Bryn Mawr College

Victor J. Donnay

Research Interests:

My area of research is chaotic properties of dynamical systems. Systems that I am particularly interested include geodesic flow on surfaces and billiards.

This picture shows an unusal shaped sphere which exists in three dimensional space whose geodesic flow is ergodic.

From the article by Keith Burns and Victor Donnay, Embedded surfaces with ergodic geodesic flow, Inter. J. of Bifurcation and Chaos Vol. 7, No. 7 (1997), 1509-1527.

More such pictures.  

List of publications.

Educational Interests:

Together with my students, I have worked to develop ways to bring mathematics to a wider audience in interesting and understandable ways.

In my teaching, I have been working at making connections between mathematics and issues of Civic Engagement as I describe in the article Differential Equations and Civic Engagement. My differential equations (see Ordinary Differential Equations in Real World Situations) was seleced as a 2008 SENCER  Model Course.

Math-Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia: MSPGP

I am  a Co-Principal Investigator for the Math Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia (MSPG), which received a $12.5 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to improve pre-college math and science education.  Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges are core partners in the MSPGP.

I am a Board Member of the organization 21st Century Partnership for STEM Eduation, which is a non-profit successor to the MSPGP that was founded in 2007.

In concert with these initiatives, the Bi-College Education Program has initiated a low cost fifth year option to make it easier for students to become certified in secondary education.

Bryn Mawr and the MSPGP  co-sponsored a symposium on “Strategies that support Students Success in Math and Science” on Wednesday March 19, 2008. Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President of University Maryland Baltimore County, was the keynote speaker.

MSP START Grant: 

I am a Co-Principal Investigator for a NSF funded START planing grant which aims to develop a regional Institute for Teacher Leaders on the topics of Energy, Environment and Sustainability Science. Widener University is the Lead Partner in this project which runs from 10/1/08 - 9/30/10.

Teaching:

Spring 2009: Math 102: Calculus 2

                       Math 302: Real Analysis 2

Fall  2008:         Math 101: Calculus 1

                        Math 501: Graduate Analysis

Spring 2008:      Math 302: Real Analysis II

                        Education 220: Changing Pedagogies in Math and Science Education. Brief course description.

Spring 2007:      Math 210 Differential Equations with Applications

                        Math 398: Senior Conference – Math Modeling and the Environment.

Fall 2006:          Math 102: Calculus II.

Spring 2006:      Math 210: Differential Equations with Applications.

Fall 2005:           Math 201: Multivariable Calculus Enriched Section

Education 220: Changing Pedagogies in Math and Science Education.

Previous Courses taught.

Faculty Study Groups:

I was the organizer of a

• Tri-College faculty study group on mathematical modeling (2003-04) support by a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
• Bi-Co and secondary teacher seminar on new pedagogical approaches in math and science education (2004-05) funded by the MSPGP.