Dr. Cathy Bonan-Hamada
Associate Professor of Mathematics

B.S. Applied Mathematics - Colorado State University
M.S. Mathematics - Colorado State University
Ph.D. Mathematics - University of Colorado

Dr. Ed Bonan-Hamada
Associate Professor of Mathematics

B.A. Biology - University of Rochester (NY)
M.A. Mathematics - University of Hawaii, Manoa
Ph.D. Mathematics - University of Colorado

Birthplace:
Cathy: Montrose, Colorado
Ed: Honolulu, Hawaii

Favorite Ice Cream flavor:
Cathy: Butter Pecan
Ed: Strawberry

Favorite movies: Wrong question to ask. The Bonan-Hamadas are major movie buffs. Ed's answer to "favorite movie" is Caddyshack, Star Wars movies, Harry Potter movies, Lord of the Rings movies, Ridley Scott films (Blade Runner, Black Hawk Down, Alien, many more), Indiana Jones Series. Cathy quickly picks Don Juan DeMarco as her favorite.

Shipwrecked on an island, must haves:
Ed: We're pretty self-contained. Cathy would need bleu cheese. I'd need some books to read. We'd probably want a phone... not to call for help, just to check and make sure our families are okay. I'm not sure we would want to be rescued, at least not right away.

 

A conversation with the Drs. Bonan-Hamada

Where did you two meet?
Cathy: We were both in our doctoral programs at the University of Colorado. We met in Real Analysis class.
Ed: She sat next to me. I felt a spark.

How did you end up at Mesa State?
Cathy: We were both working in western Oregon and looking in Colorado for teaching jobs. I grew up in Montrose and was looking for a chance to return "home". A tenure-track position in the Mathematics Department came open at Mesa State and I was hired for the Fall Semester 1996.
Ed: I was also available to teach and was hired in a temp position. I was then hired tenure-track when another position opened up.

What's your personal philosophy on educating students?
Cathy: I really try to instill an intellectual curiosity. I don't want students to blindly accept things, but rather to question, wonder, and ask why. I also know that many students have had a bad experience with math, so I want them to learn to enjoy it... or at least enjoy it more than they did when they entered one of my classes.
Ed: She stole my answer. Seriously, I think what Cathy said is true. Students can really gain an appreciation for math when they learn it in the right environment.

Do you do any community activities or volunteer work?
Ed: I am the advisor and head instructor for the Mesa State Martial Arts Coalition.
Cathy: Tell him about the time you ended up at the hospital.
Ed: [looks at Cathy... one of those looks that married people understand] I'm not sure we should talk about students beating up faculty members. I was sparing with a student and I got hit in the face. My tooth poked through my lip. That student may be the only one who ever hit a teacher and got away with it.

Both of you teach math, but do you each have a special area of interest?
Ed: Cathy studies the analytic theory of continued fractions.
Cathy: Ed enjoys mathematical logic.
Ed: You could say we are at different ends of the mathematical spectrum.

If you could go back to college and major in any field, EXCEPT MATH, what would you do?
Cathy: I would probably study chemistry. I took a concentration in chemistry when I was an undergrad. I think I enjoy it because it is really mathematical.
Ed: I'd either try pitching for the Rockies, because they need it, or maybe I'd be a professional surfer. I'm a fourth-generation Hawaiian. I went away to college in Rochester, New York for a change. It was a BIG change. I remember one time when Rochester got eight feet of snow.

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