Distinguished Undergraduate Lecture Series

The Department of Mathematics hosts annually a distinguished speaker known for their skillful exposition. The purpose of the Distinguished Undergraduate Lecture Series is to stimulate the interest of undergraduate students by showcasing the successes (and sometimes failures) of mathematics and illuminating the unexpected connections between mathematics and other spheres of the human experience.

Previous talks have covered topics as diverse as the beauty of fractals, solving popular music mysteries using some Fourier transform and statistics, and the quantifying of gerrymandering. Following each Lecture is a reception during which students are encouraged to interact with the speaker.

Upcoming Lecture

Spring 2026 - Speaker to be announced

Past Lectures

2025: Matt Baker

2024: Henry Segerman

2023: Ken Golden

2023: Frank Sottile (postponed from 2020)

2019: Ken Ono

2018: Moon Duchin

2017: Federico Ardila

2017: Olga V. Holtz

2016: Carl Pomerance

2016: David Bressoud

2015: Stephen DeBacker

2014: Jason Brown

2014: Vitaly Bergelson

2013: Jeffrey Lagarias