News and Events
- NEWS
Greg Fredricks – Meritorious Service Award
Emeriti Faculty- Inducted into the LC Athletics Hall of Fame this summer.
From Lab to Launch
Lewis & Clark’s John S. Rogers Science Research Program gave these young alumni scientists the skills—and the confidence—to soar into graduate programs nationwide.
Nicholas Dill Wins College’s Highest Honor
Nicholas Dill BA ’25, who double majored in mathematics and computer science, received the 2025 Rena J. Ratte Award, the undergraduate college’s highest honor. Named for an esteemed professor, the award recognizes a senior whose abilities and commitment have combined to produce work of the highest distinction.
2025 Project Descriptions for the Rogers Program
Summer science research opportunities
Roger Nelsen Awarded the 2024 Beckenbach Book Prize
Roger Nelsen, professor emeritus of mathematics, has been awarded the 2024 Beckenbach Book Prize by the Mathematical Association of America for his latest book titled Nuggets of Number Theory: A Visual Approach.
Q&A with Andy Fry, Assistant Professor of Mathematical Science
Assistant Professor of Mathematical Science Andy Fry’s studies combine aspects of algebraic geometry, moduli spaces, matroid theory, and general combinatorics.
Mathematical Sciences Hike 2022
This fall, students and professors in the Mathematical Sciences department took a hike through our very own Tryon Creek Park trails down to Marshall Park. The weather was amazing as they concluded the hike with lunch and cupcakes. It was a great time for students to bond and connect with the professors in the department.
Liz LeJeune BA ’22 Receives AAUW Senior Woman Recognition Award
Liz LeJeune BA ’22 is this year’s recipient of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Senior Woman Recognition Award, which honors outstanding scholarship as well as significant contributions to campus and community life.
Scholar, Dancer Prepares for Yale Law After Winning College’s Highest Honor
Paige Underwood BA ’22, a political science and mathematics double major, received this spring’s Rena J. Ratte Award, the undergraduate college’s highest honor. Named for an esteemed professor, the award recognizes a senior whose abilities and commitment have combined to produce work of the highest distinction.
Drew Blauth BA ’23 Wins Goldwater Scholarship
Blauth is one of 417 students selected from a pool of more than 5,000 nationwide for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, the preeminent award for undergraduates in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.
Festival of Scholars and Artists Celebrates Student Achievement
Lewis & Clark’s full-day celebration of student scholarship and creativity returned to its in-person format on April 8.
Krussel Retires After 34 Years
Associate Dean of Student Academic Affairs and Professor of Mathematics John Krussel has retired after 34 years at Lewis & Clark. - EVENTS
Past Events
Mathematical Sciences Colloquium
Marissa Masden
University of Puget Sound
“Neural Networks, Hyperplane Arrangements, and Topology”
Modern machine learning makes frequent use of a type of function called a ReLU Neural Network. These are simple to describe with a list of matrices and vectors. We discuss how each matrix-vector combination gives us a structure known as a hyperplane arrangement, a collection of (n-1)-dimensional planes in ℝn. Combining the matrices and vectors of a ReLU neural network yields a cell-like structure called a polyhedral complex. I will share how hyperplane arrangements and polyhedral complexes come from ReLU neural networks, how mathematicians study these objects (including a peek into the mathematics of topology, which studies the connectivity of objects), and finally a few experiments that show how we can use these tools to understand what a neural network has learned!
Mathematical Sciences Colloquium
“X-rays and Hyperbolic Geometry”
Sean Richardson
University of Washington
If you take an X-ray image of an object from every angle, can you reconstruct a 3D model of that object? We will investigate the theory and history of this question before moving to an active area of research: an analogous X-ray transform in curved space, which is closely linked to the chaotic dynamics of the geodesics. I will finish by presenting a new partial inversion formula for the case of hyperbolic closed surfaces.
Celebrating Roger Nelsen & Claudi Alsina, Beckenbach Book Prize winners!
In A Panoply of Polygons, Claudi and Roger present an inventive and accessible exploration of geometric ideas. Their book invites readers into the fascinating world of polygons, blending abstract mathematics with real-world applications. The Beckenbach Book Prize recognizes authors of distinguished, innovative books published by the Mathematical Association of America.
