R-MC Mathematics Professor Elected Co-editor of Math Horizons

Mathematics Professor Elected Co-editor of Math Horizons

Mathematics professor Bruce Torrence, Ph.D., has been elected co-editor of Math Horizons. The popular journal is intended for undergraduate students interested in mathematics. Its goal is to explore mathematics outside of the classroom through applications, puzzles and humor. Torrence and his co-editor, Dr. Stephen Abbott, professor of mathematics at Middlebury College in Vermont, were selected by the Mathematical Association of America, which publishes the journal. They will begin in 2008 as editors elect and their official five-year term begins in 2009.

Torrence joined the faculty of Randolph-Macon College in 1993 and currently serves as chair of the mathematics department. He holds degrees from Tufts University and University of Maryland, as well as a Ph.D. from University of Virginia. Torrence is a regular columnist for the journal Mathematica in Education & Research. In 1999, he published his first book, along with his wife and colleague Dr. Eve Torrence, entitled The Student’s Introduction to Mathematica - A Handbook for Pre-calculus, Calculus, and Linear Algebra (Cambridge University Press). It is intended to help undergraduate students use the Mathematica software system in an educational setting. The second edition of Mathematica will be available next year.

Torrence enjoys listening to jazz music and is an avid cyclist. He is the faculty advisor to the Randolph-Macon College Cycling Club and is often seen on campus with his bicycle. His research interests include algebraic topology, graph theory and combinatorics. In 1996, he created a computer classroom for the R-MC mathematics department with a grant from the National Science Foundation.