Mathematics
- Degree Type Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Science
- Department Mathematics
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings Major Minor
Mathematics welcomes students with a wide range of interests. Mathematics pairs well with many other fields, and students experience the subject as a creative endeavor as well as a useful tool in modeling and exploring physical and social processes.
Mathematics
In the Mathematics Department at W&L, dedicated professors help all math students develop the perseverance they need to move beyond numbers and formulas to the underlying ideas they express. Students are taught to identify, describe and understand patterns, and to recognize, admit and correct their mistakes.
During their four years at W&L, mathematics majors and minors gain a mastery of fundamental areas of mathematics including single and multi-variable calculus, linear algebra, abstract algebra and real analysis. In addition, students complete a number of electives.
The Math Center
Math Department faculty want all students to succeed in their mathematics classes. You can always see your professor during office hours. In addition, the Math Center is open five evenings each week; this is a place where students can seek help on material in 100-level courses, with no appointment necessary.
“The Math Center is staffed by some of our best math majors who can really help these students,” said Professor Gregory Dresden. “But they won’t just present the student with the solution to a math problem. They’ll have students work out the problem on their own and guide them toward finding the right answer.”
Opportunities
Collaborative research with faculty: Every year, we have a number of students conducting research with mathematics faculty at W&L during the academic year or during the summer. Students may earn one to three credits for this work, and the Summer Research Scholars program provides funding for summer research. Some research students give talks at regional mathematics conferences or publish articles in mathematics journals. Some mathematics majors extend their research project and write an honors thesis in mathematics.
Study abroad: Mathematics majors have completed some mathematics coursework while studying abroad at the London School of Economics, the University of St. Andrews and Oxford University. In addition, there are study abroad programs in mathematics in Budapest and Moscow.
Outcomes
Here are a few careers that use mathematics: actuarial mathematics, data science, applied mathematics, biomathematics, biostatistics, computer science, financial mathematics, economics law, medicine, music, technical writing, operations research, public heath and epidemiology, public policy research mathematics, statistics and education
In addition to mathematics and related fields, recent mathematics majors at W&L have pursued graduate studies in analytics, operations research, business, economics, computer science, engineering, law and medicine.
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Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Alan McRae
Department Head, Mathematics; Professor of Mathematics
- P: 540-458-8810
- E: mcraea@wlu.edu
McRae teaches mathematics courses on calculus, derivatives and number theory. He also helped found the Math Center, which helps any student in entry-level calculus.
Aaron Abrams
Professor of Mathematics
- P: 540-458-8802
- E: abramsa@wlu.edu
Abrams teaches courses on the dimensions of art and math. His research combines geometry, topology, group theory, combinatorics and probability. His current research pertains to tilting of a square by triangles and rectangles.
Kevin Beanland
Associate Dean of the College for Administration and Professor of Mathematics
Beanland teaches a variety of mathematics courses but specializes in mathematical analysis. His primary research area is Banach space theory, on which he has published several scholarly papers.
James Broda
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Broda’s research interests include modelling of carbon content of ecosystems, population dynamics, catastrophes, stochastic processes and dynamical systems. His most recent scholarship has focused on employing statistical methods to study semi-stochastic processes.
Michael Bush
Associate Professor of Mathematics
- P: 540-458-8801
- E: bushm@wlu.edu
Professor Bush teaches a wide range of mathematics courses. He particularly enjoys teaching courses and mentoring undergraduate research projects in algebra, number theory and discrete mathematics. He also has an interest in recreational and contest mathematics and often helps students prepare for the annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition.
Cory Colbert
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
- P: 540-458-8655
- E: ccolbert@wlu.edu
Colbert teaches courses on calculus, proof-writing, abstract algebra and commutative ring theory. His research focuses on understanding which geometric shapes correspond to certain algebraic structures.
Elizabeth Denne
Associate Professor of Mathematics
- P: 540-458-8064
- E: dennee@wlu.edu
Denne teaches courses on geometry, topology, real analysis, linear algebra and calculus. Her research uses topological knot invariants to answer questions about the geometry of knots.
Gregory Dresden
Professor of Mathematics
- P: 540-458-8806
- E: dresdeng@wlu.edu
Dresden teaches courses in calculus, abstract algebra, number theory, actuarial science and statistics. His research covers number theory and algebra, and he often writes papers with students.
Nathan Feldman
Radford Professor of Mathematics
- P: 540-458-8033
- E: feldmann@wlu.edu
Feldman teaches calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and analysis courses. For research, he uses real analysis and complex analysis techniques to study infinite matrices.
Carrie Finch-Smith
Professor of Mathematics
- P: 540-458-8209
- E: finchc@wlu.edu
Finch-Smith teaches many courses including calculus, the art of mathematics, and algebra. Her research is in number theory, and she often works with students on research projects in a variety of topics.
Chawne Kimber
Dean of the College and Professor of Mathematics
In addition to her duties as Dean of the College at W&L, Kimber is a member of the Mathematics Department faculty. Her research interests include ordered rings and groups.
Sybil Prince Nelson
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Prince Nelson ’01 teaches courses in calculus, probability and statistics. Her research is focused on creating tree-based models for classifying and predicting outcomes from complex data.
Chong Wang
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
- P: 540-458-8099
- E: cwang@wlu.edu
Wang’s research interests include calculus of variations, mathematical modeling, scientific computing, partial differential equations, numerical analysis and high-performance computing.