As Boise State’s mathematics department has discovered, plug junior Ian Cavey into nearly any equation and you’ll like the resulting product.
In early August, Cavey, an Honors College student majoring in applied mathematics, represented Boise State at the annual Mathematical Association of America (MAA) conference, held in Washington D.C. He was chosen by organizers to present his research paper, “Volumes of Sphere-Bounded Regions in High Dimensions.”
The MAA is the largest professional society that focuses on mathematics at the undergraduate level. While at the MAA conference, Cavey also entered – and won – the 2015 annual US National Collegiate Mathematics Championship, a national problem-solving competition that tests 20 participants on linear algebra, combinatorics, calculus and number theory.
“Many mathematics majors are fast learners, but Ian is so remarkably quick to understand new ideas and techniques, that it can be a challenge to keep up as he reasons through a mathematical concept,” said Joe Champion, an assistant professor of mathematics. Champion worked with Cavey on a research project over the summer exploring the mathematical models of invasive species.
“Ian thinks very deeply about the topics he studies, often spending extended time to solve challenging problems, and then uses the solutions to pose new and more difficult problems. In terms of his knowledge, persistence and creativity, Ian ranks among the very top mathematics students I have ever worked with at the undergraduate and graduate levels.”
“Working with Ian is like working with a colleague,” added Samuel Coskey, an assistant professor of mathematics and Cavey’s former teacher. “He is an A++ student because he understands what mathematics is about and what the steps are to solve a problem.” Coskey added that Cavey also volunteers most Saturdays at the Boise Math Circle, which is a program for middle and high school students to explore mathematics creatively.
The MAA student chapter program was launched in January 1989 to encourage students to continue study in the mathematical sciences, provide opportunities to meet with other students interested in mathematics at national meetings, and provide career information in the mathematical sciences. The primary criterion for membership in an MAA student chapter is “interest in the mathematical sciences.” Currently there are approximately 550 student chapters on college and university campuses nationwide.
BY: CIENNA MADRID PUBLISHED 11:24 AM / AUGUST 27, 2015