Academics > Majors and Areas of Study > Mathematics and Computer Science > Past Commendations > 1999



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1999
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January 1999 On the Road Again! Each year Thiel sends students to the ACM East Central Regional Programming Contest. This year students majoring in Computer Science, Management Information Science or Business Administration competed on November 14th at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. These students formed two teams and joined ninety other teams in trying to solve the eight problems posed. The five-hour contest was challenging, but our students had a good time and recommend the experience to others. Students pictured above: (front) Camulla Kepple, Christie Arnold, Arthur Ray, Thian Eng Tan, (back) Jamie Larrick, Sean Detar. Top

February 1999 Super Saturday for the Putnam Team On the first Saturday of December, 1998 Thiel students were invited to participate in the nationwide Putnam Exam sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America. The recent exam consisted of twelve challenging mathematics problems to be worked on over a six-hour period. The work was demanding as well as frustrating, but everyone had a good time. The 1998 team is pictured above: Michael Harpst, Ben Blasco, April Isaac, Andy Apisa, Shawn Harding, Derrick Helfer, Thian Eng Tan (Not pictured: Shelley Pulliam). Top

March 1999 Actuarial Students and Mentor On February 9, 1999, our Thiel study machines, Holly Sabino (left), Michelle Porada (right), and Mike Morneweck (back row) took Exam 100, which was administered by the Society of Actuaries. They devoted the entire Christmas break to prepare for this exam. Front and center is their mentor, Dr. Tetsuro Kojima. Dr. Kojima has completed about 70% of the requirements to become a Fellow of the Actuarial Society, and continues to work towards that goal. An actuary is a professional who applies mathematical models to financial problems based upon a solid knowledge of business context. Exam 100 is based on material covered in calculus and liner algebra. Top

April 1999 Dr. Jonathan Caulkins In March, Dr. Jonathan Caulkins visited Thiel and gave two well-attended presentations. The first presentation was entitled Estimating Elasticities of Demand for Cocaine and Heroin with Data from the Drug Use Forecasting System. The second talk was called Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentences: Throwing Away the Key or the Taxpayers' Money? Dr. Caulkins' visit was sponsored in part by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. He is currently Professor of Operations Research and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon's Heinz School of Public Policy. Dr. Caulkins is also on the research staff of RAND's Drug Policy Research Center. His research focuses on modeling and analyzing problems pertaining to drugs, crime, and violence, and how policies affect those problems. We thank Dr. Caulkins for giving of his time, and commend him for a job well done. Top

May 1999 1999 Graduates This month we wish to congratulate our seniors who graduated on May 9, 1999 and commend them for a job well done. Their four years of hard work has paid off! They are, from left to right in the above picture; Shawn Harding (Mathematics and Elementary Education Certification, Magna Cum Laude and Departmental Honors from the Department of Education), James Ickes III (Management Information Systems and Business Administration), Jamie Larrick (Computer Science and Management Information Systems (AA), Summa Cum Laude, Departmental Honors from the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, and Valedictorian for the class of 1999), Dominick Dell'Omo III (Computer Science), Kimberly Postupack (Management Information Systems and Business Administration, Cum Laude, and Departmental Honors from the Arthur McGonigal Department of Accounting, Business Administration & International Business), Michael Altenhof (Management Information Systems and Business Administration, Departmental Honors from the Arthur McGonigal Department of Accounting, Business Administration & International Business), Holly Sabino (Actuarial Studies, Accounting, and Business Administration), Justin Allen (Mathematics and Secondary Education Certification, Departmental Honors from the Department of Education), and Marcus Bey (Management Information Systems). Not pictured, Andrew Apisa (Mathematics). Top

June 1999 Scholarship Winners We in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science have the privilege each year of choosing two students to receive scholarships. The George and Magdalene Skegas Scholarchip for Mathematics was established by Karolyn Skegas Krial '43 in memory of her parents. The winner of this $1000 award for 1999-2000 is senior Michelle Porada (on the left in the above photo), a double major in Mathematics and Actuarial Studies. The Nathan Warren Harter and Besse Roseberry Harter Scholarship was established as a memorial to Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Harter to encourage Thiel students in the study of Mathematics or Latin. The amount of this scholarship varies from year to year depending on the prevailing interest rates, but this year an award of $275 was made to senior Lindsay Ault (on the right in the above photo), a Mathematics major who is also working for her secondary teaching certification. We commend these two students for their hard work and congratulate them for their success as scholars of mathematics. Top

