Plenary Address
Dr. Joseph Gallian, University of Minnesota, Duluth

"Undergraduate Research is Hot!"

Joe Gallian came to the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1972 after receiving a Ph.D. in mathematics from Notre Dame. He has directed 25 summer research programs for undergraduate students and given more than 250 invited lectures at conferences, colleges and universities. Over 100 research papers written under his supervision by undergraduates have been been accepted for publication in mainstream journals and many of his students have won national awards for research. In addition to his own efforts to involve undergraduates in research, he has done much to assist others to involve undergraduates in research.

Gallian has received more than $1,000,000 in grants and is the author of the book "Contemporary Abstract Algebra" (fifth ed.) and coauthor of the book "For All Practical Purposes" (sixth ed.) He is currently the Second Vice President of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and co-director of the MAA Project NExT, a professional development program that has assisted more than 600 new Ph.D's get their careers off to a successful start. He has received awards from the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and the University of Minnesota for teaching, and two awards from the MAA for exposition. Besides the usual math courses, he teaches a Humanities course called the "The Lives and Music of the Beatles" and a liberals arts course on math and sports. In 2000 a Duluth newspaper cited him as one of the "100 Great Duluthians of the 20th Century."

Abstract for the Plenary Address

Over the past decade there has been dramatic growth in the number of undergraduate students who participate in research. This is particularly true in the field of mathematics, a field that was traditionally thought not to be suitable for undergraduate research. In this talk I will discuss in general terms such things as the reasons for this dramatic growth and the benefits to faculty and students. The talk will include samples of some of the research topics I have given to undergraduate students.