VIGRE

Ryan Hynd's Note of Thanks

This note is posted at Ryan Hynd's request.

Ryan Hynd is graduating from Georgia Tech with BS and a Masters Degree, is attending graduate school at UC Berkeley in Mathematics, and has been an active participant in VIGRE/REU activities since the summer of 2003.

The message from Ryan Hynd:
I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone in the school of math. You have
all, in some way or another, contributed to the wonderful experience I
have had here. I feel very fortunate to have been a student of
mathematics at Georgia Tech.

I'd like to give a special thanks to Michael Lacey and John McCuan. Dr.
Lacey has served as my undergraduate adviser and has been there to help
guide me every step of the way. Dr. Lacey took an interest in me early
on, and has really encouraged me to do well. I should say that Dr. Lacey
has had a similar influence on many other undergrads at tech. Every
school of math needs a guy like him.

I met John McCuan when I participated in the school of math REU program,
and he introduced me to things like differential geometry, soap films, and
rotating drops. I became interested in Dr. McCuan's work, and after the
REU he allowed me to work on some problems with him. The times that I have
been able to make progress on his problems are among my finest moments as
a student. I cannot emphasize enough how much working with Dr. McCuan has
contributed towards my development.

Along with Dr. Lacey and Dr. McCuan, there were many others in the school
of math that took the time to get to know me. I really benefited from
those interactions and I will always cherish those times.

Thanks again, I remain in debt to you all.
Ryan

Stephen Young gets NSA Internship

Stephen Young, a graduate student, will participate in the National Security Agency Summer Internship Program.

This is a competetive entry program, in which you not only have to be
admitted to the program, but also pass a security clearance.

Last year, one of the GT PhDs, Sean Curran, took a position at the NSA.

Summer/Graduation Plans

Some of the things that I know already

Grad School:

Ryan Hynd Berkely Grad School in Math (Bell Labs/NSF Grad Fellowhsip)
Andrew Stimpston SUNY Stony Brook in Math, Park City Utah
Casey Warmbrand U Arizona, in Math (to be confirmed)
Sang Chu Harvard in Physics
Alex Olsehsky MIT in EE (NSF Grad Fellowship)



Jobs for Graduating Seniors

Jordon Lusterman Lockheed Martin
Vikas Darji Home Depot




REU LIST:

Student Faculty Mentor
Matt Perry, Thomas
Julie Bjornstad, Porter, Klausmeier, Bunimovich
Alexie Dachevski, Porter, Klausmeier, Bunimovich
Robert Pruvenok, Zhou
Caroline Seabrook, Chow
Stephanie Chung, Chow
Bayazid Sarkar, Croot
Brittany Hughes, Randall (To be confirmed)

Jessica Synder, MTBI/Cornell
Alan Diaz, Chaos, UMD College Park

Hynd and Callaghan to Receive SoM Awards

The SoM each year selects two students, a junior and a senior, to receive
awards. This year, the best senior award goes to Ryan Hynd, while the
best junior award goes to Thomas Callaghan.

Both have been reported several times on this site already. (Go here for Ryan and go here for Thomas. A list of past awardess is availible. Ryan is off to grad school this year (and has to make up his mind this week!) Thomas is here next year, but will have some stiff competition to have a clean sweep of these two awards.

Summer 2004 REU Participants

The Summer 2004 VIGRE REU Participants are set. They are:

Matt Perrry (Thomas)
Julie Bjornstad (Porter, Klausmeier, Bunimovich)
Alexie Dachevski (Porter, Klausmeier, Bunimovich)
Robert Pruvenok (Zhou)
Caroline Seabrook (Chow)
Stephanie Chung (Chow)
Bayazid Sarkar (Croot)

More details will appear at the Undergrad site in the research section. In particular, the accomplishments that have come out of past REUs is broad and impressive.

These students have an opportunity to get started on some challenging projects. Advancing in the summer, and then continuing their research into the Fall semester, they could make similar kinds of advances.

Guggenheim Fellowships Announced

The 2004 Guggenheim Fellowhships have been announced. Those with an affiliate with a Mathematics department are listed below. Yours truly is one of them.

Michael P. Brenner, Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Mathematics and Applied Physics, Harvard University: Mathematical
models in developmental biology.

Huai-Dong Cao, A. Everett Pitcher Professor of Mathematics, Lehigh University: The Ricci flow on Kaehler manifolds.


Panagiota Daskalopoulos, Professor of Mathematics, Columbia University: Studies in nonlinear diffusion equations.


Michael T. Lacey, Professor of Mathematics, Georgia Institute of Technology: Singular integrals on smoothly varying
lines.


Manil Suri, Writer, Silver Spring, Maryland; Professor of Mathematics, University of Maryland Baltimore County:
Fiction.

William R. Zame, Professor of Economics and Professor of Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles:
Theoretical and experimental studies of financial markets.

High School Mathematics Competition Article

The High School Math Competition, held three weeks ago, was a huge success,
with 250 students competing for over $10,000 in scholarships.

The GT News Paper The Technique has an article on the event.

Gardner Fest

The Gardner Fest is a biennial event, named after Martin Gardner, the legendary Scientific American columnist.

It is an invitation only event, sponsored by a local Atlanta businessman. Two years ago, we had John Conway as a speaker, in part because of the Conway's attendence at the Gardner Fest.

The Fest is in the New York Times today.