Department of Mathematics Highlights and News

Luis Yanez Zamora received the 2022 Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence! Luis is a physics and mathematics double major from East Hampton, NY. As a first-generation student, he is a McNair Scholar and a Presidential Scholar, and he serves as the vice-chair of the Student Association Academic Affairs Committee. Luis tutors math and physics students while engaging in campus governance and other organizations. His academic interests involve research on black holes, the production of gravitational waves, and general relativity. Luis's post-graduation plans are to pursue a PhD in theoretical astrophysics. Congratulations Luis!

Dr. Ahmad Almomani received honorable mention for the Campus Sustainability Awards that recognize outstanding commitment by students, faculty, staff, and student organizations to enhance the three pillars of sustainability on the Geneseo campus: social sustainability, economic sustainability, and environmental sustainability. The awards are to recognize and celebrate the hard work of community members, which often goes unnoticed, as we strive for a campus that is socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable for generations to come.

Dr. Almomani’s nomination reads: "Dr. Almomani is a faculty member in the Mathematics Department and has served as the President’s Sustainability Commission Co-Chair for the past 2 years. He has completely shifted a number of his course curricula to address sustainability challenges, including creating an entirely new course called 'Math for Sustainability' that has been approved through the College Senate. He runs directed studies each semester and year that are specifically aimed at utilizing mathematics in order to solve sustainability challenges on Geneseo’s campus, including rainwater harvesting, efficiency in compost buckets, and more. He has a strong focus on regenerative practices and responsibility and is always looking for new ways to make sustainability work on Geneseo’s campus."

Assistant Professor Ahmad Almomani was awarded a 2021 Drs. Carol and Michael Harter Endowment for Faculty Mentoring Award. The award is given yearly to a faculty member whose commitment to teaching goes beyond the classroom to the students' intellectual or creative development. Congratulations Professor Almomani!

Cesar Aguilar, Associate Professor of Mathematics, received a Certificate of Outstanding Service as Reviewer of the IEEE Control Systems Letters for 2020. The Editorial Board of the IEEE Control Systems Letters recognizes every year a small, selected group of referees who they believe have done a truly outstanding job reviewing papers submitted to the journal. The recognition indicates a high degree of commitment to the IEEE's professional community and a clear evidence of one's high level of technical ability in the field.

Congratulations to the 2020 Geneseo Mathematics Class for graduating during a difficult last semester. We hope you will take with you fond memories of Geneseo and rest assured you will be missed by all the math faculty.

Brittany Sullivan attended the 22nd Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics and presented her research results on The Role of Eigenvalues of Threshold Graphs to Study Graph Invariants obtained over the 2019 summer with colleagues Natalie Schurman, Matt Ficarra and Professor Cesar Aguilar.

Matthew Ficarra (2021), Natalie Schurman (2020), and Brittany Sullivan (2020) co-author the paper The role of the anti-regular graph in the spectral analysis of threshold graphs with Professor Cesar Aguilar; the paper was published in the journal Linear Algebra and Its Applications and contains the results of their research performed over the 2019 summer session.

Out of over 120 nominations, Dr. Ahmad Almomani received a 2019 Professor Recognition Award. "Your students appreciate you and all that you do for them; that's why they decided to submit a nomination due to your teaching technique, accessibility, and the connections you have created with your students."  Congrats Professor Almomani!

Dr. Ahmad Almomani has won the MAA Seaway Logo competition. Professor Almomani's logo was chosen out of seven entries. Professor Almomani explains that the boat represents the MAA, and the sea represents all science. In our sailing expedition as mathematicians for seeking the unknown, we always end up leaving a beautiful impression like Euler's equation.

John Wilson (Physics/Math dual major, 2020 class) was one of thirteen SUNY Geneseo students selected as a Presidential Scholar for the 2019–20 academic year. A Presidential Scholar is a top-achieving member of the senior class who also serves as an ambassador for the College.

BethAnna Jones, Barbara Schweitzer, and Sydney Ng attended the 21st Annual Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics. BethAnna and Barbara presented research completed in the 2018 summer.

The annual Geneseo Math Research Weekend was held Feb 1 - 2, 2019, and was led by Dr. Elizabeth Cherry from RIT. This year's topic was on the Nonlinear Dynamics of the Heart.  Congrats to all students who participated!  See more pics here.

Distinguished Teaching Professor Gary Towsley received the 2018 Faculty Career Achievement Award.

BethAnna Jones (MATH 2019) is a recipient of a 2018 Janet L. Andersen Award for Undergraduate Research in Mathematical or Computational Biology. BethAnna participated in Michigan State University’s 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research in Experimental Mathematics program and presented her work at MathFest 2018. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Ph.D in either Applied Mathematics or Computational Biology. Congratulations BethAnna!

Distinguished Teaching Professor Olympia Nicodemi was awarded a 2018 Drs. Carol and Michael Harter Endowment for Faculty Mentoring Award. The award is given yearly to a faculty member whose commitment to teaching goes beyond the classroom to the students' intellectual or creative development. Congratulations Professor Nicodemi!

