Mathematics

About
Program Highlights
Faculty

Mathematics is more than just the theory of numbers. It discovers tools from which a quantitative understanding of our world is made possible. Moreover, the language of mathematics is truly a universal language, transcending ethnic, societal, and national boundaries. Finally, mathematics also is a critical filter, opening doors to exciting and high-paying careers in business, government, teaching and research.

Students majoring in mathematics at St. Mary’s University are exposed to the theoretical foundations of mathematics and experience its applications in a variety of disciplines. Innovative teaching and learning environments allow students to develop critical thinking and general problem solving strategies. In addition, our mathematics graduates understand the power and usefulness of computers equipped with graphing and symbolic algebra. Classroom assignments enhance the students’ abilities to communicate mathematics effectively—both orally and in writing. Students have the opportunity to hear about current research and present their own research at the undergraduate mathematics seminar.

Program Highlights

Internships for mathematics majors often are available in San Antonio at USAA (particularly in actuarial science) and Southwest Research Institute (in mathematics, statistics and mathematical programming). The National Security Agency in Washington, D.C., has a summer internship program in mathematical cryptologic problems for math majors.

Other experiential opportunities include research programs at Louisiana State University, the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute at Cornell University, the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate at Rice University, and the Summer Institute in Mathematics for Undergraduates at the University of Puerto Rico.

The Mathematics Club often presents speakers so that students benefit from personal interaction with pioneering individuals in the field.

Mathematics majors purse a variety of careers including those in law, economics, business, banking, insurance, actuarial science, biostatistics, cryptology, mathematical programming and operations research. Other opportunities include:

Education
Computer science
Engineering
Medicine
Government
Armed forces

Society of Mathemeticians

The Society of Mathematicians is open to anyone interested in mathematics. The Society has sponsored speakers from all areas of mathematics, such as Mathematical Modeling of Environmental Systems, Brain Mapping Using Mathematics, Mathematical Applications in the Field of Hospital Management, the Group Structure of the “Magic Globe” Puzzle, the actuarial profession, and Geometric Methods in Population Dynamics.

Past guests have included professionals from Brooks Air Force Base, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USAA and Trinity University.

The Society has also sponsors on-campus activities such as bake sales, Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournaments, Sudoku Tournaments and Poker Tournaments. Participants often have the opportunity to attend conferences of the Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America and compete in the Calculus Bowl against other Texas universities.

Faculty

Mike Lecocke, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Office: Richter 231
Phone: (210) 436-3238
mlecocke@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details

B.S., St. Mary's University, 1999
M.A., Rice University, 2004
Ph.D., Rice University, 2005

Mike LeCocke, Ph.D., has focused primarily on statistics, mathematics and electrical engineering.

Anna Lurie, Ph. D.

Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Office: Richter 233
Phone: (210) 431-6849
alurie@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details

M.S., Kharkov State University (Ukraine), 1994
Ph.D., University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1998

Anna Lurie, Ph.D., completed her studies first in the Ukraine, where she focused on mathetmatical physics, and then in Maryland where she concentrated on time series. Her dissertation covered change-point problems in autocorrelated data.
She has coauthored multiple research papers, including "Conditional Standard Errors of Measurement for Composite Scores," "Response Adaptive designs for Continuous Outcomes," and "Bayes-type tests for Constancy of Autoregressive Parameters."

A member of the American Statistical Association, Lurie has taught courses at St. Mary's University such as probability and statistics and business calculus since 2002. Her teaching experience also includes positions at University of Maryland Baltimore County and Ivanov Middle School, Kharkov, Ukraine.

Lurie brings her industry to the classroom, as well. In 2002 she worked as a quantitative analyst for T. Rowe Price Associates Inc and as a statistical consultant for the Psychological Corporation.