Benjamin Shults
This photo of me was taken by my mother at my brother's home in Spring of 2004.
This page was last updated in August, 2009.
I have reformatted my dissertation to use T1 fonts. This makes the size of the PS and PDF files smaller and it makes them look better onscreen. However, it changed the font size so the dissertation is shorter. So here is the new version with nice screen fonts and here is the original version that looks fine if you print it out. I hope to translate the other Postscript files on this site to PDF soon and make more of my papers available.
My Schedule
Fall 2009
I am generally in my office unless I am in class. I may ask you to make an appointment if you drop by when I am too busy.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9 | |||||
| 9–10:10 | Office Hours |
Office Hours |
Office Hours |
Office Hours |
Office Hours |
| 10:10–11:20 | |||||
| 11:20–12:30 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | ||
| 12:30–1:20 | RC 103 | Lunch | Precalculus | Lunch | MAT 123M |
| 1:50–2:40 | RC 228B | Web Programming |
COS 318 | ||
| 2:50–4:00 | AC 305 | CS 2 | COS 212 | ||
| 4:00–5:00 |
Contact Information
- Email address:
- "b - shults @ bethel . edu" without the spaces
- Post address:
- Department of
Mathematics and Computer Science
Bethel University
St. Paul, MN 55112 - Office:
- CC 228
- Voice telephone:
- 651 638 6188
Current Courses
Fall 2009:
-
MAT
123M: Precalculus
-
This course introduces tools, ideas, and ways of
thinking that are needed for success in calculus. The
ideas include the study of elementary functions, graph
transformations, inverses, sequences, series, and
parametric equations. We will learn to reason about
abstract notions such as one-to-one and increasing
functions.
We will also work on how to write and talk about technical subjects such as mathematics. We will emphasize the importance of making a clear and clearly-written argument.
-
This course introduces tools, ideas, and ways of
thinking that are needed for success in calculus. The
ideas include the study of elementary functions, graph
transformations, inverses, sequences, series, and
parametric equations. We will learn to reason about
abstract notions such as one-to-one and increasing
functions.
-
COS 212:
Computer Science 2:
- This is a course on data structures and programming in Java. Language and design features covered will include exceptions, generics, inheritance, encapsulation, and some design patterns for container hierarchies. Data structures covered will include arrays, linked lists, vectors, queues, stacks, and binary trees. Algorithms considered will include traversing, iterating, inserting, removing, cloning, comparing, and searching. Recursion will be emphasized. Big-o notation will be introduced and used. Other topics will include event-driven GUI programming and threads.
-
COS 318:
Web Programming:
-
In COS 100, you learned how to make basic dynamic web
pages using (X)HTML and JavaScript. With those tools,
you would still not be able to create sites that do
online shopping, dynamic maps, social networking,
forums, or blogs. We will learn the technologies needed
to create such sites. We will also learn some
technologies that are used behind the scenes in many
internet-connected applications these days.
In particular, you will learn more details of HTML, CSS, DOM, and JavaScript (collectively called DHTML) as well as languages and technologies such as HTTP, Ajax, PHP, XML, XSLT, XQuery, E4X, JSON, regular expressions, web services (SOAP and REST), and a little SQL.
-
In COS 100, you learned how to make basic dynamic web
pages using (X)HTML and JavaScript. With those tools,
you would still not be able to create sites that do
online shopping, dynamic maps, social networking,
forums, or blogs. We will learn the technologies needed
to create such sites. We will also learn some
technologies that are used behind the scenes in many
internet-connected applications these days.
Employment
Since Fall 2003, I have been an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN. I am teaching computer science and mathematics.
From 1999-2003, I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC. I taught computer science full time.
From 1997-99, I was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Math department at Kenyon College. I taught mathematics and computer science.
Previously, I was an Assistant Instructor in math at The University of Texas at Austin.
Education
-
B.A. Colgate University:
1990
- magna cum laude with high honors in Mathematics
- Phi Beta Kappa
-
Ph.D.
- Department of Mathematics
- The University of Texas at Austin
- Official graduation date: December 1997.
- Dissertation Supervisors: (Formerly the late Woody Bledsoe) Robert Boyer and Larry Hines
- After I took the course work and passed the preliminary exams in the Department of Mathematics, all of my research was done in the Artificial Intelligence Lab at UT-Austin. Every but one member of my dissertation committee was in the AI Lab. My research was in Automated Theorem Proving (a kind of Artificial Intelligence)
-
Continuing
- NSF Calculus Reform Workshop. with Don Small. Spring 1995.
- Interactive Programming in Java. with Lynn Stein. MIT Summer Program. 1998.
Committee Service
-
University Level
- Faculty Senate. 2007–2009.
-
Information Technology Services Academic Advisory Committee
(ITSAAC). 2004–2007.
Strategic Planning subcommittee. 2004–2007. - Faculty Senate (at WCU). 2002–2003.
- Student Affairs (at WCU). 2002–2003.
-
College Level
- Arts & Sciences Technology Committee (at WCU). 1999–2003.
-
Department Level
- Steering Committee (at WCU). 2002–2003.
- Computer Science Program Committee (at WCU). 1999–2003.
- Chair, Computer Science Program Committee (at WCU). 2002–2003.
- Chair, Computer Science Search Committee (at WCU). 2001–2002.