Eric Piato, Barbara J. Schweitzer, and Joon-yeob (Julian) Lee (all Math 2020) co-author the paper Spectral characterizations of anti-regular graphs with Professor Cesar Aguilar; the paper was published in the journal Linear Algebra and Its Applications and contains the results of their research performed over the 2018 summer session.

Melanie Kirk (Math 2019) was selected as a SUNY Geneseo Presidential Scholar for 2018-2019. Presidential Scholars at SUNY Geneseo are top-achieving members of the senior class who exemplify Geneseo's institutional values and assist the Provost and President in promoting academic excellence on campus.

Cameron Ziegler (2018) attended the 2018 Joint Mathematics Meetings and won an  Outstanding Poster award.  Cameron's research poster was on Belted Sum Decomposition of Fully Augmented Links and the research was performed at CSU San Bernardino.  Congrats Cameron!

James Canning (2020) attended the 2018 Joint Mathematics Meetings and won an  Outstanding Poster award.   James' research poster was on the Classification and Characterization of Networks and the research was performed at Valparaiso University.  Congrats James!

BethAnna Jones (2019) and Gabby Angeloro (2018) attended the 20th Annual Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics (NCUWM) in January 2018. BethAnna presented her research on eigenvalue bounds of regular graphs and Gabby presented her work on link invariants of generalized fully augmented links. ( more details)

Gabby Angeloro (Math 2018) participated in the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics (BSM) in the 2017 spring semester. Initiated by Paul Erdős, László Lovasz, and Vera T. Sós, the BSM provides a unique opportunity for North American undergraduates to study under the tutelage of eminent Hungarian scholars. ( more details)

Professor Gary Towsley Honored
Among Nation's Best

Gary Towsley, distinguished teaching professor of mathematics, is among the country's top undergraduate professors named in The Princeton Review's new guidebook "The Best 300 Professors." "To be honest, I'm not surprised to hear about Gary's selection as one of the country's best," said Provost Carol Long. "His reputation as a consummate scholar is well-known on our campus, and I frequently hear from students about the impact he has on their learning, both inside and outside of the classroom." In its profile of Towsley, The Princeton Review editors cited his "ability to account for the varying levels of skill and understanding in his classes by trying to challenge those who already understand the material, while simultaneously being patient and supportive with those who feel they are lost."

2021-2022 Presidential Scholars

Congratulations to three of our math majors who have been selected as Presidential Scholars for the 2021-2022 academic year! Riley Grossman, Kaitlin Miron, and Luis Yanez, join 11 other Geneseo students in receiving this prestigious honor. More information can be found on the Presidential Scholar webpage. Congratulations Riley, Kaitlyn, and Luis! 

Riley Grossman is an Applied Mathematics major with minors in Economics and the Edgar Fellows Program. His primary interests are data science and machine learning. This past spring, he did a directed study with Dr. Douglas Baldwin on machine learning and algorithmic bias. He presented his research at GREAT Day. He also received the Geneseo Foundation’s Undergraduate Summer Fellowship so he can research machine learning models and attempt to apply those models to cross country race results. Outside academics, Riley is a member of both the Geneseo cross country and track and field teams. He is a captain of both teams. He has qualified for the NCAA Championships twice and has been a member of six teams that have won SUNYAC Championships. After graduation, Riley plans to attend graduate school to pursue a graduate degree in data science.

Kaitlin Miron is a Mathematics and Adolescence Education: Mathematics major with minors in the Edgar Fellows Honors Program and German. She is a member of Pi Mu Epsilon and Phi Beta Kappa honor societies. On campus, Kaitlin tutors mathematics for the Access Opportunity Programs and is a member of the Committee for AOP Tutoring Support. After spending her sophomore year as a member of the Academic Rights and Advancement Committee of the Undergraduate Student Senate, she took on and developed a new executive board position, the Geneseo Community Representative, where she was tasked with enhancing the relationship between Geneseo Village leadership and the Student Senate. She also spent the spring semester of her junior year as a Resident Assistant in Wayne Hall. Come fall, Kaitlin will student teach, and she could not be more excited to apply the knowledge and skills she has learned in her courses in a real classroom setting.

Luis Yanez is a dual Physics and Mathematics major with a minor is Political Science. He is a McNair scholar and currently serves in various roles, including member of the Mathematical Association of America, the Society of Physics Students, the ΣΠΣ Physics Honors Society, College Senate, and as vice chair of the Student Association Academic Affairs Committee. In the past, Luis has had the opportunity of serving as vice chair of both the Student Association Student Senate and Student Senate Student Rights and Affairs Subcommittee, working with faculty in both the Chancellor’s Excellence Award and Registrar Search committees, and tutoring students in the Physics Learning Center. Luis is very passionate about engaging in the campus community, and aspires to advance the greater world through the leadership skills gained at SUNY Geneseo. Currently, he researches black hole inspirals and the production of gravitational waves with Dr. Thomas Osburn, and plans to pursue a PhD in theoretical astrophysics after graduation.

