FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 34
Guru does math for money
Fred Galvin, professor of mathematics and pinball wizard, rocks the Kaspars Bar & Grill pinball machine once a week.
Brandon Baker/Kansan
By Eddie Yang
eyang@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
"There are many issues in the world that would make a good story, people won't care about me," said Fred Galvin, professor of mathematics.
Galvin sits in his office chewing on a candy bar and pours the last drops of coffee from an insulated bottle into his cup. After five minutes, Galvin will open another candy bar and drink the remains of his coffee. Galvin is painfully shy and reluctant to talk about himself, until he begins talking about "Uncle Paul," who paid Galvin a total of $125 for solving his math problems.
"Uncle Paul," also known as Paul Herdos, was a Hungarianborn mathematician who is considered to be the most prolific mathematician of all time. In an article for Life magazine, the writer said Herdos "felt about numbers the way some people feel about their children."
During Herdos' life he could recite details of the 1,475 papers he had written or co-authored. Galvin co-authored six published papers with Herdos.
For more than six decades, Herdos lived out of a single ratty suitcase while he crisscrossed four continents speaking at universities and collaborating with other mathematicians. In 1954, Herdos began giving away his money as prizes for mathematicians who could solve problems that he had come up with and couldn't solve.
Galvin said that Uncle Paul spoke at Berkeley when he was an untuned professor right out of graduate school.
Galvin answered one of Herdos' math problems in 1967 and received a $100 check in the mail. "I didn't know what the check was for," Galvin said, "so I went to the Blind Lemon, a beer and
wine pub on San Pablo Avenue, and bought beer for everyone that was there."
When Galvin realized it was the prize check for answering the problem,he called Herdos and asked for the canceled check as a souvenir.
Unlike Herdos, who often used Ritalin and Benzedride to help him concentrate, Galvin used only coffee and nicotine to aid his concentration.
In 1972, Galvin answered another problem and received a check for $25.
Galvin is in his 28th year as a math professor at University of Kansas. He attended undergraduate school and graduate school at the University of Minnesota.
Jeffrey Katz, Northbrook, Ill. senior, and student in Galvin's finite math class, said Galvin seemed like a mathematical genius. "He knows a lot of trivia and supposedly is one of the best chess players." he said.
Galvin has competed in chess tournaments in Hungary and was once the Kansas state champion
"I wasn't that good, but I got very lucky." Galvin said.
In his free time, Galvin enjoys the trivia games at local bars, chess, and pinball.
"If you see a high score with the initials PHD at any pinball machines, that is me," Galvin said.
Symposium highlights studies
By Lauren Airey lairey@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
— Edited by Christy Dendurent
Adam Miles didn't know much about adult literacy six months ago. Now he considers himself an expert on the topic.
Miles will join almost 70 undergraduates in all disciplines for the sixth annual Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Symposium from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow in the Kansas Union.
Miles, Ellinwood junior, worked with a small group of students and Kansas City Consensus, a nonprofit organization, to study adult literacy in the Kansas City metropolitan area as part of a requirement for his public service and civic leadership minor.
"We were trying to see the scope of the problem that actually exists." Miles said. "This kind of
research lets you take an issue that you know very little about and become an expert in that field or topic."
The participating students will present the results of their research and creative activity with oral, poster and video presentations.
Research projects include manufactured housing design in Native American communities, analysis and prediction of epileptic seizures and the flexural stiffness of a bee antennae.
"I really think that, in a way, an undergraduate experience isn't complete without contributing to your major by discovering or making something new," Barbara Schowen, director of the Honors Program, said.
Sarah Thimsen, Sioux Falls, S.D., senior, completed psychology research on voting trends to contribute to a chapter about Supreme Court justice voting
practices in a forthcoming book by Larry Wrightsman, professor of psychology. She looked for consistency across cases in voting trends during the 2001-2002 Supreme Court session.
"This Supreme Court decisions affect everyone's life, either indirectly or directly." Thimsen said.
Oral presentations will be from 9:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Alderson Auditorium, video presentations will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parlor rooms of the Union, and poster presentations will be from noon to 2 p.m. in the Union ballroom.
Many undergraduate projects are funded by the University's Undergraduate Research Award program with funding from the Center for Research, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the provost's office.
Edited by Michelle Burhenn
Senate to honor organizations
By Cate Batcheler
cbatcheler@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Students, faculty and organizations who want a pat on the back will get that chance.
Student Senate is taking notice of those feeling underappreciated and deserving of credit in its first achievement awards in leadership and service.
Awards will be given in the areas of outstanding student organization, adviser, student organization member, organization project and new student organization.
"Organizations are essential and crucial to life at KU," said Claire Zeigler, awards banquet co-organizer.
Zeigler, Senate communications director, said one of the reasons Senate should include organizations into its end-of-the-year banquet was because Senate was responsible for funding them. After Senate funds organizations, it doesn't always get to see all the work they do with that money. The banquet would bring those organizations and students under radar again, she said.
depts under radar again, the The Center for Community Outreach will apply and maybe win in all award categories for which they are eligible, said Margaret Perkins-McGuinness, CCO director.
CCO initiated several programs that could be eligible for awards this year such as its Children's Holiday and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She said the MLKJr.project was not only successful, but also new this year.
"I think we do a lot of really
good things," she said. "So I think we stand a good chance, but other organizations are doing good things, too."
Even if CCO doesn't win any awards, Perkins-McGuinness said CCO's projects were worthy of the time and effort that members put into them.
"I think it's about time, especially for organizations who go unrecognized or for individuals who work hard for little in return," she said. "I think it's time that those people get recognized."
Applications are due at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Senate office, at room 410 in the Kansas Union. The awards ceremony will take place April 30.
— Edited by Brandon Gay and Christy Dendurent
NATIONAL TOUR LAWRENCE PREMIERE
IT'S TIME for the SIXTH ANNUAL UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM Saturday, March 8,2003 at the Kansas Union Presentations begin at 9 am and continue until 3:45 lunch provided
Come and enjoy research presentations from all disciplines!
See a schedule of events at http://www.ku.edu/~honors/sympos/newsym.html