James E. Hamblin, Ph.D.

Education

• Ph. D. in Mathematics, Department of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin—Madison, May 2002
• B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science, Cornell University, May 1997

Professional Experience

• Associate Professor, August 2007 - present
  Mathematics Department, Shippensburg University.
• Assistant Professor, August 2002 – August 2007
  Mathematics Department, Shippensburg University.
• Fellow, May 2001 – July 2002
  KTI (K-Through-Infinity) Program, funded by an NSF GK-12 grant through the Graduate School Professional Development program at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.
• Teaching Assistant, 5 semesters between August 1997 and May 2001
  Mathematics Department, University of Wisconsin—Madison.

Teaching Responsibilities at SU

• MAT 105: Math for Liberal Studies (Spring 07, Fall 07, Spring 08, Fall 08)
• MAT 108: Finite Math (Fall 05, Fall 06)
• MAT 111: Fundamentals of Mathematics II (Fall 02)
• MAT 120: Basic Math Models (Fall 03, Fall 04)
• MAT 124: Precalculus (Spring 07)
• MAT 181: Applied Calculus (Spring 03, Spring 04, Fall 04)
• MAT 211: Calculus I (Fall 02, Spring 04, Spring 06, Fall 06, Fall 07, Spring 08)
• MAT 212: Calculus II (Spring 03, Fall 03, Fall 08, Spring 09)
• MAT 225: Discrete Mathematics (Fall 04, Spring 05, Fall 05)
• MAT 320: Introduction to Abstract Algebra (Fall 03, Spring 06, Spring 08, Spring 09)
• MAT 333: Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometry (Spring 03, Spring 04, Spring 05, Spring 07, Fall 07, Fall 08)
• MAT 444: Modern Geometry (Fall 06)

Grants and Honors

• Sabbatical Leave project "Development of an Interactive Low-Cost Textbook for Math for Liberal Studies," Fall 2009.
• PASSHE FPDC summer grant "Development of a Technology Supplement for a General Education Mathematics Course" with Doug Ensley, funded April 2009.
• CFEST Grant to attend MathFest national mathematics meeting in Knoxville, TN, August 2006.
• TRE Grant "Development of Visualization Technology to Enhance the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics," approved November 2004.
• CFEST Grant to attend MathFest national mathematics meetings in Providence, RI, August 2004.
• CFEST Grant to attend Joint Mathematics Meetings in Phoenix, AZ, January 2004.
• CFEST Grant to attend MathFest national mathematics meetings in Boulder, CO, August 2003.
• Center for Teaching and Learning Grant to attend the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Baltimore, MD, January 2003.
• PDC Travel Grant to attend the AMS Regional Meeting in Madison, WI, October 2002.
• Project NExT fellow, May 2002 – August 2003.

Undergraduate Research Projects

• Worked with SU student Robyn Wolfe on a research project involving computing power indices for German parliamentary elections. Robyn was invited to give talks on her research at the Eighth Annual Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics (February 2006) and the Shippensburg University Undergraduate Mathematics Conference (March 2006).
• Worked with SU students Barb Griffith, Jennifer Stein, and Judith Canner on a SU-funded research project involving the analysis of 3-D origami constructions. The students presented their findings at the Undergraduate Student Poster Session at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Phoenix, AZ (January 2004), and also attended a minicourse on origami with me at this meeting. The students gave an invited presentation "Origami: The Math Behind the Paper" at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA (March 2004)

