Department of Mathematics News

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

DECEMBER 2021

Message from the Chair

$Doron Levy$ The end of the semester offers an opportunity for reflection on a very busy, yet very rewarding fall. We returned to in-person instruction, which required significant efforts from our faculty, staff and students—and I want to thank them all. Seeing the happy faces of our students walking into Kirwan Hall and into their classes was worth it all.
We also welcomed many new faculty members, postdocs, staff and students, and I am particularly amazed by the energy they have brought to the department!

This week, we announced the founding of the Brin Mathematics Research Center. The Brin Center is being created with a very generous gift from Professor Emeritus Michael Brin, his wife Eugenia and the Sergey Brin Family Foundation. This is a game-changer for the department, putting us ahead of most of the leading mathematics departments in the world. I would like to thank the Brin family for its transformational gift and invite you to read the story below to learn more.

Next week, we will celebrate Winter Commencement. Congratulations to our graduates and best of luck with your next stages in life! With over 200 graduate students and about 800 undergraduate math majors, our alumni network is growing rapidly, and we are always happy to see alumni back on campus and hear about all the great things they are doing.

I would like to wish our entire Math family Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

~Doron

FEATURE

$Logo of the Brin Mathematics Research Center$

$4.75 Million Gift Establishes Brin Mathematics Research Center at UMD
The center will support visiting scholars, workshops and symposia, and summer programs. Read More »

Faculty & Staff

$Professor Jim Yorke$

Happy Birthday, Coach!
Celebrating 80 years with Distinguished University Professor Emeritus Jim Yorke, the "Father of Chaos." More »

$Professor Joan-Jian Jian Ren$

Professor Joan Jian-Jian Ren Builds Big Data Tools
Ren uses statistics to make sense of a messy world. More »

$Agnieszka Zelerowicz, courtesy of same$

Technique, Hard Work and Fearlessness
Brin Postdoctoral Fellow Agnieszka Zelerowicz took a chance by leaving Poland, and it set her on a challenging new path. More »

$Professor Mark Freidlin$

Distinguished University Professor Mark Freidlin Retires
An internationally renowned mathematician in probability theory, Freidlin was once a Russian "refusenik." More »

Department News

New Faculty and Staff Members Arrive
We welcomed 6 new faculty members and 5 Novikov Postdocs to the math family this fall. More »

$Manjit Bhatia$

Remembering "Everybody's Teacher"
Memorial service honored Manjit Bhatia (1936-2020) and the free tutoring program he launched for math students at UMD. More »

$The Babuskas$

Department Announces New Ivo and Renata Babuška Student Award
Award established thanks to the generous support of Distinguished University Professor Emeritus Ivo Babuška and his late wife Renata. More »

$Honors and Awards$

Faculty Members, Alumni, and Students Receive Awards
Read about the members of our community who have been honored recently for their outstanding contributions to the university and the field of mathematics. More »

Student News

$Marie Brodsky at a chalkboard with figures on it, teaching math.$

Simplifying Problems with Recreational Math
Sophomore math major Marie Brodsky finds a different way to teach children math. More »

$A still from a video of Sheyda Peyman playing an acoustic guitar. Credit: Sheyda Peyman$

Ph.D. Student Appreciates Both the Abstract Beauty and Practical Application of Math
Musician Sheyda Peyman to release her debut album while conducting research for her doctoral dissertation. More »

ALumni News

$Sarah Brown$

Securing Systems and Chasing Bad Guys
Sarah Brown (M.A. '03) connects the dots from mathematics to a global career in cybersecurity. More »

$Lekha Tantry$

Alumna Embraces Student-centered Teaching During the Pandemic
Lekha Tantry (B.S. '20; M.Ed. '21) taught Algebra II virtually while completing the teaching certificate program. More »

Events

Mon.

DEC 20

Campuswide Commencement

The 4 p.m. ceremony will be held in person and be available via livestream. More »

Wed.

DEC 22

CMNS Commencement

The 6 p.m. ceremony will be held in person and be available via livestream. Graduates will walk across the stage at this ceremony. More »

We'd Love to Hear from You!

If you recently received an award or landed a new job, please send a brief description to math-news@umd.edu so that we can share the great things you're doing with our community.

We are grateful to alumni and friends whose generosity supports current and future students. To learn more about how you can make a difference, please visit go.umd.edu/givetomath.

$Logo$

The Department of Mathematics
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland
William E. Kirwan Hall / 4176 Campus Drive / College Park, MD 20742
301.405.5047 / math.umd.edu