To receive a designation of Honors in Mathematics at graduation, a student must demonstrate outstanding work in mathematics and complete the following requirements:
- Complete a mathematics major with a major GPA of 3.5 or higher.
- Complete a major or minor in a related field with a major or minor GPA of 3.5 or higher.
- Receive a grade of A in Mathematics 385 - Senior Seminar.
- Complete three hours of research with a grade of A in Mathematics 398 - Research in Mathematics.
- Write and defend a thesis.
- Demonstrate participation in a variety of mathematics related extracurricular activities.
Students who are interested in pursuing the honors designation must file a proposal with the chair of the mathematics department after completion of 64 credit hours and before enrolling in Mathematics 385. The related field must be approved by the chair; possible areas might include computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, philosophy, psychology or economics. A minimum of four extracurricular activities is required; possible choices include the Mathematics Contest in Modeling, presentation of a paper at a state or regional conference, and the Putnam Competition. It is understood that only the most outstanding students may receive the degree of Honors in Mathematics.
Application for Honors in Mathematics.
Honors in Mathematics Students
Jean Clipperton - Jean is a member of the Class of 2007 and is completing degrees in Philosophy, Spanish and Honors in Mathematics. She has competed in the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (2004), the Mathematical Contest in Modeling (2005) and the Putnam Competition (2005). Jean began her research in radio codes and graph theory at a Research Experience for Undergraduates at Valparaiso in the summer of 2006 and is continuing that work with Dr. Czarneski for her research project. During her sophomore and junior years, she was an undergraduate assistant leading supplementary instruction sections for Math 110 Intermediate Algebra and working in the Hawley Academic Resource Center. Jean is currently the president of the Math Club, and a research undergraduate assistant working with Drs. Czarneski and Spellerberg. She presented a paper on evolutionary game theory at the Iowa Philosophical Society meeting in fall 2005 with Dr. Spellerberg and Casie Schmidt. She will also present papers at the Symposium for Undergraduate Research at the Argonne National Laboratories in November and at the joint meetings of the MAA and AMS in New Orleans in January.
Shikha Basnet - Shikha graduated with degrees in Economics and Honors in Mathematics in the spring of 2006 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Pittsburgh. She participated for three years in the Mathematics Contest in Modeling, receiving one Honorable mention and two Meritorious rankings along with her team.