1 true 04/09/2026 Integration Bee showcases MSU students’ calculus skills

The fourth annual Integration Bee, hosted by the Department of Mathematics, concluded recently with four undergraduates competing for a cash prize.

 Paul Thomas Finalists of the 2026 Integration Bee. Pictured from L to R: Gavin O'Malley, Logan Bagdade, Erik Brodsky and Cameron Oberg. 2 Two MSU students awarded prestigious Goldwater Scholarship 03/27/2026 https://studentawards.msu.edu/news/two-msu-students-awarded-goldwater-scholarship/ Awards chemistry,math,pa Goldwater Scholarship winners Lauren Jin and Aswath Karai3 true 03/26/2026 Topology symposium to be held at MSU

The third Michigan Topology Intercity Symposium will be held at Michigan State University, with talks in Wells Hall, Room C304, on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

 Paul Thomas Photo of Wells Hall 4 true 03/05/2026 Distinguished Undergraduate Lecture Series to feature connections between juggling and geometry

Dan Margalit, professor at Vanderbilt University, will present a public talk titled “Juggling Numbers and Geometry" on Wednesday, March 23.

 Paul Thomas Dan Margalit 5 Is picking a good March Madness bracket skill or luck? 03/05/2026 https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2026/03/is-picking-a-march-madness-bracket-skill-or-luck Faculty actuarialscience,math,stt Albert Cohen wears a sports analytics hoody and tosses a basketball in the air6 true 02/26/2026 MSU graduate featured in AMS publication

Leonardo Abbrescia, who graduated with his Ph.D. in mathematics from MSU in 2020, is the co-author of an article featured in the latest edition of Notices of the American Mathematical Society.

 Paul Thomas A fluid sound cone (a null hypersurface emanating from the tip), and the integral curve emanating from the tip 7 New fusion energy research center engages students and DOE 02/11/2026 https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2026/02/new-fusion-energy-research-center-engages-students-and-doe Discovery Science math green color cast on inside of a fusion reactor8 true Discovery Science math 02/06/2026 New insights into repeated quantum measurements

A new study by researchers explores what happens when a quantum system is measured repeatedly — not in the same way, but with small, random changes each time.

 Paul Thomas A graphical image of quantum trajectories9 true 02/05/2026 Math students nominated for Goldwater Scholarship

Two undergraduate students from the Department of Mathematics have been nominated for the nationally competitive Goldwater Scholarship. 

 Paul Thomas Photo of Lauren Jin 10 true 02/04/2026 New math endowments created for undergraduate scholarships

Two new endowments have been created that will benefit undergraduate students studying mathematics at Michigan State University.

 Paul Thomas Graduates celebrate at the Sparty statue on the MSU campus. 11 true 01/20/2026 Conference to honor MSU professor Alexander Volberg

To honor the 70th birthday of Alexander “Sasha” Volberg, a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mathematics, a conference will be held in Slovenia on March 26–28, 2026.

 Paul Thomas Photo of Alexander "Sasha" Volberg 12 true math 12/03/2025 Breakthrough math tool helps forecast failure of quantum connections A new mathematical result by a Michigan State University researcher is shedding light on a tricky problem in quantum physics. Paul Thomas Photo of Owen Ekblad13 true 12/02/2025 Math Department faculty, staff honored at NatSci Awards Ceremony Faculty and staff members were honored at the MSU College of Natural Science Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony. Ekaterina Rapinchuk with Dean Eric Hegg 14 true math 12/01/2025 Mathematics professor named 2026 AMS Fellow Matt Hedden is among 40 mathematical scientists to be recognized as a part of the 2026 Class of American Mathematical Society Fellows. Paul Thomas American Mathematical Society American Mathematical SocietyPhoto of Matt HeddenAmerican Mathematical Society15 true 11/03/2025 Mathematics student nominated for prestigious scholarships Erik Brodsky has been nominated for two scholarships to continue his studies in the United Kingdom.  Photo of Erik Brodsky 16 true Awards,Grant math 10/17/2025 Mathematics professor receives NSF CAREER Award Over the next five years, Waldron will receive $400K to support his work, which includes the creation of a summer math camp. Paul Thomas /_assets/audio/news/2025/2025-10-waldron-career-award.mp3 NSF Early CAREER Award NSF Early CAREER AwardPhoto of Joe WaldronNSF Early CAREER Award17 true 10/15/2025 Mathematicians find surprising order in modular forms

A paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) uncovers a surprising pattern in one of math’s oldest areas: number theory.

