Departmental news and announcements
From MathsDept
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2009 Events
- 12 January, Topological Quantum Field Theory and Knot Homology Theory - Workshop sponsored by NZIMA
- 28 January, Algebra Workshop - Please click the link to view the program, or contact Prof. Eamonn O'Brien (Ext 88819) for further information.
- 17 March, What and iPod, a flock of birds and DNA have in common - A Public Lecture by Professor Bernard Chazelle. Drinks from 5:15, lecture from 6pm, Room SLT1, 38 Princes Street
- 03 April, Bill's b-heading party - A toast and tears half-farewell for Bill Barton
- 06 April, Call for Contributions: Student Research Conference 2009 - The Student Research Conference is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to present the research they have conducted, to share it with other students and staff and receive feedback.
- 08 June, Student Research Conference 2009 - A one-day conference for Mathematics students
- 13 August, Geometry and the Shape of the Future - Inaugural & Public Lecture by Professor A. Rod Gover, 7 pm 13 August 2009, 22 Symonds street, Room 1-439. Drinks from 6pm
- 09 September, Between the Folds - Award-winning documentary, screening for the first time in New Zealand
- 20 October, Postgraduate studies in Mathematics - Information lunch - An information lunch for students interested in graduate courses in Mathematics in 2010
- 18 November, Riemann Hypothesis Day - Join us for an afternoon of lectures around the topic of the Riemann hypothesis and related mathematics to celebrate 150 years of Riemann's landmark paper on the zeta function
- 19 November, Graduate seminars -
Schools activities
Each year the Department of Mathematics organises 3-5 public lectures by world-renowned New Zealand or overseas researchers. Lectures in this Series aim to present beautiful or intriguing aspects of Mathematics.
These lectures do not imply any mathematical knowledge but make research topics accessible to school students and to the general public. Follow this link for a complete list of public lectures or email us if you wish to be notifies of the future public lectures.
Recent events for schools included:
Astronomy workshop for Ramarama Primary
Year 5 and 6 school pupils experienced a little of University life when Dr Philip Sharp enthused 60 students from Ramarama Primary School with his Astronomy workshop. The two hour lesson combined group activities and plenty of time for questions from the young enquiring minds. "The talks and activities were pitched at exactly the right level and the children have been bursting with intellectual excitement ever since. On an educational and on a human level this was an outstanding experience," says Ramarama School Deputy Principal Robin Hall. Nov 18
More
- Movie screening: Between the Folds: September 2009, 6-8pm, Engineering Building Eng1439, 20 Symonds street
- "Think of a number..." Ivan Reilly's visit to Westlake Boys High School (WBHS) to talk to about 90 year 9 (third form) students from WBHS, Westlake Girls High School, Carmel College and Rosmini College, about "Competition Mathematics", especially Mathematical Olympiads. Everyone did some mathematics, and took home some questions and solutions to all of the problems.
- See also Past Events for Schools and teachers
Public lectures
The 2010 Forder Lecture
Adding Prime Numbers, Ben Green, University of Cambridge
- Tuesday 21 September 2010, from 5:15 (refreshments), lecture from 6pm, Conference Centre, 22 Symonds Street, Room 323-342
Founders Lecture Series
Symmetry and chirality in discrete structures. Dedicated to the memory of late professor Peter Lorimer, by Marston Conder (University of Auckland)
- Wednesday 24 March from 6:15pm (refreshments), lecture from 7pm, Engineering Building, 20 Symonds Street, Room 1439
Inaugural Lecture: Professor Bill Barton
The Pleasure Principle in Undergraduate Mathematics
- Monday 12 April from 6pm (refreshments), lecture from 6:30pm, Engineering Building, 20 Symonds Street, Room 1439
Les Woods Memorial Lecture
Is a random triangle obtuse or acute?, by Gilbert Strang (Massachussets Institute of Technology)
- Friday 21 May, from 6pm (refreshments), lecture from 7pm, Engineering Building, 20 Symonds street, Room 1439
Public lecture mailing list
If you wish to be informed of further public lectures, please email enquiries@math.auckland.ac.nz.
Lectures in this Series aim to present beautiful or intriguing aspects of Mathematics in a way that is accessible to the general public. Curiosity is the only prerequisite.
