PAMS Focus  -  December 2006

PAMS Focus is a periodic e-mail newsletter about activities, achievements and other news from the NC State College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences (PAMS). If you have any suggestions or comments, please share them with us by e-mailing pams_info@ncsu.edu.

“NC State nailed hurricane forecast”

So read the headline in the Nov. 28 Charlotte Observer. Once the hurricane season drew to a close, news media from across the country took notice that the “upstarts" at NC State more accurately predicted how the season would go than Bill Gray and others. Len Pietrafesa, Lian Xie and postdoctoral associate Tingzhuang Yan seek to ultimately develop a model that will predict landfall locations. Their 2006 prediction was for five or six hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, one or two of which would make landfall on the east coast. The actual number was five hurricanes, and one struck the east coast as a tropical storm. Other research teams predicted eight to 10 hurricanes. But, of course, this is not a competition…

Alumnus masters poker with mathematics

The next time you watch high-stakes poker on TV, check to see if one of the players is PAMS alumnus Michael Binger. Binger earned a BS in mathematics, and both a BS and MS in physics in 1999. Fascinated by the mathematical strategies required to win at gambling, he became determined to master poker … and master it he did. This past year, he placed third in the World Series of Poker, taking home winnings of $4.1 million. So now, you can cheer on the “Wolfpack” at poker! See the full story in the Winter 2007 issue of Scope magazine, which will be mailed in early January.

Need a year-end tax break?

Frequently, alumni and friends decide on charitable contributions in late December. This year, for the first time, NC State is closed the week between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. However, the Office of Development and College Relations has made arrangements for accepting year-end contributions to scholarships, fellowships and other funds. For details, visit http://www.pams.ncsu.edu/development/yearend.php.

Professorships “on sale” for 67% off!

For a limited time, a fortunate alignment of two separate matching programs will allow donors to endow a $1 million professorship for only $333,000!  For more information, contact Anita Stallings at 919-515-3462 or astallin@ncsu.edu.

 

Photo gallery online of PAMS Alumni & Friends Weekend

More than 240 people registered for the second annual PAMS Alumni & Friends Weekend, Oct. 13-14. Photos from the afternoon classes, groundbreaking ceremony, dinner and the Statistics Department’s 65th anniversary brunch are now online. Visit http://www.pams.ncsu.edu/weekend06/ to read about the weekend and access the gallery.