Richard Sprague Undergraduate Math Majors Resource Room
The Richard Sprague Undergraduate Math Majors Resource Room is available for undergraduate mathematics majors throughout the day and evenings. All math majors are welcome to come to the room and make use of it.
We hope that it will be a good place to go between classes or after classes. You can
- meet other math majors
- find a quiet place to sit and work between classes
- relax and play games (such as Chess or Go)
The room contains
- math books and magazines
- resources on jobs in mathematics
- puzzles and games
- computers
The room is entered from the corridor at Carver 495. The door is locked and requires a combination. You can learn the combination by going to the Mathematics Department Office in 396 Carver, identifying yourself as a math major, and asking for the combination.
The room, named in honor of Professor Richard Sprague, was dedicated in May 2006. Professor Sprague received his B.S. in 1949 from Maryville (in Tennessee), then his M.S. in 1952 and his Ph.D. in 1961 both from the University of Kentucky. He came to Iowa State in 1961 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1967.
Professor Sprague had a special interest in mathematics education and a special concern for undergraduates. He was active with Pi Mu Epsilon (the mathematics honorary society) and gave much appreciated talks on such subjects as "Pigeon-Hole, Shepherd, and Ice Cream Parlor Principles" and "Applications of Modular Arithmetic". He retired in 1995.
