Message from the Chair…………………………………….Tommy Ratliff

I hope everyone's year is off to a good start. There have been many busy people around the Section since the Fall Newsletter came out:

- Congratulations are due to Gil Strang from MIT for winning the Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. This is the highest teaching honor that the national MAA offers.

- Jason Molitierno was elected Vice-Chair of the Section, which means that he will assume the role of Section Chair this November at the end of the Fall Meeting at Framingham State. The Section also reelected Ann Kizanis as Secretary-Treasurer and Lois Martin as the Two-Year College Representative. Congratulations to Jason, Ann and Lois!

- Our long string of successful meetings continued this fall with the meeting at Sacred Heart University. A warm "Thank You" are owed to the entire Local Arrangements Committee (Jason Molitierno, Hema Gopalakrishnan, and Rose Marie Kinik) and the Program Committee (Julie Levandosky, June Decker, and Hansun To).

I would like to thank Rob Poodiack specifically for organizing the first Northeastern Section Collegiate Mathematics Competition at the Fall Meeting. There were eight teams and 22 undergraduates who participated in this soon to be annual event at the Fall Meetings. Please encourage your students to participate this fall at Framingham State.

We have another exciting event planned for students this fall. The Section is helping to sponsor a Student Career Day on October 27, 2007 at Bentley College. This will be a fantastic opportunity for your students to learn more answers to the omnipresent question "What can I do with a math major?" Look for more details in the Fall Newsletter and the Section Website.

The Executive Committee considered the results of the web survey the Section conducted last fall related to the interest in, and purpose of, the Spring Section Meeting. The consensus that developed is that the Spring Meeting is what it is - a chance for people in the Section to get together at a more relaxing time of the year in a more intimate setting. The responses also indicated that there is probably little that the Section can do to substantially increase attendance at the Spring Meetings since many members have other professional and personal commitments once their academic year ends. Those of you who have been able to attend a Spring Meeting know what a pleasure it can be. If you have never attended a Spring Meeting, or haven't attended recently, please come to Keene State this June.

As always, if you have any suggestions for the Section or projects that you would like to initiate, don't hesitate to contact me or any of the other officers. I hope to see you at Keene State!