T HOMAS C . H ULL

Department of Mathematics

Merrimack College

North Andover, MA 01845

email: Thomas.Hull@merrimack.edu  web page: http://www.merrimack.edu/~thull

phone: 978-837-5000 x4334   fax: 978-837-5029

______________________________________________________________________________

 

Education

University of Rhode Island

•    Ph.D. Mathematics (1997)

    advisor: Nancy Eaton,  dissertation: Some Problems in List Coloring Bipartite Graphs

•    M.S. Mathematics (1993)

Hampshire College

•    B.A. (1991) Mathematics and Philosophy

 

Research Interests

     Combinatorics and graph theory, especially in the fields of the mathematics of

    origami (paper folding) and graph colorings.

 

Teaching Experience

     Associate Professor , Merrimack College, Department of Mathematics (Sept. 1997-present)

Courses taught:

Discrete Mathematics, Fall 97, 98,  99, Spring 02, 05 – lower-level course designed for math and computer science majors; used locally written text customized for our students.

Calculus for Business, Spring 98 – designed for business majors; mixture of lecture and daily in-class group work; weekly group quizzes; 3 page paper required.

Precalculus, Fall 97 – used Larson et al text; graphing calculus required; in-class group work  and daily quizzes (with bonus musical questions).

Calculus I, Spring 00,  01, 04, Fall 03; Calculus II, Spring 98, Fall 00, 01, Calculus III Fall 06, Spring 07 – designed for science and engineering majors; Stewart CCC text used; graphing calculators required; group homework; derivative, integration gateway exams used; used Mathematica labs for Calc III.

Topics in Geometry, Fall 98, 06, Spring 00 – text by Smart (98, 00) and Stillwell (06), with supplements from Henderson and Rucker; covered Euclidean, transformational, and non-Euclidean geometries as well as fractals; Geometer’s Sketchpad and GeoGebra used extensively.

Combinatorics, Spring 98, 01, 04 – text by Tucker; reading course; most classes devoted to group problem solving; group presentations required; used unit origami to motivate graph colorings.

Abstract Algebra, Spring 99 – Fraleigh text used; covered group theory (through factor groups and homomorphisms) and also some ring and field theory; used Rubik’s cubes to study permutations.

Combinatorial Geometry, Fall 98 (as directed study), Spring 00, 02, 05 – designed new active learning course in a “high tech” classroom, covering graphs and polyhedra, colorings, Buckyball classification, spherical geometry, Descartes’ Theorem, and origami mathematics; used Zometool and paper folding for model making and in-class activities; 5 page paper required.

Introduction to Real Analysis, Fall 99 (text by Lay, with first two chapters of Wilcox and Myers to introduce Lesbegue integration), Fall 01 (text by Bressoud, historical approach, using Maple in homework and class experiments), and Fall 03 (text by Marsden and Hoffman, reading course).

Directed Study on Topology, Spring 99 – co-taught with Xiaorong Shen; first half on point set topology using Mendelson text; second half on fractal image compression using Barnsley text; computer projects on fractals; 4-5 page paper required.

 

     Visiting Assistant Professor , University of Cincinnati, Department of Mathematical Sciences

(On leave from Merrimack College, 2002-2003.)

Courses taught:

Honors Calculus I, II, and III – used Stewart’s Calculus: Concepts and Contexts  with supplements by Shaw et al; 5 and 4 credit courses with a graduate assistant; used gateway exams; group homework; graphing calculators; heavy use of group activities.

Calculus III Lab – wrote ten Mathematica labs covering sequences, series, vector geometry, vector functions, polar coordinates, and partial derivatives;  used Blackboard to make labs paperless.

Finite Math and Calculus II and III – used Brief Calculus and Applications  by Goldstein, Lay, and Schneider; non-trig based course for a variety of majors; used gateway exams; group homework.

 

     Mathematics Instructor , The Math Circle, Harvard and Northeastern University (Fall 2000).

