Tim Hsu

Hi. I'm an associate professor in the math department at San José State University.

Office: MacQuarrie Hall 419.

Phone: (408)924-5071, fax (408)924-5080.

E-mail: hsu@math.sjsu.edu.

Office hours: MWF 9:30-10:20; MW 1:30-2:30. Click here for full Fall 2009 schedule.

Click on the picture above to see a few more pictures (including a Simpsonized version).

In Fall 2009, I'm teaching:

• Math 19 (Precalculus).
• Math 126 (Introduction to number theory).

Other teaching things:

• How to minor or major in math at SJSU.
• Handouts on writing math in paragraph style and writing proofs (revised August 2008). The first handout is for anyone learning to write up solutions to math problems in complete sentences. The second is aimed at students who know a little bit of linear algebra, but should be useful for anyone learning how to write proofs, since it doesn't really rely on any knowledge of linear algebra. (Someday, I want to turn the second handout into a book; please contact me if (a) you're a publisher, (b) you find the idea interesting, and (c) you can figure out a way to charge less than $10 for it.)
• Handout on how to do well in college math, especially for beginning students. In three words: Do your homework!
• Looking for an advisor for your master's thesis at SJSU? Check out this list of master's and senior theses I've advised at SJSU, Pomona College, and the University of Michigan.
• Home pages for some classes I've taught in the past:
  • Math 128A (Abstract algebra I), Spring 2009.
  • Math 131a (Introduction to analysis), Fall 2008.
  • Math 108 (Introduction to proof), Spring 2008
  • Math 31 (Calculus II), Spring 2007
  • Math 32 (Calculus III), Fall 2006
  • Math 112 (Vector calculus), Spring 2006
  • Independent study version of 128b (Abstract algebra II), Spring 2006
  • Math 30 (Calculus I), Fall 2004
  • Math 129B (Linear algebra II), Fall 2004
  • Math 10 (Mathematics for general education), Spring 2004
  • Math 142 (Introduction to combinatorics), Fall 2002
  • Math 129A (Linear algebra I), Spring 2002
  • My section of the AMP (Alliance for Minority Participation) Summer Math Intensive Academy, 2001.
  • Pomona College, Math 145, Spring 2000-2001 (Hyperbolic geometry)
  • Michigan Math Scholars Summer 1998: Codes, ciphers, and secret messages

I'm also the Director of the Center for Applied Mathematics, Computation, and Statistics (CAMCOS). Check out our web page and application form.

Finally, I'm also the SJSU Math Colloquium chair. Click here for current colloquium info.

My research interests are in various areas of discrete mathematics, especially group theory, which is the mathematical study of symmetry through abstract algebra. I am also interested in other topics in algebra and combinatorics. More specifically, my interests include:

• Geometric group theory, especially groups of non-positive curvature;
• Combinatorics of partially ordered sets (extremal set theory);
• l² invariants, like homology and cohomology, which I gather falls under the buzzword of noncommutative geometry;
• Sporadic finite simple groups, and related phenomena, like Moonshine and Moufang loops; and
• Modular groups and braid groups of various types.

If you want more details, here are my academic vitals.

• Curriculum vitae with annotated bibliography (includes links to postscript/pdf preprints of most papers)
• Nicely formatted printable versions of my CV: postscript, pdf. (Version without abstracts: postscript, pdf; version emphasizing discrete math, for industry: postscript, pdf.)

A very old but still shameless self-promotion! My research monograph, Quilts: Central extensions, braid actions, and finite groups, is available as Springer Lecture Notes in Mathematics vol. 1731 (listing on amazon.com, though now out of print).

Mailing address:

Last updated November 7, 2009