Mathematics is the universal language of the sciences and is essential to the technological evolution of our society.

At Rensselaer, you will have an opportunity to see numerous applications involving contemporary and innovative approaches to mathematics.

Our aim is to train individuals in mathematics, both as a subject in itself and as a discipline to aid in the development of other social and scientific fields.

In particular, Rensselaer’s department of Mathematical Sciences is one of the few in the country with a strong faculty orientation toward applications of mathematics. This emphasis is reflected in the many courses dealing with areas of mathematical applications, and in the applied flavor with which department faculty typically teach undergraduate courses.

The Department

The Mathematical Sciences Department includes 30 faculty members, approximately 60 graduate students, and about 130 undergraduates majoring in mathematics.

The distinguished faculty members have received numerous awards. We have received Guggenheim, Sloan, and Fulbright fellowships; four of our younger faculty members have received Young Investigator Awards; two have received the Rensselaer Trustee’s Outstanding Teacher Award; and several have received Rensselaer awards for their contributions to student life at the university.

The graduate students who help in teaching have also been recognized for their efforts. In particular, over the last few years the annual award for the best Teaching Assistants (TAs) in the School of Science has gone to TAs in Mathematical Sciences.

The department has an international reputation for excellence in teaching as well as in research.

In particular, we have earned widespread international recognition as a leader in undergraduate education by emphasizing computing-enriched, student-center interactive learning.

The department has been honored by the American Council on Education and TIAA through the 1995 Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Faculty Development. The citation for the award states that we are being recognized for our exceptional faculty development program in undergraduate teaching and our new interactive learning environment.

Chair of the Department
Prof. Donald A. Drew
drewd@rpi.edu
(518) 276-6903