     This is an enrichment program for students of all ages who seek math instruction beyond what the curriculum of regular school allows.  I taught two sections of a ten-week course on the mathematics of paper folding to a group of 7th-9th graders and a group of 10th-12th graders.

 

     Mathematics Instructor , Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM)

    (Summers, Junior Staff 1991-1994, Senior Staff 1998-2006.)

    HCSSiM is a six-week enrichment program for talented high school students.  Throughout the years I have taught a wide range of subjects there, including proof techniques, graph theory, group theory, generating functions, fractal geometry, discrete dynamical systems, set theory, automata theory, Markov chains, and origami mathematics.

 

Teaching Assistant , Department of Mathematics, University of Rhode Island

    (Sept 1991-May 1995, Sept 1996-May 1997.)

    Courses taught:    Finite Mathematics, Topics in Mathematics, Intro. to Calculus,

            Calculus for Engineers I and II (used Harvard text).

 

Leadership and workshops

•    Ran 2-day MAA minicourse “Using Orgami in Undergraduate Mathematics Classes”

    Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, New Orleans, LA (Jan 2007).

    Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, Atlanta, GA (Jan 2005).

    Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, Phoenix, AZ (Jan 2004).

•     Program Chair for the 3rd International Meeting of Origami Science, Math, and Education, The Asilomar Conference Center, Monterey, CA (March 2001).

    Attracted and organized 50 speakers and designed the program for this 180-person weekend conference, sponsored by OrigamiUSA.  Proceedings published by AK Peters.

•    Ran workshop “Origametry - a combinatorial geometry workshop”, Oklahoma-Arkansas MAA  Spring Sectional Meeting, Southern Nazarene University, Bethany, OK (March 1999).

•     Co-organized with R. Lang, Special Session on Mathematical Methods in Paper Folding, Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, Baltimore, MD (Jan. 1998).

    Submitted proposal to AMS for this 14-speaker session.  Most of the talks attracted standing room only crowds.

•    Ran 3-hour minicourse “Origami in the Classroom”, Eastern Regional NCTM Conference, Baltimore, MD (Oct 1996).

•     Co-organized with V. Cornelius and J. Polish, The Second International Conference on Origami in Education and Therapy, the Fashion Institiute of Technology, New York City (June 1995).

    Organized 27 speakers for this one-day conference, sponsored by OrigamiUSA.  Was associate editor for the subsequent proceedings.

 

 

Research Publications

•    On the mathematics of flat origamis, Congressus Numerantium , Vol. 100 (1994), 215-224.

•    A note on “impossible” paperfolding, American Mathematical Monthly , Vol. 103, No. 3 (1996), 242-243.

•    Defective list colorings of planar graphs, Bulletin of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications , Vol. 25 (1997), 79-87.

•    Classifying frieze patterns without using groups, with s-m. belcastro, The College Mathematics Journal , Vol. 33, No. 2 (2002), 93-98.

•    Modelling the folding of paper into three dimensions using affine transformations, with s-m. belcastro, Linear Algebra and its Applications , Vol. 348 (2002), 273-282.

•    Counting mountain-valley assignments for flat folds, Ars Combinatorica , Vol. 67 (2003), 175-188.

•    Folding regular heptagons, submitted .

•    Configuration spaces for flat vertex folds, submitted .

Books

•     Origami, Plain and Simple , with R. Neale, St. Martin’s Press, New York (1994).

•     Russian Origami , with S. Afonkin, St. Martin’s Press, New York (1998).

•    Editor, Origami 3 : Proceedings of the Third International Meeting of Origami Science, Mathematics, and Education , AK Peters, Natick, MA (2002).

•     Project Origami: activities for exploring mathematics , AK Peters, Wellesley, MA (2006).

Other Publications

•    Geometric constructions via origami, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Origami in Education and Therapy , V. Cornelius ed., Origami USA, New York (1995), 31-38.

•    Planar graphs and modular origami, Origami Science and Art: Proceedings of the Second International Meeting of Origami Science and Scientific Origami , K. Miura ed., Seian University of Art and Design, Otsu, Japan (1997), 151-159.

