SJC to Host Regional Mathematics Convention

April 06, 2010

PATCHOGUE, NY April 7, 2010 St. Josephs College and New York Omicron will present the Kappa Mu Epsilon (KME) National Mathematics Honor Society Northeast Regional Convention on April 10, 2010, in the McGann Conference Center on the Colleges Long Island Campus. The convention will begin at 9 a.m. with welcoming remarks from SJC President S. Elizabeth A. Hill, C.S.J., J.D. Dr. David Seppala-Holtzman, chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, will give the keynote address.

Students from St. Josephs College, Roger Williams University and Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus will present mathematical research projects and compete for entry into next years KME National Convention in St. Louis, Missouri. There will be 10 presentations in total, six of which will be from SJC students. In 2009, SJC students took first and second honors at the National Convention, which was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

To open the presentations, Dr. David Seppala-Holtzman will give his keynote address, "Converging on the Eye of God, on research he completed in 2007 with SJC graduate, Francisco Rangel 08, which was published in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics journal, Mathematics. Following the competition, KME National President Dr. Ronald Wasserstein will present awards to the winning students. Student research in this competition may be submitted for publication in The Pentagon, the official journal of Kappa Mu Epsilon.

"The convention offers students and faculty from across the region the opportunity to share their research and ideas in a professional mathematics meeting, said Dr. Donna Marie Pirich, associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and faculty sponsor for the New York Omicron Chapter of KME. "The level of interest expressed in the convention is clear evidence of KME's commitment to developing an appreciation for mathematics. The support we have received from the College portrays one of the many ways that the SJC community strives to live our college motto, Esse non Videri: To be, not to seem.

Kappa Mu Epsilon is a specialized honor society in mathematics, founded in 1931 to promote the interest of mathematics among undergraduate students. Its chapters are located in colleges and universities, which offer a strong mathematics major. The chapters' members are selected from students of mathematics and other closely related fields who have maintained standards of scholarship, professional merit and attained academic distinction.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Pirich at 631.687.5175 or e-mail [email protected].