Sandy Ganzell
Mathematics and Computer Science, St. Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E Fisher Road, St. Mary's City, MD 20686
Welcome! My office is in Schaefer Hall, room 172. Come by any time. If the door's open, you're not interrupting. You can also schedule an appointment.
Contact me at 240-895-4371 or sganzell@smcm.edu.
Spring 2015
My spring 2015 office hours are Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:30–11:30. If you're busy then, email me to schedule a time to meet. Or just stop by. This semester I'm teaching Calc I (MATH 151), FOM (MATH 281) and Algebra II (MATH322).
Math/CS Department
Here's some of what's happening in the department.
You can take an exam to get your infinity license! There's a 246 lecture at, um, 2:46. Also, Bling! Math club! CS Co-op! Putnam exam! Other things!
Research
My main area of research is Geometric Topology, specifically 4-Manifolds and Knot Theory. I'm also interested in Geometric Group Theory and Combinatorial Games.
My classes
Spring 2015: I'm teaching MATH151: Calculus I (MWF 1:20–2:30 in Schaefer 132), MATH281: FOM (MWF 9:20–10:30 in Schaefer 161) and MATH322: Algebra II (MWF 12–1:10 in Schaefer 109). The textbook for FOM will be Book of Proof, Second Edition, by Richard Hammack. It is available for free here as a pdf, or you can buy the book from the bookstore or online for about $14. For Algebra we will continue to use Dummit and Foote. There's also that Advanced Linear Algebra Seminar.
Fall 2016: Courses, times, days, locations, textbooks and other information will be posted here when available.
My past courses (taught at SMCM, University of The Gambia, Pomona College and Rice University) are listed in my CV.
My Research
My primary interest in mathematics is in Geometric Topology. More specifically, my research focusses on Knot Theory and the Topology of 4-Manifolds. I'm also interested in Geometric Group Theory and Combinatorial Game Theory.
Students interested in doing research (or SMPs) in any of these areas should read (or at least skim) the linked Wikipedia pages and come see me. A course in Topology is helpful (but not essential) for studying Knot Theory. Algebra I is essential for studying Geometric Group Theory; Topology and Algebra II are essential for studying 4-manifolds.
Preprints
Some of my preprints can be found here. Links to all my papers (and publication info) are in my CV. Coauthors marked with an asterisk* were undergraduates when the research was conducted.
• A Note on Composite Colorings C. VanBlargan*
• Jones Polynomials of Unoriented Links
• Divisibility Tests, Old and New
• Local Moves and Restrictions on the Jones Polynomial
• The Forbidden Number of a Knot A. Crans/B. Mellor
• TWIST UNTANGLE and Related Knot Games A. Meadows/J. Ross*
• UNTANGLE: Knots in Combinatorial Game Theory A. Meadows
• Chirality vs. HOMFLY and Kauffman Polynomials A. Kapp*
• Ends of 4-Manifolds
Things happening around the department
Infinity Licenses
Want to be able to use infinity without justification? Want to be able to say "Well, that's 1 over infinity so it goes to 0" without Alex demanding epsilons and deltas? Just pass your infinity exam and it can happen!
246
Every Friday at 2:46 there's a short (ends by 3:14) lecture on a topic not typically covered in any class. Usually if you've had FOM you know enough to enjoy it. Next 246 is March 7.
Klein Bottle Openers
Want one? Just declare your math major and it's yours! Fläche? Flasche? FYI, that's a Klein bottle on the shelf up there. I have one on the shelf in my office too. Stop by and take a look.
Contact Me
Mailing Address
Department of Mathematics and Computer ScienceSt. Mary's College of Maryland
18952 East Fisher Road
St. Mary's City, MD 20686
Phone/Fax
240-895-4371 (my office)240-895-4362 (office associate)
240-895-4996 (fax)