Department: Mathematics & Computer Science
Barry Spieler
Professor of Mathematics
Office:
Olin 109
Contact Information:
Birmingham-Southern College
900 Arkadelphia Rd
Birmingham, AL 35254
Office Phone: (205) 226-3025
Office Fax: (205) 226 3079
E-mail: bspieler@bsc.edu
Brief Career Background:
Barry Spieler has taught at Birmingham-Southern College since 1994, following an assistant professorship at Vanderbilt University. Although his area of specialization is topology and geometric group theory, his teaching interests are eclectic and varied. He has developed and/or taught courses ranging from Topology to Introductory Mathematical Modeling, from Discrete Structures to The Inner Life of Music & Mathematics (together with music professor David Smith). In 2002, he was the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation CCLI project, through which he and his colleagues in the Mathematics Department implemented a new computer-equipped classroom and made major curricular improvements. Dr. Spieler was named the 1999 Alabama Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and he was named Birmingham-Southern College's Outstanding Educator of the Year in 2007.
Educational Background:
B.A. in Mathematics, Tufts University, 1983.
M.S. in Mathematics, The Ohio State University, 1986.
Ph.D. in Mathematics, The Ohio State University, under the direction of Ruth Charney, 1992.
Areas of Academic Interest:
- Geometric Group Theory
- Topology
- Symmetry
- Inquiry-Based Learning
Courses Taught:
MA 124 Precalculus Mathematics (1)
A preparation for students who plan to study calculus. This course focuses on modeling real-world phenomena using polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions. An understanding of these functions is developed graphically, numerically, analytically, and verbally. Not open to students who have passed MA 231 or equivalent. Prerequisite: placement.MA 150 Introduction to Mathematical Thinking (1)
An introduction to important mathematical ideas and their applications in the real world. This course is designed for non-mathematics/science majors and includes topics from a variety of mathematical areas at the discretion of the instructor. Possible topics include population modeling, the mathematics of interest and loans, environmental modeling, probability, statistics, and the mathematics of social choice. Prerequisite: MA 115 or placement.MA 231 Calculus I (1)
A course in calculus emphasizing graphical, numerical, analytical, and descriptive points of view. Topics include functions, derivatives, definite integrals, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Prerequisite: MA 124 or placement.MA 232 Calculus II (1)
A course in calculus emphasizing graphical, numerical, analytical, and descriptive points of view. Topics include definite integrals, approximation techniques, indefinite integrals, elementary differential equations, modeling, Taylor polynomials, and infinite series. Prerequisite: MA 231 or placement.MA 240 Discrete Structures (1)
An introduction to concepts fundamental to the analysis of algorithms and their realizations. Topics include set theory, induction, recursion, graphs, networks, and Boolean algebra. Prerequisites: CS 250, or MA 231 and CS 170, or consent of the instructor.MA 310 Calculus III (1)
A course in calculus emphasizing graphical, numerical, analytical, and descriptive points of view. Topics include parametric equations, polar coordinates, vectors, multivariable and vector-valued functions, partial derivatives, multiple integrals, vector fields, and line integrals. Prerequisite: MA 232 or placement.MA 335 Transition to Higher Mathematics (1)
An introduction to the logic and methods used in advanced mathematics, with emphasis on understanding and constructing proofs. Prerequisite: MA 232.MA 451 Abstract Algebra I
A continuation of MA 451.Topics include rings, fields, integral domains, ideals, ring homomorphisms, field of quotients, and extension fields. Prerequisite: MA 451.MA 455 Introduction to Topology (1)
An introduction to the topology of Euclidean space and of surfaces. Topics include continuity, compactness, cell complexes, and the classification of surfaces. Applications include fixed-point theorems, the Jordan curve theorem, and map colorings. Prerequisites: MA 310 and 335, or consent.MA 458 Introduction to Complex Analysis (1)
Complex numbers, analytic functions, Cauchy-Riemann equations, curves and integrals, Cauchy's Theorem and applications, Taylor and Laurent series, analytic continuation, Residue Theorem, harmonic functions, and conformal mappings. Prerequisites: MA 310 and 335, or consent.MA 461 Real Analysis I (1)
A rigorous treatment of sequences, limits, continuity, differentiation, infinite series, sequences and series of functions, uniform convergence and its implications for function series. Prerequisites: MA 310 and 335, or consent.MA 462 Real Analysis II (1)
A continuation of MA 461. Topics include integrals, derivatives, and functions of several variables. Prerequisites: MA 317 and 461.HON 235 Connections: Music, Mathematics, and Structure (1)
A seminar exploring common themes between mathematics, music and other liberal arts disciplines using the perspective of structure and expression. The composer and the mathematician must both confront the problem of devising or adjusting structures used as vehicles for their ideas. The seminar examines how these problems are solved by considering the nature, function, and purpose of structure in music, mathematics, and a third discipline, and compares these disciplines for differences and elements in common. (Satisfies Disciplinary Foundations requirement in theory of music or in a non-lab science.