Mathematics
Degrees Offered: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Science
Students of mathematics at LMU become part of a community of scholars consisting of faculty and other students. By design, the mathematics department facilities and the mathematics program curricula promote interaction and joint work among students and faculty. The two math computing labs and the popular student study lounge are located right next to faculty offices. A special year-long course, in which freshman math majors solve unusual problems in small groups, learn to write mathematically, hear about career opportunities for math majors from LMU alums, and work on their first research project with a math faculty member, introduces students to the department culture. Opportunities to work with math faculty continue throughout the four-year curriculum culminating in a senior seminar or a senior thesis. Students present their work in poster sessions on campus and are given travel support to present at local and national mathematics conferences. LMU math majors can gain significant work experience and earn money or credit hours as tutors in special study sessions for lower division courses or as interns in industrial or educational settings.
The three mathematics programs at LMU are designed to prepare students for a wide variety of mathematical careers in teaching or industry or for admission to graduate programs or professional schools. An individualized studies program in biomathematics is also available for mathematically talented students interested in a career in the life sciences. Regardless of the program they choose, LMU math majors have tremendous flexibility in their career choices for the future because of their ability to problem solve, write logical arguments, think critically, learn quickly, and clearly communicate complex ideas to others.
The Mathematics Curriculum
The three mathematics programs at LMU enable students to focus their studies on the areas of mathematics and other disciplines that will best prepare them for their desired careers. The course of study for the first two years is essentially the same for all three programs. At or near the end of their second year students select the program they wish to follow. The Bachelor of Science in Mathematics program thoroughly prepares the student for graduate work in classical mathematics. The Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics which includes upper division electives from a related area, such as engineering or computer science, is for students who wish to either pursue graduate studies in applied mathematics or work in industry or business. For those students interested in teaching mathematics in high school, the Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics program incorporates the Mathematics Department’s Subject Matter Credential Program for Secondary Teachers, which has been approved by the State of California. This program is structured so that a student who plans carefully can, in four years, complete all the courses needed to obtain the Preliminary Single Subject Credential. Further, with one extra year (including summers) of full time study, it is possible to complete the courses necessary for a Clear Single Subject Credential and for the Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics degree. In addition, the Mathematics Department administers the Biomathematics program designed for students with an interest in mathematics and life science. As an Individualized Studies major with strong emphases on both Mathematics and Biology, Biomathematics allows students tremendous flexibility in designing their program of study.
The Mathematics Major
Mathematicians are problem solvers. They search for and study patterns and they create abstract structures in order to develop new mathematical results or to solve problems that arise in other disciplines such as science, social science, engineering, or business. Mathematics majors study various patterns and abstract structures both as logical entities with beauty and depth of their own and also as problem solving tools. They learn to apply mathematical methods and appropriate technological tools to solve specific problems. They also learn to recognize properties that are held in common by an entire class of problems and then to create a generalized structure, which encompasses these common properties and through which the entire class of problems can be approached. Mathematics majors develop the ability to learn independently, to attack problems working in a group environment, and to clearly communicate their results.
Extracurricular Activities
The Mathematics Club sponsors social gatherings for students and faculty as well as field trips and special events such as Pi Day. The Future Teachers Association disseminates information about valuable pre-professional activities and scholarship opportunities for future mathematics teachers. The department boasts a chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society, and fields a team for the annual Putnam Exam Competition. The bi-weekly Seminar Series brings prominent mathematicians to speak on topics ranging from random walks to the mathematical theory behind voting procedures.
Every LMU student experiences the personal growth and enrichment fostered by Loyola Marymount’s core curriculum. LMU graduates have an appreciation for the arts, sciences, philosophy, religion and history that have shaped our world and its various cultures. Each graduate has gained perspective from a university that never loses sight of the moral and ethical values involved in science and technology.
Math majors are part of the LMU College of Science and Engineering. The College is described more fully in other publications, but here are a few essentials:
The College
Faculty
Loyola Marymount has a gifted faculty. What’s different about LMU is the degree to which teachers are directly involved with students and their work – not just lecturing, but also mentoring students through hands-on projects. Most classes are small (classes of 10-25), and the professor’s door is always open.
Research Opportunities
Many undergraduate students work side-by-side with faculty on research projects – in number theory, orbit determination, operations research, and other areas. The Applied and Industrial Mathematics Seminar (AIMS) program, overseen by the Wallen Chair of Mathematics, involves students from various disciplines in the College in research related to water treatment, optical tracking, motion control, motion capture, three dimensional visualization, and target recognition. Students have the opportunity to present the results of their research at regional and national conferences every year.
Practical Experience
Southern California is a vital center for education and research and development, providing undergraduates many options for gaining practical experience. The College helps to arrange internships in educational or industrial settings. Many juniors and seniors are hired each year as teaching assistants for the College's lab classes. These are excellent ways to reinforce ideas learned in the classroom, to build a resume, and earn credit hours or money while you learn.