 Paul Thomas Photo of Preston Wake 18 true Events math,stt 10/13/2025 Major League Baseball insurer to headline 2025 Simon Lecture

John Scotti will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 Ronald H. and Mary E. Simon Lecture.

 Paul Thomas Actuarial Science Mathematics events statistics and probability Actuarial Science,Mathematics,events,statistics and probabilityPhoto of John ScottiActuarial Science,Mathematics,events,statistics and probability19 true Donors & Alums,Events math 09/18/2025 Fields Medal winner to speak at Phillips Lecture Series

Akshay Venkatesh, an Australian mathematician and Robert & Luisa Fernholz Professor in the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study, will be the featured speaker for the 2025 edition of the Richard E. Phillips Lecture Series.

 Paul Thomas Mathematics events Mathematics,eventsPhoto of Akshay VenkateshMathematics,events20 true Awards math 09/05/2025 Mathematics professor receives Frontiers of Science Award Spartan Matt Stoffregen has been honored with a Frontiers of Science Award from the International Congress for Basic Science. Paul Thomas Awards Mathematics Awards,MathematicsPhoto of Matt StoffregenAwards,Mathematics21 true Awards math 05/30/2025 Mathematics instructor receives postdoc teaching award
Burak Hatinoglu, a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, has been named one of the recipients of the 2025 Postdoctoral Excellence in Teaching and/or Mentoring Award (PETMA).
Paul Thomas Awards Mathematics Postdocs Awards,Mathematics,PostdocsPhoto of Burak HatinogluAwards,Mathematics,Postdocs22 true Awards math,pa 03/28/2025 Students awarded prestigious Goldwater Scholarships Three Michigan State University College of Natural Science  students have earned the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Melanie Brender Goldwater scholarship winners23 Ask the expert: What’s the science of bracketology? The College of Natural Science recently sat down with Albert Cohen to talk about statistics, sports and the science of bracketology. 03/13/2025 https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2025/ask-the-expert-whats-the-science-of-bracketology math,stt Albert Cohen, director of Michigan State University’s graduate certificate in sports analytics24 true Awards,Faculty math 03/03/2025 Two MSU mathematics faculty receive Frontiers of Science awards Two Michigan State University faculty, Alexander Volberg and Konstantin Matetski, were honored with Frontiers of Science Awards from the International Congress for Basic Science (ICBS) for their groundbreaking research in mathematics. Sam Brichta headshots of two men25 true Faculty,Grant,Student Success cmse,math 01/17/2025 The new study buddy: AI is becoming a tutor for some College of Natural Science students From ChatGPT to a pilot AI tutoring program, more students and faculty are embracing what they say is the future of student learning

With the release of ChatGPT, MSU students and faculty alike were handed a new tool that could forever change our classrooms, our study habits and our approach to learning.