July 1999 Kudos to May Grad Jamie Larrick Our commendation this month goes to Jamie Larrick of Ambridge, PA who graduated this May with degrees in Computer Science and Management Information Systems. Jamie was named Valedictorian of the class of 1999 and achieved departmental honors as well. During her years at Thiel she also participated as a team member for the ACM programming competition (see the January 1999 commendation). In addition, she has shown exceptional leadership in her field by her active participation in the development of the Thiel website over the past year and a half. We applaud her efforts to make the Thiel website attractive and informative and thank her for her work. Jamie has moved on to the Bayer Corporation in Pittsburgh where she is employed as a programmer. Top

August 1999 Welcome Dr. Charles Kurtz Dr. Charles Kurtz will join the Thiel Department of Mathematics and Computer science starting Fall 1999. Dr. Kurtz has bachelors and masters degrees in mathematics from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Syracuse University. He has taught mathematics as several universities including Central Missouri State University and The Pennsylvania State University. His dissertation was in the area of generalized quantifiers which allowed him to blend his interests in mathematics and philosophy of language. Dr. Kurtz is married to Dr. Wendy Middlemiss, a professor of human development and family studies at Penn State Shenango. They have a charming baby boy named Dewey. Dr. Kurtz's hobbies include volleyball, golf, and renovating his house. Dr. Kurtz faced stiff competition for this position at Thiel, and we congratulate him for his successful candidacy. Top

September 1999 Congratulations Shelley Pulliam Shelley Pulliam came to Thiel College in the fall of 1996 with the intent to become an electrical engineer. Through no fault of his own, he arrived with a mathematics background which was far below that which is expected of engineering students. Historically, the odds against success for such students in any engineering program in the country are staggering, but that did not deter Shelley. After starting with College Algebra in September, 1996, Shelley has now successfully completed Differential Equations, the last mathematics course required for the pre-engineering program at Thiel. We commend Shelley for his three years of hard work and perseverance, and wish him well on the rest of his journey to becoming an electrical engineer. Top

October 1999 Mathematics and Computer Science Club Officers Congratulations to the new officers of the Mathematics and Computer Science Club. Elected president was Michael Baker (back row center), a sophomore actuarial science major. Michael Harpst (back row left), a junior physics major, was elected vice president. The secretary's job went to Katrina Park (front row right), a freshman engineering major and the treasurer's job went to Scott Gerow (back row right), a sophomore majoring in accounting and computer science. Erin Kelly (front row left), a freshman actuarial studies major, was selected as the clubs representative to the Student Government. We congratulate these students on their election to positions of leadership and commend them for their enthusiasm for the tasks ahead of them. Top

November 1999 Young Alumnus Award Recipient On October 1, 1999 Thiel College bestowed its Young Alumnus Award on Michael Miller '92. While he was a student at Thiel, Mike worked as a self employed computer consultant After earning his degree in computer science, Mike went to work with Innovative Icons, Inc. and in 1994 moved to Xcelle Net, Inc. In 1996 he was hired by Microsoft Corporation where he now works as a senior consultant. He has distinguished himself as a computer scientist of exceptional ability in each of these positions. We congratulate Mike on the Young Alumnus Award and commend him for his exceptional success in this early stage of his career. Top

December 1999 Twelve Hours of Travel and Five Hours of Programming Once again Thiel sent two teams of students to the ACM East Central Regional Programming Contest. This year students majoring in Computer Science and/or Management Information Systems competed on November 13th at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada against a field of over 100 teams. These students formed two teams, Thiel College A (top) consisting of newcomers Daniel Heckert, Homer Bloom, and Kevin Renato and Thiel College B (bottom) consisting of programming contest veterans Thian Eng Tan, Camulla Kepple, and Christina Arnold. Both teams were “real close” to solving problems as time expired. Dan reported having “the biorhythm problem” done within five minutes after getting back to Thiel. After five hours of coding it was hard to let go. Our students had a good time and look forward to returning to competition next fall. Top