Spring 2007: Current Topics in Financial Mathematics -- The Projects Course
MAP 6437-03 in 102 LOV (Nichols) -- MAP 6437-04 in 200 LOV (Kercheval)
TR 2:00 - 3:15 pm

instructors
Prof. Warren Nichols, office 212 LOV, http://www.math.fsu.edu/~nichols
Prof. Alec Kercheval, office 113 LOV, http://www.math.fsu.edu/~kercheva
eligibility
This course is open only to students in the Financial Mathematics graduate program who have passed MAP 6621 and expect to complete the Masters degree requirements in 2007.
objectives
The purpose of this capstone course is for students to bring together knowledge from previous courses to read current research, formulate specific project ideas, develop computational experiments to support their own conclusions, hone written and oral presentation skills, and practice teamwork to produce a polished final product under time-limited conditions.

The main objective is the completion of an individual research project on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor. The project will be submitted as a polished written paper and also as an oral presentation in class.

In addition, students will complete a group project leading to a group in-class presentation, and complete other smaller assignments as they may arise during the course. An important part of the course is for students to practice critically listening to other projects and participating in constructive questions and discussion.

section assignments
Registered students are divided into two sections as follows: Section 3 (Nichols): Boerner, Choi, Gao, Millard, Mishra, Mueller, Nguyen, Passmore, Su, Zhou. Section 4 (Kercheval): Frade, Maurice, Mu, Reiner, Skelton, Steele, Willyard, Yao, Yu.
initial homework schedule
Assignment 1, due electronically by class time Tuesday, January 16: Turn in paragraphs answering each of the following questions:
  1. Choose a book to purchase for your personal financial mathematics library that you do not already own. What book did you choose and why?
  2. Daily reading is an important habit: what publications do you read, which ones do you think you should read, and why?
  3. Describe your computing skills. What software, platforms, or languages are you missing that you would like to acquire?
  4. Where do you see yourself professionally in 2 years?
  5. Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years?

Assignment 2, due Thursday, Feb. 15: Turn in an interesting Book Review in proper format of the book you purchased as part of Assignment 1. (Suggestion: check book reviews in various publications and bring your own knowledge and experience to make your Review useful for someone else. Your target audience should be readers at the level of your fellow classmates.)

Assignment 3, due Thursday, April 12: Turn in an Executive Summary describing your activities in the FM Master's program that you used to build professionalism. Think of this as if you were justifying why you should be hired in your target career. In addition, attach a professional Resume in proper format that is an improvement on earlier efforts. Separately describe ways it has been improved. The resume should be targeted for job or internship in the financial or actuarial sector. You are encouraged to use Career Center or other resources to help your resume.

The complete schedule will be updated as the semester progresses. Also refer to the schedule for instructions regarding the electronic submission of your assignments.

group presentations
Group presentations are popular and fun to prepare: students form groups of 2 or 3; each group will put together a presentation of information on a topic expected to be of interest to all. Past topics have included the Birmingham-Scrushy-HMO scandal and the ENRON case. But it isn't all scandal. One group talked with many former students who had had various types of interviews and merged their suggestions with some of the ``book" advice. Another, with 2 who had passed CFA, did some in-depth guiding to that prep. And there have been many presentations that extended previous class topics, such as energy marketing or foreign currency.
individual project
60 per cent of the course grade is a 3-part Project as described below. Your project may be based on a topic suggested in a previous course or your own readings/investigations which you wish to pursue further. Generally it should incorporate reading from recent literature, and some computational experimentation that you design.

You are individually responsible, in consultation with your instructor, for framing, developing, and presenting a suitable problem - that is part of the assignment - but you may ask a professor from an earlier course, or a financial sector professional, for suggestions and help along the way. If a professor/expert advises you on the project, you will disclose this at each presentation stage. If you are interested in a PhD here it may be possible to work on a project of some interest also to a potential major professor as a prelude to ATE investigations.

A very high presentation standard is required, written and verbal.

The three components of your Project grade are:

  • Preview (written and verbal): By late January TBA you must have your plan - ``Preview" - you will talk at most 5 minutes; this checks your technology/slide production skills. You will hand out a 1 or 2 page description of your plans, with references and description of any help you are getting, and also submit your written Preview through the FSU Blackboard system - turnitin.com - details later. (Submission of the Preview in the same manner as the final paper will guard against unpleasant surprises later.) Classmates and instructor will give comments, ideas, and suggestions about the content of your proposed project.
  • Presentation: On the date you ``draw" (1/11), give a talk (40-45 minutes) about your problem/investigation. Presentations are critiqued by the class and your participation in discussing the papers of others will be noted. You will use powerpoint or LaTeX slides or equivalent. This is a professional level presentation, not just a class discussion. It is suggested that if you do not have a laptop you arrange with a classmate, but if necessary ask Mr. Boyd for technical support --- but this is your responsibility. Your best tech help is your own classmates! If for any reason, even illness, you cannot present on the day you draw, it is necessary for you to swap presentation dates with another student, and inform the class by e-mail of the swap.
  • Paper: Hand in a paper in good form both hardcopy and via a word processing system acceptable in the University Blackboard (turnitin.com) system. (Word is accepted, but you will have to figure out how to do equations.) The latest date for submitting your electronic and hard copy is April 19 by the start of class. Suggestion for assuring standard form: see the FSU Graduate School website, or follow a standard manual such as the Chicago Manual of Style.
other grade components
40 per cent of overall grade is subjectively assigned, based on: group participation and leadership; the quality of the group project presentation; attendance; the quality of your participation in discussion of other students' work, and the hand-in homeworks.


honor code: A copy of the University Academic Honor Code can be found in the current Student Handbook. You are bound by this in all of your academic work. It is based on the premise that each student has the responsibility to 1) uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the student's own work, 2) refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity in the University community, and 3) foster a sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the University community.
ada statement: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should: 1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC); 2) bring a letter to the instructor from SDRC indicating you need academic accommodations. This should be done within the first week of class. This and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request.