News
John Jumper B.S. Math ’07 wins Nobel Prize
October 9, 2024 – John Jumper, who received a BS degree in Mathematics and Physics from Vanderbilt in 2007, has won a share of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Jumper works as American Director at Google DeepMind Technologies. His team created the AI model AlphaFold, which predicts protein structures from their amino acid sequence. About his work Jumper...
Math Department Spurs Nashville SC to Victory
September 20, 2024 – On September 18, eighteen members of the Department of Mathematics got the royal treatment as special guests at the Chancellor’s Suite in Geodis Park. Home club Nashville SC defeated visiting Chicago Fire in a 1 to nil thriller. Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge scored on a header, which came off a long-distance cross from NSC...
Math Department Sponsors Yoga Event
September 20, 2024 – The Department of Mathematics hosted a free yoga class for the campus community on Friday, September 20. A baker’s dozen yogis were led by Highland Yoga instructor Kelly Swanton in an invigorating session of vinyasa-style yoga. Free yoga mats were distributed to all undergraduates who needed one. Department Chair Dan Margalit participated. In his words,...
Tea + Cookies brings Faculty and Students Together
September 14, 2024 – On Friday, September 13, 2024, the Department of Mathematics held a Tea + Cookies event, open to the Vanderbilt community. While we did not count attendees, we can confidently announce that over 400 Crumbl (and Christie’s) cookie units were consumed (1 large Crumbl cookie = 4 cookie units). Aside from the cookies, tea, and a...
Prof. Webb named Centennial Professor
September 10, 2024 – Prof. Glenn Webb has recently been named Centennial Chair of Mathematics by Vanderbilt. Prof. Webb has been a dedicated member of the Department for 56 years, beginning in 1968. Prof. Webb received his Bachelor’s degree in 1965 at Georgia Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. from Emory University in 1968. Centennial Professorships were created during...
Ryan Matzke is co-recipient of 2024 Alexanderson Award
August 12, 2024 – Dr. Ryan Matzke, a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mathematics, has recently been announced as a co-recipient of the 2024 Alexanderson Award. This award is presented by the American Institute of Mathematics, an NSF-sponsored mathematics institute in Pasadena, California. Gerald Alexanderson was Professor of Mathematics at Santa Clara University and founding...
Prof. Bohmann hosts Collaborative Research Workshop on K-theory and Scissors Congruence
July 26, 2024 – Vanderbilt University’s Math Department is hosting the Collaborative Research Workshop on K-theory and Scissors Congruence during the week of July 29 to August 2, 2024. The theory of scissor congruence starts with the classical fact that if we have two polygons of the same area, we can cut the first one into pieces and reassemble...
Prof. Rolen Teaches Summer Course on Number Theory for Talented Youth
July 25, 2024 – As part of the VSA summer program offered by Vanderbilt’s Program for Talented Youth, Larry Rolen taught a 2 week course called “Exploring Number Theory: Unveiling the Queen of Mathematics.” This was an intensive introduction to number theory for 12 gifted high schoolers from across the country and the world. Students met from 8:45-3:45 every...
Anna Marie Bohmann named Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow
June 12, 2024 – We are delighted to share the news that Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Anna Marie Bohmann, was named as a 2024 Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow. This is a highly prestigious award that comes with a $40K research fund. This year only 13 faculty were chosen from across the university. You can read the official...
Shuxian Song Wins First Departmental Ping Pong Tournament
April 28, 2024 – The first annual departmental ping pong tournament, which took place over nine grueling months of pinging, ponging, and heroic scheduling achievements, came to a thrilling close on April 25, in front of a packed common room, as Shuxian Song, first-year graduate student, was awarded the championship belt by PP Commish Nate Tenpas, with a 3...