Curriculum Vita ~ Russell Merris

  • Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, California State University, East Bay (nee Hayward)
  • http://www.sci.csueastbay.edu/~rmerris
  • Russ.Merris@csueastbay.edu
  • B.S., 1964, Harvey Mudd College (engineering)
  • Ph.D., 1969, University of California, Santa Barbara (mathematics)

    • TEACHING INTERESTS: In addition to the full spectrum of lower division courses, I taught Abstract Algebra, Advanced Calculus, Applied Mathematics, Combinatorics, Complex Variables, Differential Equations, Geometry, Graph Theory, History of Math., Linear Algebra, Multilinear Algebra, Real Analysis, Topology, Vector Calculus, and the Liberal Studies courses in Number Systems and Geometry for prospective elementary school teachers. I taught graduate courses in both Abstract and Applied Algebra, Integral Matrices, Multilinear Algebra, Topology, and Topics in Mathematical Physics. An enthusiastic supporter of intercollegiate student athletes throughout my career I served, e.g., as official timekeeper for all home NCAA basketball games (women and men) for roughly 15 years.

    I have written five books: Introduction to Computer Mathematics (284 + ix pages) and Introduction to Computer Mathematics Teacher's Guide (206 + ix pages), Computer Science Press [a division of W. H. Freeman], 1985; Multilinear Algebra (332 + viii pages), Gordon & Breach [since acquired by Taylor and Francis], 1997, Graph Theory, (237 + xi pages), Wiley Interscience, 2001; Combinatorics, 2nd ed., Wiley Interscience, 2003; and Caesar's Temple ~ The Life and Turbulent Times of Hypatia of Alexandria, 2014. I was honored by the Trustees of the California State University system as one of two Outstanding Professors for 1987. I was twice nominated by the Hayward campus for a California State University Wang Family Excellence Award, most recently in 2002. I received the 2005 Award for Distinguished Teaching of Mathematics from the Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii Section of the MAA. Harvey Mudd College named me one of its Outstanding Alumni in 2014.

    RESEARCH INTERESTS: Apart from abstracts, brief reviews, and other misc. contributions, I have published more than 100 articles. For 14 years (between 1975 and 1993) my research was supported by contracts or grants from the National Security Agency (NSA), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Two undergraduates (Wendy Koontz and Tony Heinz) published research that was done under my supervision, and two others (Phil Botti and Cheryl Vega) published joint work with me. The distinguished Portuguese mathematician J. A. Dias da Silva wrote his doctoral dissertation on problems that I suggested during my six month visit to Lisbon, and the English mathematician Peter Heyfron earned his Ph.D., in part, by confirming one of my published conjectures. I was an External Examiner for the Ph.D. dissertations of Arbind K. Lal, Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi (1992), and Chi Fai Chan, University of Hong Kong (1993). Recent conference participation:
  • Invited speaker, Multilinear Algebra Workshop, University of Lisbon, 18-20 April 1990.
  • Invited speaker, 2nd ILAS Conference, University of Lisbon, 3-7 August 1992.
  • Invited speaker, Algebraic Graph Theory Workshop, University of Edinburgh, 12-16 July 1993.
  • Invited speaker, 2nd Matrix Theory Mini-Conference, University of Hong Kong, 15-16 December 1993.
  • Invited speaker, Prague Mathematical Conference 1996, Praha, 8-12 July 1996.
  • Invited speaker, 10th Haifa Matrix Theory Conference, Technion, 5-9 January 1998.
  • Invited organizer, Minisymposium on Graph Theory and Linear Algebra, 7th ILAS Conference, University of Wisconsin, 3-6 June 1998.
  • Invited speaker, Special Session on Graph Theory, 108th Annual Meeting of the AMS, San Diego, 7 January 2002

    • PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: I have been a member of the CSU Hayward faculty since 1971 and a (full) Professor since 1978. I was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associate at the National Bureau of Standards (1969-71); a Fulbright Lecturer at the Quaid-I-Azam University of Islamabad, Pakistan (1973); a Visiting Professor at the Instituto de Fisica e Matematica, Lisbon (1973-74); a Professeur Invite at the Universite Laval, Quebec (1977); a National Academy of Sciences Exchange Scientist, Prague (1979); and a SERC Visiting Fellow at the University of Edinburgh (1993). I was a member of the editorial board of the journal Mathematical Inequalities & Applications for many years. I served on the editorial board of Linear & Multilinear Algebra (LAMA) from 1984-2000 and was one of two Associate Editors from 1992-2000. I completed two three-year terms on the editorial boards of the SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and Its Applications (1988-93), and the MAA Spectrum book series (1999-2004). I have done some short-term editorial work for Linear Algebra and Its Applications (1991 & 2005) and The College Mathematics Journal (1989). I have served as an external reviewer for promotion considerations at other universities and twice have been a Fulbright Faculty Associate for visiting foreign scholars. I have reviewed numerous articles for Mathematical Reviews and Zentralblatt fur Mathematik, refereed manuscripts for many professional journals, and reviewed scientific proposals for NSA, ONR, NSF, and NSERC. I am a member of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), (before retirement) the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), the International Linear Algebra Society (ILAS), and (before I retired) both the Linear Algebra and Discrete Mathematics Activity Groups of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). I served on the 1999 ILAS Hans Schneider Prize Committee. I am an Honorary Fellow of the International Academy of Mathematical Chemistry.

    UNIVERSITY SERVICE: In addition to the usual curriculum committees, I have served on search committees for Department Chair, School Dean (Chair of the committee), Vice President of Administration and Business Affairs, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs (Chair of the committee); review committees for Department Chair and Vice President of Academic Affairs; the Library and General Education subcommittees of CAPR and CIC; several terms on the Academic Senate, seven of them on its Executive Committee (two as Chair and one as Secretary); the Senate's Faculty Equity and Diversity Committee; the Science Day Organizing Committee; several terms each on the Library Advisory Committee and the Instructionally Related Activities Committee; several terms on my own department P&T and Hiring committees; three terms on the Geological Sciences P&T committee and one on the P&T committee for Health Sciences; three terms on the University P&T Committee; a 2-year term as the university's Student Affairs Liaison Officer; and a 3-year term as department Graduate Coordinator (a position that gave me responsibility for our masters degree program, including the supervision of graduate teaching assistants and the development of an MS in Applied Mathematics). I have also assisted University Advancement in soliciting contributions from the faculty.

    EXTERNAL SERVICE: I served a 4-year term as an elected Trustee of the Hayward Unified School District (1987-1991). I was Board President in 1988-89. The five member Board of Education then governed a district comprised of 20,000 students with more than 2,000 certificated and classified personnel spread over 39 sites. Of the 1,028 school districts in California, only 40 were larger than HUSD in 1990. With a (then) annual operating budget of $90 million, HUSD was (and remains) one of the largest enterprises in Hayward. During my years on the Board of Education, I served as its appointed Trustee to the Hayward Area Shoreline Planning Agency (HASPA), a "Joint Powers" agency with advisory responsibility for the San Francisco Bay shoreline from Union City to San Leandro. I am proud to be listed in the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center as having contributed to the environmental jewel that the Hayward Shoreline has become. Finally, I am a past President of the Harvey Mudd College Alumni Association.