Publications

• Ensley, Doug E. & Hamblin, James E. (2009) Exploring recursion with the Josephus problem (Or how to play 'one potato, two potato' for keeps) in B. Hopkins (Ed.), Resources for teaching discrete mathematics: Classroom projects, history modules, and articles (pp. 45-54) Washington: Mathematical Association of America.
• "Exploring Cycle Notation," published in Loci: Resources online journal, August 2008.
• "Origami and Graph Theory," Shippensburg University Technical Report published November 2006.
• "Solvable Groups Satisfying the Two-Prime Hypothesis, Part I," published online in October 2006 and scheduled to appear in the print version Algebras and Representation Theory.
• "Three Views of Square Symmetry," published in Digital Classroom Resources hosted by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), August 2006.
• "Three Party Elections: Interactive Examples," published in Journal of Online Mathematics and its Applications, July 2006. Article ID# 1195.
• Hamblin, James E., "A Set Scavenger Hunt," Best Practices for Teacher Preparation in Mathematics and Science: Monograph II (CETP-PA), April 2006, pp. 37-40.
• "Linear Algebra and Elections," with Atif Abueida, Mike Daven, and Teresa Magnus, submitted for publication in January 2006.
• "Exploring Recursion with the Josephus Problem," with Doug Ensley, accepted for publication in the Mathematical Association of America's Discrete Math Classroom Resources, July 2005
• Hamblin, James E., "Motivating Abstract Algebra: A Constructivist Activity," Monograph of Best Practices for Teacher Preparation in Mathematics and Science (CETP-PA), August 2004, pp. 79-84.
• "Group Theory and Quilting," book chapter accepted for publication in October 2002.

Papers Given at Professional Conferences

• "Assessment Across the Curriculum; Varying Strategies for Varying Situations" with Winston Crawley in the MAA Session on Assessment of Student Learning in Undergraduate Mathematics at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, DC, January 2009
• "Assessing General Education Math," in the General Contributed Papers session at MathFest national meetings in Madison, WI, July 2008.
• "Assessment of General Education Math Courses," given in the Assessment of Student Learning in Undergraduate Mathematics session at the Joint Mathematics national meetings in San Diego, CA, January 2008.
• "Flash Tools for Finite Groups," given in the Use of Technology in Abstract Algebra and Number Theory session at the Joint Mathematics national meetings in New Orleans, LA, January 2007.

• "Using Technology to Explore the Dihedral Group," given in the Fun and Innovative Techniques for an Abstract Algebra Class session at the MathFest national mathematics meetings in Knoxville, TN, August 2006.
• "Coloring Origami: Adjacent Edge Graphs," presented in the Advances in Recreational Mathematics session at MathFest national mathematics meetings in Providence, RI, August 2004.
• "Using Quilting to Motivate the Dihedral Group," presented in the My Favorite Demo session at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Phoenix, AZ, January 2004.
• "My Experience as a KTI Fellow," presented at the SCALE Immersion Team Meeting in Madison, WI, December 2002.
• "Solvable Groups Satisfying the Two-Prime Hypothesis," presented at the Special Session on Characters and Representations of Finite Groups at the AMS Regional Meeting in Madison, WI, October 2002.

Workshops/Events Conducted at Professional Conferences

• Co-organized the MAA-Project NExT Panel Discussion "Designing and teaching a geometry course for preservice secondary mathematics teachers" at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, January 2009.
• Co-organizer, Young Mathematicians Network Panel on "Tenure and Promotion -- You Know You Want It," at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, January 2008.
• Co-organizer, Young Mathematicians Network Panel on "Keeping Your Research Alive," at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, January 2007.
• Co-organizer, Young Mathematicians Network Panel on "Undergraduate Career Paths in Mathematics," at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, January 2006.
• "The Mathematics of Voting," a workshop given at the 2005 PCTM Conference in Harrisburg, PA, October 2005.
• Co-organizer, Young Mathematicians Network Panel on "Undergraduate Career Paths in Mathematics," at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, January 2005.
• Panelist, "What I Learned in the First Year" session at MathFest national mathematics meetings in Boulder, CO, August 2003.

