2018-19 Academic Year News Archive
Graduation 2019
Sunny skies prevailed on May 15, 2019 as we said goodbye to twenty-three students who earned their degrees in Mathematics. Best of luck and please stay in touch!
- Future teachers
- Stats grad
- Melissa and Alex–HH 251 will never be the same
- John Sabito making the whole School proud as one of five valedictorians
- Drs. David and Susan Marshall with Chrystal Stasicky and Jenna Koppel
- Senior MLC tutors gather one last time
Senior Brunch!
Faculty and staff gathered mid-way through Finals Week to celebrate the Class of 2019 with a special brunch.
Senior Awards 2019
At the final department meeting of the academic year, it is our tradition to recognize graduating seniors who have distinguished themselves during their time at Monmouth. We are pleased to announce those who were honored this year: Outstanding Scholarship in Mathematics: John Sabito; Merit in Mathematics: Kim Bianchi, Amanda Pollard, Matt Vazzana; and Outstanding Service to Mathematics: Bryanna Roos.

l-r: Sabito, Pollard, Roos, Bianchi, and Vazzana
Game Night!
The Math Club hosted a board game night on the last day of classes to have some fun before finals. Thanks are due to the outgoing officers for all the great activities this year!
Math Day 2019
On April 30, 2019 we welcomed 58 eighth-grade students to campus for Math Day, an annual event organized by our faculty to give back to the K-12 math community. Students and their teachers from Bradley Beach Elementary, Memorial Middle (Eatontown), and Ocean Township Intermediate participated in sessions ranging from “The Abacus” and “The Broken Stick Experiment” to the “Game of Life.” Drs. Palsu-Andriescu, Pang, and Zak gave these students a glimpse of mathematics they might not always see in their classrooms.
- Dr. Coyle welcomes the students
- Dr. Pang (far left) and all the Math Day participants
- Dr. Palsu-Andriescu demonstrates the Game of Life
- Dr. Pang helps a student with the abacus
- Dr. Zak introduces the Broken Stick Experiment to students
Student Employment Week 2019
We love our student workers! The math department boasts some stellar workers, but the most visible are the tutors in the Mathematics Learning Center (MLC). They applied their precision skills to this year’s Student Employment Week Deck Your Door Contest and won the award for “Best Student Employment Message.” Several tutors are pictured below with MLC Coordinator Lynn Dietrich next to their creation “The MLC Tutors Make Math as Easy as Pi.”
Pi Day 2019
Apple, cherry, blueberry, lemon, pecan, pudding, coconut…and tiramisu? All of these, plus pizza and quiche were available at our Pi Day celebration on March 14, 2019. Students and faculty streamed in all afternoon until there was nothing left. We plan to continue this delicious tradition in 2020!
- Senior Matt Vazzana enjoys his last Pi Day at MU
- Professors Bastian and Daneshgar enjoy pie with students before heading to class
- Students eagerly waiting in line for pie
- Dr. Coyle ready for Pi Day
- Dr. Turner delivering the apple pie
- Dr. Palsu-Andriescu enjoying Pi Day
- More students in line for pie on Pi Day
- All smiles after enjoying pie
- Getting festive in the MLC
Holiday Fun During Finals Week!
Students along with current and former faculty and staff gathered during finals week for the Math Department Annual Holiday Party. Santa showed up, and good food and games were also part of the festivities. Kristen Marzano won the “Guess How Many M&Ms” contest, while Caitlin Sime also received a prize for the worst guess. Professors Laura Turner and Francis Valiquette teamed up to win the first ever poetry contest with their entry, “The Night Before (Calc I) Finals.”
- Kristen–best guess
- Santa Coyle
- Caitlin–worst guess
- Students enjoy holiday fun
- More students – more fun
- Students and faculty join in the fun
November Math & Cookies
In November, Assistant Professor Dave Darmon was the speaker for the second installment of Math & Cookies. Math students and faculty came out to hear his talk “Small Models for Big Data.”
- Assistant Professor Dave Darmon presents Math & Cookies
- Students listen to his presentation titled “Small Models for Big Data.
- This is the second presentation in the series
Student vs. Faculty Volleyball Game
On November 16, the Math Club put on another fun event. After two games, each team claimed a victory, so the end result was a tie–until next year!
Math, Cookies & Kickball
On October 19, math students and faculty were treated to the first session of “Math & Cookies,” an informal speaker series spearheaded by Assistant Professor Francis Valiquette. He launched the first session with a talk on “Using Linear Algebra to Evaluate Certain Indefinite Integrals.” At the conclusion of this event, attendees went outside to participate in the second annual matchup between the Math Club and the Computer Science Club on the kickball field. It was a great afternoon of both mental and physical activity!