•    Interviewing for a job in academia, with M. Jones and D. Thomas, Notices of The AMS , Vol. 45, No. 10 (1998), 1353-1357.

•    In search of a practical map fold, Math Horizons , February (2002), 22-24.

•    Final Exam, Math Horizons , November (2003), inside back cover.

•    Origami Quiz,   The Mathematical Intelligencer , Vol. 26, No. 4 (Fall 2004), 38-39, 61-63.

•    H.P. Lovecraft: a horror in higher dimensions, Math Horizons , February (2006), 10-12.

 

Selected Presentations

 

•    “A Taste of Origami Mathematics”, Princeton University (guest lecture for Bhargava and Ng’s The Magic of Numbers class, March 2007).

•    “Origami Math and its Increasing Intersections”, MD/DC/VA Fall Sectional Meeting of the MAA, Hampden-Sydney College, VA (featured speaker, Nov. 2006).

•    “More Results on Counting Flat Vertex Folds”, 4th International Meeting of Origami Sceince, Mathematics, and Education, CalTech, CA (Sept. 2006).

•    “Folding Regular Heptagons”

    Mount Holyoke College (invited lecture, April 2006).    

    Gathering 4 Gardner 7, Atlanta, GA (March. 2006).

•    “Counting and 3-edge Coloring Spherical Buckyballs”, Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, San Antonio (Jan. 2006).

•    “ Project Origami : a text on the mathematics of paper folding”, Murray Symposium, Merrimack College (Nov. 2005).

•    “Rigid Origami: Theory and Practice”

    Tufts University (invited lecture, April 2005).    

    MIT (guest lecture in Erik Demaine’s Computational Origami course, Nov. 2004).

•    “The Science and Math of Origami”, Cotsen Children’s Library, Princeton University (invited lecture, April 2005).

•    “Origami-Math, or How to Turn Paper into Cold, Hard Cash”

    Bridgewater State University, Pi Mu Epsilon Lecture, MA (invited lecture, May 2005).

    Manhattan College, Pi Mu Epsilon Lecture,  (invited lecture, April 2005).    

•    “The Square Twist and Burnside’s Theorem”, Philips Academy Andover (Jan. 2005).

•    “Origami Math: Theory and Practice”, Benedictine University, Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (invited lecture, Nov. 2004).

•    “Origami: How to Do Math Without Scissors or Glue”, Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg, MA (Nov. 2003).

•    “Rigidity Problems in Origami”, Math Dept. Colloquium, University of Cincinnati, (April 2003).

• “Mathematics in Origami”, MAA Contributed Paper Session: Mathematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science, Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, Baltimore (Jan. 2003).

• "Origami Math: Art, Design, and Applications", Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY (invited lecture, Sept. 2002).

• “Some Generalizations of a Crease Parity Result for Paper Folding”, Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, San Diego (Jan. 2002).

• “The Secrets of Super-Complex Origami Design”

    College of the Holy Cross (invited lecture, April 2004)

    Harvey Mudd College (invited lecture, Nov. 2001).

• “Counting Mountain-Valley Assignments for Flat Folds”, 3rd International Meeting of Origami Science, Math, and Education, Monterey, CA (March 2001).

• “Modelling the Folding of Paper in Three Dimensions”, with s-m. belcastro, Special Session on Discrete Geometry, Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, New Orleans (Jan. 2001).

 • “17 + 7 Flavors of Wallpaper”, with s-m. belcastro, American Regions Mathematics League (ARML), Iowa City, IA (June 2000).

• “The Axioms of Paperfolding Geometry”, The University of Northern Iowa Math Department Colloquium, Cedar Falls, IA (invited lecture, March 2000).

• “Classifying and 3-edge Coloring Spherical Buckyballs”

    Smith College, Combinatorists of New England conference, Northampton, MA (Oct. 2000).

    Tufts University, Math Awareness Month Lecture, Medford, MA (invited lecture, April 2000).

