UNC Asheville Holds Fifth Annual Parsons' Lecture;
Noted Mathematician Joseph Gallian to Speak

Renowned mathematician Joseph Gallian will deliver the fifth annual UNC Asheville Parsons’ Lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 30, in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. Gallian’s talk, “Breaking Drivers’ License Codes,” is presented by UNC Asheville’s Mathematics Department. The event is free and open to the public.

Many states use complicated algorithms or formulas to assign drivers’ license numbers but keep the method confidential. Just for fun, Gallian attempted to figure out how states code their license numbers. In his presentation, Gallian will discuss how he broke the codes for many states using an important problem-solving technique that is rarely emphasized in mathematics classes. He will also discuss the merits of learning simply for the sake of curiosity.

Gallian is a distinguished professor of teaching and professor of mathematics at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he has worked since 1972. A prolific writer, he is president-elect of the Mathematical Association of America and winner of its Haimo Award for distinguished teaching and the Allendoerfer and Evans Awards for expository writing. Considered one of the founders of the undergraduate research movement in mathematics, Gallian has directed a National Science Foundation-sponsored undergraduate research program for more than 20 years.

Each year, UNC Asheville’s Parsons’ Lecture showcases well-known mathematicians who are able to explain their field of study to a general audience. The lecture is made possible by an endowment from an alumnus in honor of UNC Asheville Professor Emeritus Joe Parsons, who served in the Mathematics Department from 1952 to 1980.

For more information, call UNC Asheville’s Mathematics Department at 828/251-6556.

Media Contacts:

• Dr. Leigh Atkinson, UNC Asheville Assistant Mathematics Professor, 828/232-5188
• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526