte, '18
Presented by
Dr. Jacqueline Anderson
Assistant Professor, Bridgewater State University
The Mathematics of Voting
Abstract
If you've ever tried to choose a restaurant to visit or a movie to watch with a large group of friends, then you know that it can be hard to make a decision as a group, especially when you have many options. This problem forms the foundation of social choice theory: how can we aggregate each person's individual preferences into a collective decision that is fair and representative of the group as a whole? A social choice procedure is a method for taking each individual's ranked preference list and producing a decision. We will examine a number of social choice procedures commonly used to elect politicians and to determine award winners, explore some of their desirable and undesirable properties, and conclude that we were right: none of this is easy.
Biography
Dr. Anderson is an Assistant Professor in the Mathematics Department at Bridgewater State University. A native of Massachusetts, she attended Providence College as an undergraduate and received her PhD from Brown University. Dr. Anderson is a number theorist working primarily in arithmetic and p-adic dynamics. This semester she has been teaching a first year seminar of her own design called Math and Politics, which is the inspiration for her talk on the Mathematics of Voting. In her spare time, she enjoys running and traveling.
Links
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
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.
BSU Campus Community Guides are a service of Maxwell Library. For more information about the Community Guides or to request a site, please contact Maxwell Library Digital Services.
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