    Mount Holyoke College Math Club, Holyoke, MA (invited lecture, March, 2000).

    Wellesley College Math Colloquium, Wellesley, MA (invited lecture, Nov. 1998).

    Gathering for Martin Gardner 3, Atlanta, GA (Jan. 1998).

• “Origami: Then and Now”, Northeastern Section of the Mathematical Association of America Spring 1988 Meeting, Keene State College, NH (invited lecture, June 1998).

• “Defective List Colorings of Bipartite Graphs”, Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, San Diego, CA (Jan 1997).

• “Choice Number of Km,n with Some Edges Removed”, Eighth SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (June 1996).

• “Origami Tessellations”

    Princeton University, Math Club (invited lecture, March 2007).

    Georgia Institute of Technology, Math Dept. Coll., Atlanta, GA (invited lecture, Feb 1996).

    Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA, Orlando, FL (Jan 1996).

    Univ. of Connecticut, Discrete Mathematics Seminar, Storres, CT (invited lecture, April 1995).

    Northeastern University, Combinatorics Seminar, Boston, MA (invited lecture, Feb 1995).

• “Planar Graphs and Modular Origami”, 2nd International Meeting of Origami Science and Scientific Origami, Otsu, Japan (Dec 1994).

• “Origametry”, Leadership Program in Discrete Mathematics (followup meeting), DIMACS Institute, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (invited lecture, Oct 1994).

• “Origami: How to do Math without Scissors or Glue”, 3er Congreso Juvenil de Investigacion Mathematica, University of Puerto Rico (invited lecture, June 1994).

Grants and Awards

•    Murray Fellowship Award, Merrimack College (2004-2005)

    This is a $10,000 competitive grant for Merrimack College faculty research in science and engineering.  I was awarded this to pursue my research work and book-writing projects in origami-mathematics.

•    Yoshino Award recepient, JOAS, 2004

    Funded invitation to the 2004 convention of the Japanese Academic Origami Society, where I gave a presentation on the uses of paper folding in education at Tokyo University.

•    Faculty Development Grants, Merrimack College

    Spring 2006: Worked on the monograph Origametry .

    Spring 2005: Worked on finalizing Project Origami and securing a publisher.

    Spring 2002: Generalizations of Maekawa’s Theorem for flat and polyhedral single-vertex folds.

    Summer 2000: Modeling paper folding using piecewise isometries; worked at Univ. of N. Iowa.

•    Project NExT Fellow, 1998-1999 (silver dot)

    Competitive MAA Fellowship for new Ph.D.s.  Helped organize panel discussions for Project NExT fellows at the 1999 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings.

•    Graduate Student Excellence Award, University of Rhode Island Dept. of Mathematics (1997)

•    Graduate School Fellowship, University of Rhode Island (1995-1996)

•    Origami USA grant to attend the 2nd International Meeting of Origami Science and Scientific Origami, Otsu, Japan (1994).

Committees and Service

at the University of Cincinnati:

    • Calculus Contest Committee (2002-2003)

at Merrimack College:

    • Faculty Development Grant Committee (chair, 2004-2005)

    • ad-hoc Sabbatical Leave Committee of the Faculty Senate (co-chair, 2004-2005)

    • co-director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Group (2003-2004)

    • Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee (1999- 2002, chair 2000-2002)

    • Academic Strategic Planning Committee (1998-2002)

    • Search Committee, Math Dept. (1997-2002, chair 98-99)

    • Academic Computer Advisory Committee (1999-2002)

    • New England Resouce Center for Higher Education Study Committee (1998- 2000)

    • Gay-Straight Alliance faculty advisor (1999-2002)

    • Math Club director (2000-2002)

Panel Discussion: Getting your first book published, Joint Meetings of the AMS/MAA (Jan 2007)

Referee for The American Mathematical Monthly, Mathematics Magazine, The College Mathematics Journal, Discrete Mathematics, and other journals.

Board of Directors: Origami USA (March 1995-present)

    A national non-profit cultural and educational arts organization.

 

Member: AMS, MAA