Letter from Mathematics Department Head, Tom Bohman

The Department of Mathematical Sciences pursues a strategy of developing and maintaining research groups in vibrant areas of mathematics that are enriched by natural connections with other research domains within mathematics and beyond. Our department has a tradition of being outward looking.  We have research groups in applied analysis, combinatorics, logic and mathematical finance and probability, with a particular interest in research that has connections with other areas of strength at Carnegie Mellon. All of these research groups have been quite successful in recent years and the stories in this newsletter are reflections of that success.

The quality of our groups was affirmed by the 2018 U.S. News & World Report ranking of graduate programs in mathematics. Carnegie Mellon placed 16th in applied mathematics, 7th in discrete mathematics and combinatorics and 6th in logic, all improvements from the previous edition of these rankings. While rankings of academic programs have their flaws, I feel that these results reflect genuine improvements in the quality of the research the department has produced over the last few years. Our rise in the rankings also means that our peers are taking notice; the survey results are based only on input from mathematics departments that grant Ph.D.s in the area in question.

In this issue of the newsletter, we will introduce you to three tenure-track faculty members who joined the department in 2018. These new faculty represent our continued investment in research.

The cover image for this newsletter was produced by the cellular automata known as the Greenberg-Hastings model. Jim Greenberg, who introduced this model in joint work with Stuart Hastings, passed away earlier this year. Greenberg was head of the Mathematical Sciences Department from 1995 to 2002. For more on Greenberg.

The department’s outward-looking research orientation also has benefited our students. We have constructed a curriculum that gives excellent support to educational activities across the university while preparing mathematics majors for success in a wide range of careers both in academia and beyond. You can read about the success of our students in the stories on pages 22-31 of this newsletter to learn more about our current and recent students.