USD Magazine Summer 2013

AROUND  THE PARK

[ s u m m i n g u p ]

Fletcher Jones Foundation awards $1 mi l l ion grant to USD BIG ADDITION FOR MATH

by Krystn Shrieve T

he University of San Diego has received a $1 million grant from the Fletcher Jones

Foundation to fund the Fletcher Jones Foundation Endowed Chair in Applied Mathematics. The endowed chair will be held by a faculty member with an im- pressive record of teaching, scholar- ship and service who is outstanding in the field of mathematics and embraces the role of a teacher- scholar-mentor. He or she will en- hance the appliedmathematics program, develop a new curricu- lum, improve the recruitment of students, expose them to math as the language of technology and advance the belief that students benefit from educational opportu- nities that bridge theory and prac- tice through undergraduate research experiences. The endowed chair will also build relationships with corporate partners that will hopefully lead to additional intern- ships, research projects, funding opportunities and student jobs. “There’s an increasing demand in the workforce for people with strong backgrounds in mathe- matics, especially those who can apply mathematics to solve real- world problems,” says Perla My- ers, professor and chair of USD’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. “The study of mathematics develops logical and abstract reasoning, the ability to recognize and employ patterns, structures and models to solve problems using different strate- gies, as well as an enhanced work

NICK ABADILLA

ethic. These are all abilities and skills that are necessary for solv- ing real-world problems. “In response to this demand, more students at USD are inter- ested in majors in applied math- ematics as they prepare for careers in diverse fields such as computing, physics, biology, finance, actuarial science, medi- cine, law, engineering and earth sciences, to name a few.” Fletcher Jones was a mathe- matician, visionary businessman and larger-than-life pioneer in the fast moving and unpredict- able new field of computer sci- ence in the 1950s. It is widely

believed that, had it not been for the tragedy of his untimely death in an airplane crash at the age of 41, Jones would have gone on to be recognized as one of the gi- ants of computer science. The Fletcher Jones Founda- tion has been a longtime sup- porter of the University of San Diego, dating back to its first gift more than 30 years ago. Since then, the foundation helped build the Donald P. Shiley Cen- ter for Science and Technology, funded science equipment and established the Fletcher Jones Chair in Developmental Biology, currently held by Curtis Loer,

who studies the process by which organisms progress from a single cell to a complex, multi- cellular species. The foundation also supported the building of, and technology needs for, Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, home to USD’s School of Leadership Fletcher Jones Foundation, the applied mathematics program can be a model for other schools,” says Mary Boyd, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “USD can help lead the United States to regain its leadership in science and technology.” and Education Sciences. “With the support of the

8 USD MAGAZINE