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People, Undergrad posts

New AI unit in Math 100

Math 100 now features a new unit covering AI, including analyzing what makes ChatGPT and Gemini work, and how students can use them responsibly and effectively. These AI tools and concepts are also woven throughout the course. This new initiative was selected as part of UH’s ongoing Integrating AI into Curriculum initiative.

“By engaging directly with new AI tools, our learning assistants are not only supporting their peers but also preparing to be part of a broader shift in how technology is integrated into math education,” said UH Mānoa math Professor Monique Chyba, who co-teaches the course with Professor Elizabeth Gross. “This is about equipping the next generation to shape, rather than just follow, the future of learning.”

You can read more about Math 100’s advances in this UH News Article.

Undergrad posts

Guentner wins Teaching Award

Erik Guentner won the UH Math’s Annual Departmental Teaching Award. Yuriy Mileyko presented the award on behalf of the department, and Guentner’s citation included the following:

 

The amount of work that Erik invests in his preparation is truly impressive. For example, when teaching Math 480, he improved the students’ experience by providing them with a curated set of online videos which covered the relevant topics and by creating a set of good and bad presentations. Not only did this help students to better review the material and learn how give a better mathematical talk, it provided a nice blueprint for the other instructors teaching that course afterwards.

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All of this hard work did not go unnoticed by the students. They do appreciate Erik’s teaching style, with one student writing “When teaching us he first writes down all the steps and explains it very well. He always asks if we have any questions while he is teaching. Always making sure we understand.” Another student provided a nice list of adjectives: “Clear, thorough, understanding, fair, wise, experienced, helpful, available/flexible, funny.”

One anecdote that didn’t make it into Mileyko’s speech: In Spring 2025, Guentner’s students were so fond of him that one day they all dressed up like him! Photo attached.

Erik_and_students

 

Undergrad posts

Spring 2025 Undergraduate Awards

We are thrilled to celebrate our Spring 2025 Undergraduate Award Winners! (We include the students’ high school in parentheses when we have that information.)

Tina Wang / Tanaka Ramen scholarship for excellence in mathematics (continuing students)

2025: Anne Dominique Malig (Mililani), Sami Fujimoto (Kea`au) ($1000 each)

Anne will be one of our first graduates with the Data Science track.

Kern-Clark Award:
To provide an annual award to an outstanding mathematics scholar from among those obtaining undergraduate degrees. Mrs. Mary R. Clark established this fund in memory of her late husband, Professor Richard H. Clark of the Department of Mathematics.

2025: Angelo Bongbonga (Mililani), Zeyuan Li (McKinley), Donovan Carillo (Rosevelt), Kotaro Tanaka ($400 each)

These are all graduating seniors.

Karl, Rose, and Joseph Seff Award Undergraduate entering their second or subsequent years of study at the UHM College of Natural Sciences.

2025: Jhon Lawrence Bulosan (Maui) and Kevin Phan (`Iolani)