Department of Mathematics

“The instruction of children should aim gradually to combine knowing and doing. Among all sciences, mathematics seems to be the only one of a kind to satisfy this aim most completely.”
-- Immanuel Kant, German philosopher

We believe in both knowing and doing. In your math classes, you will perform experiments, collect data and discover patterns. You will work with other students on group projects. Together with a lab partner, you will explore mathematics on the computer. You will read and write about mathematics. Classes are small, and students and faculty work closely together.

Mission

The Department of Mathematics provides a supportive environment in which all students learn to appreciate the beauty and power of mathematics. Students in our classes reason mathematically, think critically, and solve problems in theoretical and applied settings. We prepare students majoring in mathematics for a wide range of quantitative careers and graduate degrees by helping them to master computational techniques, to construct mathematical arguments, to solve problems using technology, and to communicate mathematics effectively both to those within and outside the discipline.

Vision

The Department of Mathematics will produce graduates with robust skills in mathematical and statistical reasoning, computation, the use of technology, the construction of mathematical arguments, and communication, who are competitive candidates for a wide variety of quantitative careers and graduate degrees. Mathematics faculty members will be experts in mathematical and statistical pedagogy, adept at fostering student success with high expectations for all. We aspire to be a department of choice for Hood students and their advisors who will view our programs as a natural complement to many other majors on campus.

Our Facilities

We designed Hood’s Hodson Science and Technology Center with our teaching methods in mind. Classrooms are designed to support group work as well as more traditional lectures.

In our dedicated computer labs there is plenty of room for students to work together, and we have the latest mathematics and graphics software installed. There are seminar rooms, where we hold classes like our student-run senior seminar in the history of mathematics. And there are comfortable spaces for students to study, talk, relax or do homework.

We share this space with the computer science, biology, chemistry and physics departments, so students and faculty can collaborate on interdisciplinary projects. Students can also participate in our Summer Research Institute, working closely with faculty on individual research projects.