http://www.syndicatemizzou.org/articles Tue, 06 Jun 2006 19:52:59 GMT Connecting you with the University of Missouri’s innovative research and creative activity http://www.syndicatemizzou.org/articles/show/33 Ian Aberbach confesses that he thought about pursuing English as a major in college, but found the problems in a modern algebra class so engaging that he was drawn inescapably to mathematics instead. Taking that fork in the road has led Aberbach to a career in commutative algebra. During our interview, the math professor patiently allowed me to test the claim that “no question is a stupid question.” When asked to explain his research to the general public, Aberbach admitted that he wasn’t sure whether that was possible, referring to the highly specialized language, concepts, and theory in which his work is situated—concepts that are crucial for algebraists, but challenging for those outside of that subfield to wrap their minds around. In spite of the highly technical language, Aberbach does his best to explain his research in layperson’s terms. Tue, 06 Jun 2006 19:52:59 GMT http://www.syndicatemizzou.org/articles/show/33 (LuAnne Roth) http://www.syndicatemizzou.org/articles/show/65 Craig Kluever’s dream was born as he found himself awestruck in front of a grainy black-and-white television screen watching Apollo 11 land on the moon. He was in kindergarten. As he puts it, “that just made a big impact on me. Of course, the first thing I wanted to be was an astronaut.” Those early dreams of becoming an astronaut turned instead into a pursuit of the science behind the rockets. Today, the MU Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering works behind the scenes to solve the kind of problems involved in designing space travel—such as how to take off, how to reach a target, and, more importantly, how to return safely to Earth. Wed, 24 Oct 2007 05:00:00 GMT http://www.syndicatemizzou.org/articles/show/65 (LuAnne Roth)