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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Math Professor Craig Tennenhouse organizes combinatorial game theory conference at UNE

Participants in the Sprouts conference

Craig Tennenhouse, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, co-created and organized a conference for undergraduate research in combinatorial game theory, the mathematical study of turn-based games with perfect information, such as go and chess, contrasting them with simultaneous-play games of imperfect information that are often studied under the umbrella of classical or economic game theory.

Named Sprouts, the conference, developed by Tennenhouse and Kyle Bruke, Ph.D., of Plymouth State University’s Department of Computer Science, hosted students for a day of presentations of original student research and working groups. Eight of the nine presentations were made by undergraduates, with seven of them outlining results of original ongoing research projects by ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ students working under Tennenhouse’s direction. Nearly 20 people from ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ and Plymouth State University attended the conference, which was held in Decary Hall on the Biddeford Campus.

According to Tennenhouse, the students developed their own games, which they then analyzed using the mathematical principles and methods of combinatorial game theory. They utilized resources in ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's Makerspace Lab to physically construct their game boards.

The conference was supported by ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's Office of Research and Scholarship and the Department of Mathematical Sciences. Faculty and students plan to reconvene for Sprouts 2 in the spring of 2018 at Plymouth State University.

To learn more about the College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.une.edu/cas

 

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions

Game
Treasure game

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The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.