Los Angeles Valley College - Crown Yearbook (Valley Glen, CA)

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To Math seminar student Norman Plotkin finds there are many questions to ask. stretch the imagination 1 Seminar for Superior students ,fr . t w-f-ti..fs..- Y ,245 p .,.,s ,gb J -- What happens when students Want extra study? Ask the Faculty Committee on Superior Students and the answer might be the Math Seminar. Valley's Math Seminar began in the spring of 1958 when some Valley College students de- cided they Would like the use of a laboratory in which they could conduct experiments on their own. The students also wanted to have an in- structor around to advise them and to lecture on advanced material as they needed it for their experiments. The idea was discussed with some of the instructors who took the problem to the Faculty Committee on Superior Students. The result was a sub-committee for handling four different seminars-mathematics, chemis- try, physics and engineering. 'LThe primary reason for the seminarf' ac- cording to Charles Kinzek. math instructor and one of the seminar leaders. His to stretch the student's imagination and to get him interested in math, to inform, and to stimulate his thoughtsfl One instructor is in charge of the seminar series for an entire semester. Each Week during that term, he meets with the group to lecture on the semesters topic, and the students parti- cipate freely in discussions with the instructor. The lectures give students both capable and interested in advanced mathematics a better background for further studies at a four-year university. This background is much broader and further advanced than the students Would- othervvise be able to get from classes other than those at a four-year college.

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Eric Jensen Student Body Presidentl 4 5 -i Yrs 5 Colleen Ferguson, Commissioner of Student Activities. Jack Easton, Student Body Vice President. Al Pepe, Commissioner of Public Relations. Janice Yacobellis, Recording Secretary. Marilyn McMahon, Corresponding Secretary. l ' . Bill Fishel, Q l' 'z fits: Treasurer. 19 ah 1 I

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ri Volleying theory back and forth in the math seminar 'game' are Tex Davidson and Paul Johnson. Some of the topics covered in past series are the theory of sets, advanced analysis, the theory of numbers and geometrics and other topics Euclyd never thought of. One example of a superior student in action is Robert von Tiehl, fourth semester student. He hopes to be a teacher on the university level in either mathematics or physics and plans to transfer to UCLA after Valley., A member of the Dean's List with a 3.2 average, von Tiehl is an active member of Les Savants and has served as president of the Computing Club. Von Tiehl is taking the seminar because he Hlikes math and something new is available in the seminarf' He doesn't like the idea of only a few courses being available to him. 'Through the seminar, I can enter a new area of mathe- matics without first getting a more intensive background in math, said von Tiehl. Students are recommended for the study group by their instructors. After a careful check of school records, qualified students are then invited to attend the group. Qualification includes at least a LB' average in all college work and an interest in mathe- matics. Occasionally a high school student of exceptional ability may join the seminar if he has a B-plus average in all high school work. The type of program provided by the sem- inar is in practice in very few of the junior colleges. Valley's program enables Valleyites to grow in respect to mathematics, it provides the students with a background and knowledge otherwise unobtainable on the two-year level, and it is even superior to many a four-year university program. fr Charles B. Kinzek, seminar instructor, ponders a problem posed by superior students in VaIley's math seminar. . . ..,, , ,.,. .4-ju., ..,. . 'hum lr:::-- -711- -.. :.'E.-'- '---,.... L,- v .. W. is ,, at 43,2 .4 s r .I v AN ' . ui. . xi, . . .4 A .