Maple is a powerful computer algebra system used by mathematicians and other researchers from all scientific disciplines when they need to solve algebraic and differential equations, evaluate or approximate integrals, or understand the behavior of a function. It is used in all classes in the Radford University calculus sequence MATH 151, 152, 251, and 252. Maple is installed on all campus lab computers. Visit Software Center to download on PC.
Mathematica is another powerful computer algebra system used by mathematicians and other researchers to solve their mathematical problems. From the makers of the free Wolfram Alpha, Mathematica offers more power tools to gain insight into how a function behaves or how to solve an equation. Mathematica is installed on all campus lab computers.
SAS (pronounced "Sass") is one of the most comprehensive statistical analysis packages. It is used by companies all over the world to do reports, querying, data mining, forecasting, fraud and security analysis, risk analysis, as well as, statistics. The functionalities of SAS components are intended to be accessed via application programming interfaces, in the form of statements and procedures; it is not a menu-driven system. Compared to general-purpose programming languages, the SAS structure allows the user/programmer to concentrate less on the technical details of the data and how it is stored, and more on the information contained in the data. This blurs the line between user and programmer, appealing to individuals who fall more into the ‘business’ or ‘research’ area and less in the ‘information technology’ area, since SAS does not enforce (although it recommends) a structured, centralized approach to data and infrastructure management.
JMP (pronounced "Jump") is a powerful menu driven statistical package. It can easily be used to explore and visualize data. JMP provides a comprehensive set of statistical tools as well as a customizable design of experiments platform. This package which was developed by the SAS Institute is heavily used by statisticians, engineers, biologists, and geologists.
LaTeX (pronouced "lay-tech" because the "X" is a Greek letter Chi) is a mathematical typseting language. It is very commonly used by mathematicians to write any number of things that require equations, such as books manuscripts, research papers, conference presentations, exams, and even Wikipedia articles. It uses a markup language to write a .tex file, which is then compiled to make the final display version, usually a .pdf file. Almost any text editor can be used to write the .tex file, and there are a variety of editors designed specifically for LaTeX, which make compiling the final document easy. Campus lab computers have MiKTeX installed, including the text editor TeXworks. It is available for free. The best way to get started is to talk to someone who already uses it. The TeX Users Group (tug.org) has links for download.
Math/Statistics Scholarship
Members of the faculty established the scholarship in 1978 for superior students in
mathematics and statistics. In 1985, plans were underway to endow the scholarship.
The department passed a motion in January of 1985 to establish an endowed scholarship
for excellence in math or statistics. Endowment status was achieved in 1991 when the
$10,000 goal was reached.
The individual selected should show promise as a mathematician as demonstrated by an outstanding score on the math portion of the SAT (a score of at least 550) and outstanding grades (A or B) in math courses taken. The individual must enroll as a major in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Credentials of applicants for the scholarship must be screened by a subcommittee of the math department with the winner of the award being chosen by the entire department after hearing recommendations from the subcommittee.
Fred L. & Virginia McMillan Endowed Scholarship
In honor of his parents, Fred and Virginia McMillan, Dr. Thomas McMillan, and his
wife Linda have established a scholarship fund to provide assistance to those students
majoring in the areas of mathematics or physical science. This special gift also commemorates
Fred and Virginia’s 53 years of marriage. The scholarship donor is their son and his
wife, Dr. and Mrs. Thomas McMillan.
Applicant must be a Mathematics major or a Physical Science major with a Physics option, have a junior or senior standing and must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Enid Milton Mathematics/Statistics Scholarship
Janet S. Milton, Ph.D., daughter of Enid Milton, created this endowed statistics scholarship
in honor of her mother. Her intention was to give a birthday gift that would always
be remembered. Dr. Milton is a retired Radford University faculty member who believes
strongly in education. She established this scholarship to support students in their
efforts in meeting the challenges of living in today's world. The scholarship donor
is Janet Milton, Ph.D.
The individual selected should show promise as a mathematician as demonstrated by an outstanding score on the math portion of the SAT (a score of at least 550) and outstanding grades (A or B) in math courses taken. The individual must enroll as a major in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Credentials of applicants for the scholarship must be screened by a subcommittee of the math department with the winner of the award being chosen by the entire department after hearing recommendations from the subcommittee.
Dr. Charles K. Martin Scholarship
This scholarship was established in 1988 by Kimiko O. Bowman, Ph.D., a 1960 graduate
of Radford. Bowman created the fund as a memorial to the past President of Radford
University, Martin, who served Radford for twenty years from 1952-1972. Martin died
in 1987. The scholarship contact is his daughter, Ann Martin Cheek. Qualification
included: upper-class status; declared major in a physical or natural science; a maintained
minimum 2.5 GPA.
Albig Family Endowed Scholarship in Mathematics
David Albig, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, former Chair of the Department of Mathematics
and Statistics, and his wife Pegeen Albig, Ph.D., retired Professor Emeritus in the
Department of Dance, have endowed this scholarship to reward students who display
exemplary abilities in mathematics. The Albigs joined the faculty in 1966 and have
been ardent supporters of the Arts. The scholarship donors are David and Pegeen Albig.
To qualify for this scholarship applicants must be a full-time student, rising sophomore,
junior, or senior and Mathematics major.