 A teacher stands in a classroom by a projector.26 true 11/25/2024 Mark Iwen receives Early Career Research Award Twenty-nine faculty, staff and students received awards from the College of Natural Science Eric Hegg, Dean of College of Natural Science presents at the NatSci Awards Eric Hegg, Dean of College of Natural Science presents at the NatSci Awards 27 Teena Gerhardt becomes American Mathematical Society Fellow Forty-one mathematical scientists from around the world have been named AMS Fellows. 11/01/2024 Teena Gerhardt, Department of Mathematics https://www.ams.org/news?news_id=7389 28 Renowned mathematician exponentially boosts student success Ted Petrie, with his wife Jane, is solving problems for the next generation of Spartans. The couple has generously donated $500,000 toward the first-ever cohort of Petrie Scholars. 09/26/2024 https://honorscollege.msu.edu/news/renowned-mathematician-exponentially-boosts-student-success/. Donors & Alums math four white male college students are gathered around a globe that has chalk marks. This is a black and white photo from 1960.29 Awards,STEM Education math 08/07/2024 Wake receives NSF CAREER Award Preston Wake has won an NSF CAREER Award for "quantifying congruences between modular forms”
  • Preston Wake, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, has received a Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, Award from the National Science Foundation.
  • The award recognizes Wake’s research on algebraic number theory and dedication to math education at Michigan State University.
  • “Many students in my undergraduate classes aren't going to be math professors and have no interest in that. But for all of them, learning how to do computational number theory can teach them valuable transferable skills,” Wake said.
 Lynn Waldsmith Preston Wake draws a graph on a whiteboard.Preston Wake draws a graph on a whiteboard.30 true Health Science and Innovation bmb,math 06/21/2024 Transforming drug discovery with AI New MSU-led research uses technology related to ChatGPT to accelerate advances in medicine
  • Michigan State University researchers have led the development of a new artificial intelligence (AI) program that can help speed up and reduce the cost of drug development. 
  • The program is called TopoFormer and is based on the same technology that underlies ChatGPT. 
  • TopoFormer empowers conventional computer models used in drug discovery to incorporate important information that they previously couldn’t use to offer more robust predictions of how a drug will interact with its biological target.
Jude Coleman A collage shows bright blue, white and green pill capsules on the left with a computer generated image of a brain made of silver nodes and lines. Credit: Wengang Zhai (capsules) and Growtika (brain) via UnsplashA collage shows bright blue, white and green pill capsules on the left with a computer generated image of a brain made of silver nodes and lines. Credit: Wengang Zhai (capsules) and Growtika (brain) via Unsplash31 04/30/2024 University Distinguished Professor Emeritus Bang-Yen Chen A recent issue of the International Electronic Journal of Geometry is dedicated to University Distinguished Professor Emeritus Bang-Yen Chen, in celebration of his 80th anniversary. Professor Chen was on the faculty in the Department of Mathematics from 1970 to 2012. Photo of Bang-Yen Chen 32 08/14/2023 Alexander Volberg to deliver 2024 Bergman Memorial Lecture Alexander Volberg has been invited to deliver the 2024 Bergman Memorial Lecture at Stanford University in January 2024.  The Bergman Memorial Lecture Series was established in 1989 to invite outstanding mathematicians to "deliver a distinguished lecture in honor of the work of Professor Stephan Bergman in pure and applied mathematics."  Prof. Volberg will speak about "Harmonic analysis on boolean cube and beyond and some application to learning." Photo of Alexander Volberg 33 true 04/13/2023 Aaron Levin awarded 2023 Simons Fellowship Aaron Levin received a 2023 Simons Fellowship to support his sabbatical leave during AY23-24. Prof. Levin is an expert in number theory and arithmetic geometry. During his sabbatical he plans to travel to several overseas institutions where he will pursue research on topics in Diophantine approximation and Diophantine geometry. Photo of Aaron Levin 34 true 11/10/2022 François Greer named inaugural Van Haften Endowed Professor in Deductive Literacy Photograph of François Greer 35 true 10/04/2022 MSU Topology Awarded RTG Grant The MSU Topology group received a 5-year, $1.9 million NSF Research Training Groups in the Mathematical Sciences (RTG) grant to support the training of undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates. 36 true 08/10/2022 Guowei Wei Featured on SIAM News Guowei Wei’s applications of topological AI to viral mutation highlighted on SIAM News. 37 true 06/30/2022 Guowei Wei Receives $2.7 Million NIH Grant This project will develop AI tools to predict evolution of viruses, including Covid-19. Photo of Guo Wei AI COVID-19 AI,COVID-1938 true 03/31/2022 Keith Promislow named 2022 SIAM Fellow Professor Keith Promislow was named a 2022 SIAM Fellow for contributions to rigorous asymptotic reductions, development of novel models and their applications, and service to the applied mathematics community. Photograph of Keith Promislow 39 true 02/15/2022 Ilya Kachkovskiy awarded 2022 Sloan Fellowship Ilya Kachkovskiy awarded a 2022 Sloan Fellowship for his research in transport in random media. Photo of Ilya Kachkovskiy