Associate Professor Aaron Heap received the Dr. Spencer J. Roemer Supported Professorship for 2019-2022. A Geneseo Professorship is bestowed to faculty member who has demonstrated superior teaching, involves students in the learning process, demonstrates superior advisement, both formal and informal, and has a visible and meaningful involvement in campus life, and an active scholarly life.

Natalie Schurman (2020) and Brittany Sullivan (2020) attended the 22nd Annual Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics. A focus of NCUWM is to encourage and mentor undergraduate women to pursue graduate study in mathematics and seek mathematical careers. Natalie made a poster presentation and Brittany gave a talk on their research performed in the 2019 summer on spectral graph theory.

James Canning Receives 2020 Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence! Canning graduated with a BS in Applied Mathematics and a minor in physics and was also enrolled in the Honors Program. Canning worked for a year with a non-government organization in Nicaragua and has volunteered with the Bill Cook Foundation in Asia and South America. Canning has multiple research experiences, including with the Department of Defense, where he will work after graduation while pursuing a doctorate in mathematics.  Congrats James!

Natalie Schurman attended the 22nd Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics and presented her research results on Estimating the Minimum Eigenvalue of a Connected Threshold Graph obtained over the 2019 summer with colleagues Brittany Sullivan, Matt Ficarra and Professor Cesar Aguilar.

Geneseo team: Ian Costley (Math/Physics), George Kuliner (Mathematics/Economics), Tolulope Olatunbosun (Math), Salvador Galarza (Applied Math) and Isaac Burmingham (Physics), take 2nd place in 2019 American Statistical Association DataFest. DataFest is a celebration of data in which undergraduate teams work to find and share meaning in a large, rich, and complex data set during a weekend.

Douglas Knowles (Math 2015) and Professor Aaron Heap published the paper Tile Number and Space-Efficient Knot Mosaics in the Journal of Knot Theory and Its Ramifications.  Douglas is currently pursuing a PhD in Mathematics at Dartmouth College.

Associate Professor of Mathematics Chi-Ming Tang gave a lecture at the Beijing Geological Science University on "Actuarial Science" on July 3, 2018.

Lecturer Lisa Smith was a recipient of a 2018 SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching. The Chancellor's awards are SUNY-level honors conferred to acknowledge and provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and to encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence. Congratulations Professor Smith!

Gena Driscoll Brantley (Math 2019) was selected as a SUNY Geneseo Presidential Scholar for 2018-2019. Presidential Scholars at SUNY Geneseo are top-achieving members of the senior class who exemplify Geneseo's institutional values and assist the Provost and President in promoting academic excellence on campus.

At the 2018 UPSTAT Conference of the American Statistical Association in Statistics and Data Science, six teams of Geneseo Math students presented their capstone projects in Probability, Statistics, Machine Learning, and Stochastic Modeling. Three Geneseo teams won awards (two bronzes and one honorable) on the Computation and Applications category, in which a total of 20 teams from other regional colleges and universities were evaluated and only six teams received awards.

Jenna Zomback (Math 2017) was selected to participate in the the EDGE program for women ( more details).  Jenna was also selected as a SUNY Geneseo Presidential Scholar for the 2016-17 academic year.

Natalie DuBois (Math 2017) was awarded a highly competitive U.S. Fulbright Scholarship for 2017-2018 to participate in the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program. Natalie will serve in Germany. ( more detais)

Jeffrey Doser (Biology/Math 2017) was among the 240 recipients of scholarships that the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation awarded to juniors and sophomores from the United States who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. (more details)

Shayne O'Brien (Applied Math/Spanish 2017) won a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship in the area of Computer/IS/Machine Learning and was accepted into a graduate program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). (more details)

Stephanie Allen (Math 2017) presented at 2017 MathFest supported by Pi Mu Epsilon, and won the MAA Environmental Math Special Interest Group Student Speaker Award. Stephanie also co-authored a paper published in SIAM SIURO and her paper A Two-Stage Vehicle Routing Algorithm Applied to Disaster Relief Logistics after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake was one of the finalists of 2017 INFORMS Undergraduate OR Paper Competition.  Stephanie also won a 2017  Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence  and was selected as a SUNY Geneseo Presidential Scholar for the 2016-17 academic year.

Justen Geddes (Math 2018) was selected as a SUNY Geneseo Presidential Scholar for 2017-2018. Presidential Scholars at SUNY Geneseo are top-achieving members of the senior class who exemplify Geneseo's institutional values and assist the Provost and President in promoting academic excellence on campus.  In 2018, Justen was awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence, the highest honor bestowed upon a student by the SUNY.

In 2017, Professor Emeritus Ed Wallace was inducted into the NYS Math Educators Hall of Fame. Professor Wallace was a past president of the AMTNYS, former AMTNYS Journal Editor, and recipient of the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Congratulations Professor Wallace!