A Kettering University professor of Mathematics will receive the
prestigious 2010 Chauvenet Prize for Mathematical Expository Writing
from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). Dr. Brian McCartin
will be honored for his article “e: The Master of All,” that was
published in the Mathematical Intelligencer Spring 2006 edition, a
publication of Springer Science and Business Media, Inc.
“This is the sort of thing one dreams about but does not dare confess to
dreaming about,” said McCartin of the award.
To qualify for the Chauvenet Prize, an expository article must have been
published for at least two years. The prize consists of a $1,000
monetary award and a certificate and is normally awarded at the annual
meeting of the Association, which this year will be in San Francisco in
January. Due to health restrictions, McCartin will receive the prize at
the regional meeting of the MAA in Ypsilanti, Mich.
First awarded in 1925, the prize is named for William Chauvenet, a
professor of mathematics at the United States Naval Academy. It was
established through a gift in 1925 from J.L. Coolidge, then MAA
president. Winners of the Chauvenet Prize are among the most
distinguished of mathematical expositors.
e is a mathematical constant that came into existence in the
early 17th Century in the context of commercial transactions
involving compound interest, according to McCartin. Since its discovery,
it has been used in a variety of applications that include the
scheduling of radiation therapy treatments and the definition of
equiangular spirals like the one used to begin the Yellow Brick Road in
the Wizard of Oz movie.
Some of his other awards include the Michigan MAA Award for
Distinguished University Teaching in 2004. In 2008, he was Plenary
Lecturer at the First American Conference on Applied Mathematics at
Harvard University.
To read more about McCartin’s accomplishments, visit: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=2933
Located in Flint, Mich., Kettering University is the home of the
country’s premier undergraduate professional cooperative education
program and a national leader in the preparation of entrepreneurs and
innovators. For more on Kettering, visit: www.kettering.edu
