Overview

Why study mathematics at a liberal arts college like The College of Wooster?

Mathematics is critical part of a well-rounded education because quantitative skills are needed in almost every field. A liberal arts education gives math majors the chance to build strong foundational skills in mathematics, statistics, and computer science, while also allowing the space to explore other subjects. At Wooster, math majors find they can double major in nearly any other subject because of the interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum. Wooster’s small classes are taught by full-time faculty members dedicated to undergraduate teaching. Students have lots of experiential learning opportunities during the academic year through programs such as Senior Independent Study, Sophomore Research, DataFest, and an international mathematical modeling competition, along with summer opportunities such as AMRE and internships.

Mathematics at The College of Wooster

Small classes taught by full-time faculty dedicated to undergraduates are just one reason math majors thrive at Wooster. Experiential learning has had a prominent place in our department for nearly three decades. In 1994, the department created the summer Applied Methods and Research Experience program (AMRE), in which students get paid while gaining consulting experience. Teams of students with faculty advisors work on applications  with business, industry, or agency clients, or do academic research in a specialized area within the mathematical and computational sciences.  Routine AMRE clients include Fortune 500 corporations Goodyear and Progressive Insurance.  All students at Wooster complete independent study projects under the guidance of a faculty mentor, culminating in a thesis delivered in the spring of the student’s senior year.  Many go on to earn advanced degrees in a wide range of STEM fields or in economics/finance.

Learn about Wooster’s STEM community through the STEM Success Initiative

Faculty & Staff

Jennifer Bowen

Jennifer Bowen

Dean for Curriculum and Academic Engagement, Professor of Mathematics; Department Chair of Theatre and Dance

jbowen@wooster.edu

Head shot of Michael Bush

Michael Bush

Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computational Sciences

mbush@wooster.edu

Craig First

Administrative Coordinator, Physics and Mathematical & Computational Sciences

cfirst@wooster.edu

James Hartman

Adjunct Professor of Mathematics

hartman@wooster.edu

Qimin Huang

Assistant Professor, Statistical & Data Sciences and Mathematics

qhuang@wooster.edu

Robert Kelvey

Robert Kelvey

Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics

rkelvey@wooster.edu

Ronda Kirsch

Ronda Kirsch

Instructor of Mathematics and Math Center Coordinator

rkirsch@wooster.edu

Cynthia Lester

Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics

clester@wooster.edu

Colby Long

Colby Long

Assistant Professor of Mathematics

clong@wooster.edu

R Drew Pasteur

R. Drew Pasteur

Professor of Mathematics (On leave for Spring 2024)

rpasteur@wooster.edu

Pamela B. Pierce

Pamela Pierce

Professor and Department Chair of Mathematics

ppierce@wooster.edu


Latest Mathematics News

Sanjana Kumbhani '17

Business economics and mathematics alumna uses liberal arts education to tackle critical financial problems

For Sanjana Kumbhani ’17, challenging questions are a part of everyday life. As a business economics and mathematics major at The College of Wooster, […]

AMRE Team | College of Wooster Student Affairs

Adelle Hasford, Ashesi University Josh Pearson ’24, Mathematics Kiran Ravichandran ’25, Statistical and Data Sciences Advisors: Colby Long, Michael Bush The team contacted the […]

Qimin Huang receives early-career NSF grant to research data-driven mathematical tools that address antibacterial resistance

Qimin Huang, assistant professor of mathematics who also teaches in statistical and data sciences at The College of Wooster, received a National Science Foundation’s Launching […]

Students Emmanuel Aboagye-Wiafe ’24, Sam Adjei-Sah ’24, and Endrias Tesfaye ’24 presented their research on childcare services to Community Action of Wayne and Medina Counties.

Wooster’s AMRE program celebrates 30 years of meeting client goals through student-led initiatives

Providing solution plans to nationally recognized companies like Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, supporting the growth and development of community organizations, and connecting with […]

More Mathematics Articles

Major

Students must complete 13 courses to meet the requirements for a major, with five courses of those 13 coming from a list of upper-level math electives. Mathematics majors also complete two semesters of independent study in their senior year and complete a thesis under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

View the requirements for mathematics majors and minors View Courses

Minor

Six credits from a list of mathematics courses ranging from 100 level courses to three full-credit courses above 211 are needed to meet the requirements for a minor.

View the requirements for mathematics majors and minors View Courses

Independent Study

All students at Wooster complete an Independent Study (I.S.) during their senior year, and the I.S. is of central importance in our department. I.S. is an opportunity to expand the student’s understanding of the discipline and to do significant work in an area of personal interest. The ability to engage in independent learning is one of the primary goals of the department and of the College at large, and the successful completion of the I.S. thesis represents the culmination of the student’s academic program.

Over two semesters, each student designs a plan of study, completes the I.S. thesis, and gives an oral presentation and defense of the project. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, the student is free to pursue virtually any area of interest within the discipline.