Past lectures:
Staff news
Celebrate Research, C'mon
There's a celebration going on in MLT3 on June 8. Prof Marston Conder will give the opening address to the Student Research Conference 2009, then fourteen of the department's research students will deliver 25 minute talks on their latest research projects. And just like the 80's Kool and the Gang hit says; this is your celebration - so bring your good times, and your laughter too; we gonna celebrate research with you.
Vice Chancellors' visit to the Department
Professor Stuart McCutcheon, Vice Chancellor of the University of Auckland visited the Department on 28 April. He met with the main research groups and teaching teams. We saw this visit as an opportunity to show our solidarity and take it to a new dimension
New Head of Department and Department Manager
- Prof James Sneyd is the new Mathematics HoD. Best of luck, James, for the challenges ahead of you!
- The 2005-2009 Head, A/Prof Bill Barton will resume his functions as Head of the Mathematics Education Unit and vice-president of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI). Thank you, Bill, for all your contributions towards the development of the department.
- Karren Maltseva is the new Department Manager. Welcome Karren!
Staff information
- Jeanette Saunders is the new Teaching Fellow for 2009. Jeanette comes to us from HOD Mathematics at St Cuthberts, and has a long association with mathematics education and teacher development.
- Dr Alex Morenko, a tutor with the department, has been appointed as a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering and Science at Curtin, University in Malaysia.
- Dr Malte Peter, a research fellow with the Applied mathematics Unit, has been appointed to a tenure-track professorship in the Institute of Mathematics at the University of Augsburg in Germany. This position is also associated with the new Augsburg Centre for Innovative Technologies
- Friday 12th December: Promotions 2008 Arkadii Slinko has been promoted to Associate Professor. Vivien Kirk has been promoted over the SL bar with an extra jump. Shayne Waldron and Mike Meylan have been promoted over the SL bar, Helen McKenzie has also been promoted over the bar in the ST scale.
Follow the links below for past years Staff news
Research and Funding news
- 2008 Research news
- Maxine Pfannkuch (with PhD student Pip Arnold) won a $130 000 TLRI grant for the study "Building Students' Inferential Reasoning: Statistics Curriculum Levels 5 & 6".
- Caroline Yoon (now moved to Faculty of Education, but with us when she won the award) won a $130 000 TLRI grant for the study "Designing learning environments that encourage a wide range of mathematical abilities and
understandings".
Visitors to the Department
List of visitors to the Department
Teaching and learning
2009
Follow the links below for past years information:
Courses news
Students news
2009
Autumn Graduands
New course: Mathematics of Money (MATHS 269)
- In semester 2, the Department will offer a new, Financial Mathematics - oriented, course: MATHS 269 Mathematics of Money
- Students who passed MATHS 150 or MATHS 208 or MATHS 250 or an equivalent course are welcome to enroll. If you encounter any difficulties with your MATHS 269 enrolment, please contact the Mathematics Undergraduate Advisor
Postgraduate studies
- 2009 Postgraduate courses
- Semester 1 Timetable
- New PhD Advisor: Dr Jari Kaipio will be the Mathematics PhD advisor between March and July 2009.
- Introduction to Postgraduate studies (slideshow)
Handbooks
Mathematics Handbooks for Course Information; Mathematics Courses Pathways; Branches of Mathematics; Lectures and Tutorials; FAQ etc.
- 2011 Mathematics Undergraduate Handbook (3M, .pdf)
- 2010 Mathematics Postgraduate Handbook
- Mathematics Education Unit Postgraduate Handbook
2008 Alumni
- 30 March 2009 Niels Bernhardt has successfully completed his oral PhD examination. He is now postdoctoral researcher in the programme Particles, Strings and the Early Universe: the Structure of Matter and Space-Time at Hamburg University.
- 24 February 2009 Greg Oates has successfully defended his PhD thesis.
- 18 February 2009 Elan Gin has successfully completed her PhD oral examination. She has been offered a postdoctoral position in Germany, with the Technical University of Dresden.
Student Notices
Semester 1
- Semester 1 lecturers Office hours
- The following Student Staff Consultative Meetings: Tuesday 5 May, 12 noon - 1pm in room 303S.279
- Emails: as it is now policy that email is considered official communication to students, students need to read their “aucklanduni” email, or redirect that email appropriately to the account they most frequently access.
- New University Cheating Policy 2009
Undergraduate studies