Career Opportunities
Individual attention from faculty, small class sizes, and abundant research opportunities distinguish LMU’s graduates from those of other schools. As a result, students have many advantages when applying to graduate school or seeking employment, including the assistance of the university’s Career Development Services office. Graduates of the College of Science and Engineering value the solid foundation provided by their LMU experience.
LMU graduates in mathematics have distinguished themselves in their careers as teachers, researchers in government and industrial labs, in business, and even as lawyers and physicians. Developing advanced military radar, working on new photonic devices, teaching at the high school or university level or in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, arguing a case in court, performing medical research, owning a high tech venture capital company – these are but a few of the diverse experiences of LMU math graduates.
Meet the Faculty Lev Abolnikov
Professor
M.S. Leningrad University, USSR, 1961; Ph.D., USSR Engineering Academy of Management and Communication Science, 1970.
Probability theory, statistics, stochastic processes, operations research, queuing theory
Curtis D. Bennett
Associate Professor
B.S., Colorado State University, 1985; M.S., University of Chicago, 1986; Ph.D., 1990.
Group theory, combinatorics, number theory, and mathematics education of prospective teachers
Michael C. Berg
Professor
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1978; Ph.D. University of California, San Diego, 1985.
Algebraic number fields, modular forms, reciprocity laws
Erika Camacho
Assistant Professor
B.A. in Mathematics, Wellesley College, 1997; B.A., in Economics, Wellesley College, 1997; M.S., in Applied Mathematics, Cornell University, 2001; Ph.D., in Applied Mathematics, Cornell University, 2003.
Differential equations, dynamical systems and chaos, mathematical modeling, numerical methods, mathematical physiology, mathematics applications to social science
Alissa S. Crans
Assistant Professor
B.S., University of Redlands, 1999; M.S. University California, Riverside, 2000;
Ph.D., University of California, Riverside, 2004.
Higher dimensional algebra topology, generalizations Lie algebras and Lie groups
Jacqueline M. Dewar
Professor and Chair
B.S., St. Louis University, 1968; M.S. University of Southern California, 1971;
Ph.D., University of Southern California, 1973.
Point set topology, gender issues in mathematics education, teacher education
Ben G. Fitzpatrick
Professor and Clarence J. Wallen, S.J., Endowed Chair of Mathematics
B.S., Auburn University, 1981; M.S., Auburn University, 1983; Ph.D., Brown University, 1988.
Applied mathematics, applied probability and statistics
Michael D. Grady
Professor
B.A., University of Missouri, St. Louis, 1968; M.S., Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, 1970; Ph.D., University of Utah, 1975.
Real analysis, functional analysis and probability theory
Lily S. Khadjavi
Associate Professor
A.B., Harvard University, 1990; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1999.
Algebraic number theory
Suzanne Larson
Professor
B.A., St. Olaf University, 1979; Ph.D., Claremont Graduate School, 1984.
Ring theory, ordered algebraic structures, rings of continuous functions
Herbert A. Medina
Professor
B.S., University of California, Los Angeles, 1985; M.S., University of California, Berkeley, 1987; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1992.
Analysis, operator theory,continuous fractions
Blake Mellor
Assistant Professor
B.A., Harvard University, 1993; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1999.
Low dimensional topology, knot theory, combinatorics
Edward C. Mosteig
Assistant Professor
B.S., University of Michigan, 1993; M.S., University of Illinois, 1996; M.S., Cornell University, 1999; Ph.D., 2000.
Commutative and computational algebra, valuation theory, algebraic geometry, algorithms, coding theory
Patrick Shanahan
Associate Professor
B.S., California State University, Long Beach, 1990; M.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1992; Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1996.
Topology, hyperbolic geometry, knot theory
David Smith
Professor
B.A., Oklahoma State University, 1971; M.S., Oklahoma State University, 1973;
Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, 1978.
Numerical analysis, multiple-precision computation, computer applications and software development, function approximation
Chien-Ling Tseng
Clinical Faculty
B.S., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1998; M.S., California State University, Northridge, 2002.
Teacher education
Connie Weeks
Professor
B.S., Harvey Mudd College, 1970; M.A., University of Southern California, 1972;
Ph.D., University of Southern California, 1977.
Optimization theory, specifically continuous/discrete problems in estimation and control theory, with applications to parameter estimation and orbit determination
W. Scott Wright
Professor
B.A., Pomona College, 1963; M.A., University of Southern California, 1965.
Differential equations, microcomputer applications to education
Thomas M. Zachariah
Associate Professor
B.S., Kerala University India, 1971; M.S., Kerala University India, 1973;
M.A., Claremont College, 1980; Ph.D., Claremont, 1984. Probability theory, time series analysis and functional analysis
Dennis G. Zill
Professor
B.A., St. Mary’s Winona, 1962; M.S. Iowa State University, 1962; Ph.D., Iowa State University, 1967.
Applied mathematics, differential and partial differential equations and special functions.
For more information or to arrange a tour, call Dr. Jacqueline Dewar at 310.338.5106.
Visit us on-line at http://cse.lmu.edu