Workshops/Events Conducted at SU

• Local coordinator, MAA PREP workshop "Flash in the Valley: Creating Mathlets with Adobe Flash" at Shippensburg University, June 2008.
• Local organizer, Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Professional Enhancement Program (PREP) Workshop "Discrete Mathematics: Puzzles, Patterns, and Proof " at Shippensburg University, July 2006.
• "Origami and Art Tutorial," workshop given with three undergraduate students to two Art department classes, August 2003.
• "The Mathematics of Origami," workshop given at Shippensburg University for CHASM (Challenging All Students in Mathematics) program, July 2003.
• "Mathematical Modeling with Paper Folding," workshop given to in-service teachers at Shippensburg University for Eisenhower program, May 2003.

Seminars and Presentations

• Presented "Craps and Probability" in the Math Honors Seminar, April 2008.
• Presented keynote address "Alternative Voting Methods: Choosing a Winner" at West Chester University's Pi Mu Epsilon induction ceremony, April 2008
• "Algorithms for Arithmetic," hour-long talk given in the SU Math Department Seminar, October 2007
• "Probability and Expectations in Games," invited talk presented at at the Dickinson College "Math and Computer Science Chat" departmental seminar, April 2006.
• "Elections and Voting," presented in the Shippensburg University Mathematics Department Seminar, October 2005.
• "Designing Origami Octagons," invited talk presented at the Dickinson College "Math and Computer Science Chat" departmental seminar, April 2005.
• "Graph Theory and Origami," presented in the Shippensburg University Mathematics Department Seminar, September 2004.
• "Square Roots in the Days of the Caveman," presented in the Shippensburg University Mathematics Department Seminar, April 2004.
• "Quilting Activity Demonstration," presented to the CETP-PA seminar meeting at Shippensburg University, February 2004.
• "Origami and Mathematics," presented in the Shippensburg University Mathematics Department seminar, March 2003.

Conferences Attended

• Joint Mathematics national meetings in Washington, DC, January 2009.
• MathFest national meeting in Madison, WI, July 2008.
• Joint Mathematics national meetings in New Orleans, LA, January 2007.
• EPADEL (Eastern PA and Delaware) regional meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), October 2006.
• MathFest national meeting in Knoxville, TN, August 2006.
• EPADEL (Eastern PA and Delaware) regional meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), April 2006.
• MathFest national meeting in Providence, RI, August 2004.
• Joint Mathematics national meetings in Phoenix, AZ, January 2004.
• MathFest national meeting in Boulder, CO, August 2003.
• EPADEL (Eastern PA and Delaware) regional meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), April 2003.
• Joint Mathematics national meetings in Baltimore, MD, January 2003.
• MathFest national meeting in Burlington, VT, August 2002.

Workshops Attended

• Attended MAA PREP workshop "How to Build and Run a Successful Emerging Scholars Program" in Washington, DC in July 2008.
• PASSHE Summer Academy for the Advancement of College Teaching, June 2007
• "Conversations on Teaching, Part III" workshop at Shippensburg University, November 2006.
• "Conversations on Teaching, Part I" workshop at Shippensburg University, September 2006.
• Week-long conference "Reconnect Satellite Conference: Mathematics of Elections and Decisions" in Montclair, NJ, June 2005.
• Two-day minicourse "Origami in Undergraduate Math Courses" at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Phoenix, AZ, January 2004.
• Participated in Project NExT workshops at MathFest in Boulder, CO, August 2003.
• Participated in Project NExT workshops including several sessions relating to teaching and research in mathematics at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Baltimore, MD, January 2003.
• Participated in Project NExT workshops at the MathFest meeting in Burlington, VT, August 2002.

Editorial Work

• Reviewed A First Course in Abstract Algebra with Applications by Joseph J. Rotman for MAA Reviews, May 2006 [Link to review]
• Reviewed Write Your Own Proofs: In Set Theory and Discrete Mathematics by Amy Babich and Laura Person for MAA Reviews, February 2006 [Link to review]

Professional Memberships

• Mathematical Association of America, August 2002 - present.
• American Mathematical Society, August 2002 - present.
• Board member, Young Mathematicians Network, August 2004 - present.

Current Memberships at SU

• I am currently on sabbatical leave (Fall 2009).

