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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 18, 2006
CONTACT: Gordon Ovenshine:
724-738-4854
gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu
Slippery Rock University math
professor tapped for national post
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.
–The Mathematical Association of
America (MAA), the largest mathematics association in the U.S., has
selected Slippery Rock University’s award-winning math
Professor Robert Vallin to become its first associate director for
student activities.
Vallin was granted a leave of
absence from SRU for two years beginning June 2007, to join the
Washington, D.C.-based 30,000-member organization that supports
undergraduate mathematics and mathematics-teaching
curriculum.
“This is a brand new
position and it’s a chance to set the tone for the MAA for
years to come,” said Vallin, who, as part of his duties,
plans to design a Web site for students of all math
abilities.
Vallin has received several honors since arriving at SRU
in 1992. Most recently, he received the 2006 Andy Award
at the 30th Summer Symposium in Real Analysis, a branch
of advanced calculus; his research specialty.The Andy Award, named
after retired mathematician Andrew Bruckner of the University of
California/Santa Barbara, honors a mathematician making a
contribution to the field of real analysis.
Vallin brought a greater sense of fun to
math on campus as well. He organized an annual Pi Day scavenger
hunt for students, allowing the winner to toss a pie at a professor
of his or her choice. He also planned a learning event onLeonardo
of Pisa’s famous “Fibonacci Sequence,” an
800-year old sequencing of numbers from the man that brought the
decimal system to Europe.
At
SRU, he teaches “Introduction to Analysis,”
“Elementary Statistics,” “Operations
Research,” “Modern Concepts” and other
undergraduate courses. He received his doctorate in mathematics
from North Carolina State University.
SlipperyRock University is
Pennsylvania’s premier public residential university.
Slippery Rock University provides students with a comprehensive
learning experience that intentionally combines academic
instruction with enhanced educational and learning opportunities
that make a positive difference in their
lives.
#PN, PgN,
PR
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