Introduction to Topology

New Book on Topology co-authored by mathematics professor Colin Adams, was recently released by Pearson Prentice Hall.

"Introduction to Topology" is geared toward students with a minimal background in formal mathematics. It is designed to serve as a textbook for a one- or two-semester introduction to topology at the undergraduate level, or at an introductory graduate level.

Topology is the study of properties of spatial objects that are preserved under deformation. It is often said that a topologist cannot tell a coffee cup from a doughnut. Topology is generally considered one of the three linchpins of modern abstract mathematics (along with analysis and algebra).

Adams is the Thomas T. Read Professor of Mathematics at Williams College.

Always described as innovative, demanding, and a very popular teacher, he has played a crucial role in the doubling of the enrollments in Williams math classes and the tripling of the number of majors.

He is particularly interested in the mathematical theory of knots, their applications and their connections with hyperbolic geometry and has written numerous research articles on knot theory and hyperbolic 3-manifolds. His research is supported by the National Science Foundation.

Author of "The Knot Book," an elementary introduction to the mathematical theory of knots, Adams and co-authors Joel Hass and Abigail Thompson wrote "How to Ace Calculus: the Streetwise Guide" and "How to Ace the Rest of Calculus: the Streetwise Guide," humorous supplements to calculus.

He also writes a mathematical humor column called "Mathematically Bent" which appears in the Mathematical Intelligencer.

He received the Robert Foster Cherry Great Teacher Award from Baylor University in 2003. The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) awarded him its Deborah and Franklin Tepper

Haimo Distinguished Teaching Award in 1998. His honors include, among others, being named the Polya Lecturer for the MAA from 1998 to 2000 and a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer from 2000 to 2002.

Adams received his B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1978 and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1983.



Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college's 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students' educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student's financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.

Key to Healthy Relationships and Self-awareness

A new book written by mental health experts with The Menninger Clinic in Houston explores how the concept of mentalizing, the ability to “tune in” to one’s own thoughts and feelings and to put oneself in another’s shoes, forms the basis of healthy relationships and self-awareness.

Mentalizing in Clinic Practice offers mental health professionals a guide to understanding mentalizing and how to use it in their clinical practices, and distills current research findings about mentalizing. The book is written by Jon G. Allen, PhD, Menninger director of psychology; Peter Fonagy, PhD, director of the Menninger Child and Family Program; and Anthony W. Bateman, MD, clinical and research consultant at Menninger. Drs. Allen and Fonagy also are editors of The Handbook of Mentalization-Based Treatment, published in 2006.

The authors, and Menninger, have been involved in extensive research on how neurobiology and human development affect the human mind and are refining research-based patient care that promotes a person’s capacity to mentalize. The authors have also lectured internationally on mentalizing, responding to growing interest in the subject.

Failing to mentalize properly can contribute to serious problems in relationships. Psychiatric disorders such as depression, personality disorders and substance abuse also interfere with mentalizing.

“Our book shows how mentalizing unifies diverse therapeutic perspectives, ranging from cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal therapy to psychodynamic perspectives,” Dr. Allen says. “Our new knowledge about the development of mentalizing in attachment relationships enables us to provide needed developmental help to our patients—whatever their age. In development and in psychotherapy, mentalizing begets mentalizing.”

Peers reviewing the book recognize mentalizing’s potential for shaping mental healthcare:
- “We are probably witnessing a new paradigm for psychiatry,” says Sigmund Karterud, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry, University of Oslo, Norway.
- “The authors audaciously propose that mentalizing is the central corrective process of all effective psychotherapies and persuasively assert that this can be directly linked to failed early parent-child interactions. They could be right! And that makes this book essential reading for the next generation of psychotherapists,” says John G. Gunderson, MD, director, Borderline Treatment and Research Center, McLean Hospital, and professor, Harvard University.
- “Here is a strong authorial voice on a vital psychotherapeutic theme. This exceptional volume helps therapists, from analytic to cognitive and beyond, to open minds and hearts to mentalizing as a meta-concept, underpinning—and often spearheading—all worthwhile psychotherapeutic enterprise,” adds Jeremy Holmes, MD, professor of psychological therapies, University of Exeter, United Kingdom.

Mentalizing in Clinical Practice is now available from American Psychiatric Publishing Inc. To order, visit: appi.org.



The Menninger Clinic is an international specialty psychiatric center, providing treatment, research and education. Founded in 1925 in Kansas, Menninger relocated to Houston in 2003 and is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital. For 17 consecutive years, Menninger has been named among the leading psychiatric hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of America’s Best Hospitals.

AuthorHouse 50,000th Book Title to Be Released This Spring

Self-Publishing Leader Reaches Major Industry Milestone

BLOOMINGTON, Ind., March 3, 2008 -- AuthorHouse (http://www.authorhouse.com), the leading provider of self- publishing (http://www.authorhouse.com/GetPublished/FAQ.aspx) and marketing services for authors around the globe, has begun production on its 50,000th book title, "Chloe's Prayer." Since 1997, AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions (http://www.authorsolutions.com) brand, has helped more than 30,000 authors put their voice in print, and in 2007 published one of every 30 U.S. book titles.

"Since publishing our first book in 1997, AuthorHouse has enabled thousands of authors to realize their dream of publishing a book. This milestone is a tribute to the leadership we've exhibited in the self-publishing industry. Our comprehensive array of products and services appeals to both first-time and experienced authors," said Kevin Weiss (http://www.authorsolutions.com/ExecutiveProfile.html), chief executive officer of Author Solutions.

Weiss added that AuthorHouse publishes all genres. The most popular include:
-- Fiction/Adventure
-- Religion
-- Biography/Autobiography
-- History
-- Family and Relationships
Leasa Brouillard, a first-time author, wrote AuthorHouse's 50,000th title, "Chloe's Prayer," as a tool to help parents deal with the tough questions and emotions children deal with when faced with the death of a loved one. Brouillard's young daughter Chloe struggled with understanding why her prayers for her grandfather to get better weren't answered when Brouillard's father died of cancer in 2005.

"I believe 'Chloe's Prayer' can be a useful tool to parents whose children face the same pain and confusion that Chloe did when her grandfather took ill and passed away," said Brouillard. "I chose to publish this very personal project through AuthorHouse because unlike the traditional publishers I'd spoken with, AuthorHouse would allow me to keep the rights to the work and produce it in a hardback format. The publishing professionals I've worked with at AuthorHouse have made the whole experience a breeze."

"Chloe's Prayer" and its companion workbook are scheduled to be released by AuthorHouse in the spring of 2008. For more information on AuthorHouse, please visit http://www.authorhouse.com.

About AuthorHouse

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions brand, is the leading provider of self-publishing and marketing services for authors around the globe. Headquartered in Bloomington, Ind., AuthorHouse published one out of every 30 U.S. titles in 2007. AuthorHouse's 50,000th title is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2008.