2008-09 Memberships

• APSCUF Representative Council
• University Technology Council
• Chair, Mathematics Department Search Committee
• Secretary, Mathematics Department Assessment Committee
• Member, Mathematics Department Educational Property Committee

2007-08 Memberships

• ASPCUF Representative Council
• APSCUF Representative to SU Disciplinary Committee
• University Technology Council (campus-wide)
• Infrastructure and Life Cycle Committee (campus-wide)
• Chair, Mathematics Department Assessment Committee
• Secretary, Mathematics Department Scholarship Committee
• Alternate member, Mathematics Department Educational Property Committee

2006-07 Memberships

• Member, ASPCUF Representative Council
• APSCUF Representative to SU Disciplinary Committee
• Chair, Mathematics Department Assessment Committee
• Mathematics Department Scholarship Committee
• Mathematics Department Educational Property Committee
• Mathematics Department Ad-Hoc Committee on Committee Structure
• Mathematics Department General Education Committee
• Course coordinator, Finite Mathematics/Applied Calculus Committee

2005-06 Memberships

• APSCUF Representative to SU Disciplinary Committee
• Chair, Mathematics Department Assessment Committee
• Mathematics Department Educational Property Committee
• Mathematics Department Tenure-Track Search Committee
• Course coordinator, Finite Mathematics/Applied Calculus Committee
• Alternate, University Forum

2004-05 Memberships

• Mathematics Department Five-Year Review Committee
• Chair, Mathematics Department Adjunct Search Committee
• Chair, Mathematics Department Scholarship Committee
• Secretary, Mathematics Department Assessment Committee
• Mathematics Department Educational Property Committee
• Course Coordinator, Basic Math Modeling Committee
• Course Coordinator, Finite Mathematics/Applied Calculus Committee
• Selected by Mathematics Department as a candidate for University Forum

2003-04 Memberships

• Chair, Mathematics Department Scholarship Committee
• Secretary, Mathematics Department Assessment Committee
• Mathematics Department Search Committee
• Mathematics Department Finite Mathematics/Applied Calculus Committee
• Mathematics Department Calculus Committee

2002-03 Memberships

• Mathematics Department Bylaws Committee
• Mathematics Department Search Committee

Special Assignments/Duties

• Organized 2009 Math/Computer Day with Dudley Girard. This year's event was attended by 13 regional schools, bringing over 70 high school juniors to campus for math and computer programming competitions.
• Organizer, Math/Computer Day, April 2008.
• Organizer, Math/Computer Day, April 2007
• Organizer, Math/Computer Day, April 2006.
• Shippensburg University Math Club Advisor, August 2005 - present.
• Organizer, Math/Computer Day, April 2005.
• Co-organizer, Math/Computer Day, April 2004.
• Organized "Sidewalk Math" outdoor tutoring activity for Kappa Mu Epsilon (math honor society) and Math Club, May 2003.
• Co-organizer, Math-Computer Day, March 2003.

Community Activities

• I have been a member of the Susquehanna Chorale, a community singing group based out of Hershey, PA, since August 2002. The chorale has won prestigious national awards, published acclaimed recordings, and performed with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. Also, the chorale sponsors four different children's singing groups for children from grade 3 through the first year of college.

Research Interests

My research interests are diverse, but focus on applications relevant to undergraduate students and the college classroom. I am interested in the connections between mathematics and visual arts, including origami and quilting. I have worked with undergraduate students researching the connections between origami and graph theory. I am also interested in the connections between quilting and group theory, and trying innovative computer-based quilting activities in my Introduction to Abstract Algebra class. I have also become interested in the mathematics of voting and elections. This topic has particular resonance with our students, who are just starting to become involved in our political process, and it is especially relevant to several of our classes at Shippensburg, including Discrete Mathmatics and Math for Liberal Studies. Finally, I am also very interested in the use of technology in education. I have two publications related to the use of interactive web-based Flash tools in undergraduate mathematics, and I am eager to further explore this rich area of study.