 

 

Search the I.S. Database

Student Year I.S. Title Major 1 Major 2 Advisor
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Interrogation of a conserved overlap between cofactor and substrate binding domains to facilitate crosstalk-induced conformational changes in Class A Flavin Monooxygenases: A case study of 6-Hydroxynicotinate-3-Monooxygenase

Name: Sam L. Belsky Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minors: Mathematics, Spanish Advisors: Mark Snider, Annastassia Gallo; Sara Martin (second reader) Stereo- and regioselective […]

Lucy Wickham

Tile Invariants and an Exploration of Tilings with Ribbon Pentominoes and L-Pentominoes

Name: Lucy Wickham Major: Mathematics Advisors: Subhadip Chowdhury, Pamela Pierce In this Independent Study, we survey the mathematics of tiling 2-dimensional regions with polyomino […]

Yeeun Koh

A Drunken Carnival of Hate: The Impact of a Minority Group’s Growth on Intergroup Conflict

Name: Yeeun Koh Majors: Economics, Mathematics Advisors: Edward Teather-Posadas, Robert Kelvey Conflict is, by nature, cost inefficient and has naturally attracted economists’ devoted attentions. […]

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Object Detection and Application in Autonomous Vehicle

Name: Minh Duc Dao Major: Mathematics, Computer Science Advisors: Rob Kelvey, Max Taylor Video instance segmentation is a type of deep learning algorithm that enables […]

Alumni

Many of our alumni go on to earn advanced degrees in fields ranging from the natural and mathematical sciences to law, education, engineering, medicine, and business. Recent students have gone directly to MIT, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, and Cornell, among other graduate schools.

The problem­ solving techniques learned in our department carry over to problem solving in all areas of life. Majors from Wooster pursue diverse careers such as analytical consulting, data analysis, secondary school teaching, government agency work, and cartography.


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Sanjana Kumbhani '17

Business economics and mathematics alumna uses liberal arts education to tackle critical financial problems

For Sanjana Kumbhani ’17, challenging questions are a part of everyday life. As a business economics and mathematics major at The College of Wooster, […]

Sarah Haile '03

Medical issues from a mathematical angle: Sarah Haile ’03 uses biostatistics while researching diseases from cancer to COVID-19

This story originally appeared in the Spring 2023 edition of Wooster Magazine.  As a student at The College of Wooster, Sarah Haile ’03 (pronounced […]

Mary Sefcik '14

Mathematics alumna uses liberal arts education to help Cleveland Clinic improve patient care

Mary Sefcik ’14 chose to attend The College of Wooster because of its small size, close-knit community, and opportunities to perform research as an […]

Itai David Njanji ’11

Reflections from Wooster alumnus earn best-seller spot on Amazon

College of Wooster alumnus Itai David Njanji ’11 recently published a book of poetry that’s topping Amazon’s best-selling new releases in poetry about places. […]

Unique Opportunities

Applied Methods and Research Experience (AMRE)

The Applied Methods and Research Experience (AMRE) gives College of Wooster students the opportunity to apply classroom learning in the role of business and organizational consultants.
For eight weeks of the summer, student teams and faculty advisors are paired with a (usually local) business, industry, or agency (client). Student participants are exposed to practical applications of their liberal arts education in a “real world” setting. This experience aids students in determining professional interests and developing professional skills. The faculty advisors have the opportunity to be involved with a very select group of students in a summer activity, while potentially contributing to research in applied fields. Clients have the opportunity to tangibly support education and, at a low cost, obtain solutions to problems that would most likely not be addressed internally.

Program Structure

The structure of the program is based upon several research teams which work independently on separate projects, but also come together for discussion of progress. These teams are comprised of students (usually three) and a faculty advisor. The faculty advisor involvement is heavy initially as the student team becomes familiar with the project definition. After approximately two weeks, involvement becomes primarily advisory as the students work directly with client representatives and others. Student teams give weekly progress reports in the form of oral presentations, in addition to periodic presentations to their respective clients. Each team also gives a final oral presentation and written report to the client upon completion of the project.

Program Lectures

In addition to work done on the project, a number of lectures are presented by the faculty advisors as a part of the AMRE program. These lectures are intended to teach the students skills or tools necessary to complete their assigned projects. Colloquia are also given on a variety of topics including group dynamics and oral presentation. These colloquia are given by individuals from academia, local corporations and professional consultants.

Services and Expertise

  • Management Solutions: production scheduling, inventory management, forecasting, lot sizing analysis, job scheduling, network and work flow analysis
  • Data Analysis: statistical analysis, abc analysis, regression modeling, simulation, probability modeling, artificial neural networks, data mining, genetic algorithm
  • Computer and Information Systems: software development, system design, artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, data mining, database development, web/database solutions, simulation, 3D graphical modeling
  • Engineering and Design: mathematical modeling, numerical analysis, systems analysis, process optimization, control theory, dynamical systems, Monte Carlo simulation
  • Assessment and Evaluation
  • Computational Science

Learn more about AMRE

Faculty Emeriti

John Ramsay

John Ramsay

Professor Emeritus, Mathematics

jramsay@wooster.edu