Chair’s Message
Author: vsiefken
Dear Alumni and Friends,
The Department of Mathematics is excited to bring you this issue of Math Matters! As usual, we have much to share regarding developments in the department, success stories of our students and alumni, and excellence among our faculty.
Student Success Initiatives
Our department continues to innovate in support of student success. We have a strong tradition of supporting undergraduate education through CEUME—the Coalition (formerly Center) for Excellence in Undergraduate Mathematics Education. This fall semester, CEUME actively engages our faculty and teaching assistants with activities to develop and document effective teaching practices. Meet Dr. Kirin Martin! In this issue of Math Matters, you can read about and hear from Dr. Martin, who is inaugurating a new role in the department—Mathematics Students Support Coordinator. Dr. Martin is pioneering the use of a student advising and support management platform called Navigate as well as predictive models to proactively support students in our courses that may be experiencing barriers to their success.
New Credentials through Partnerships
The department will prioritize growth of our undergraduate mathematics program through the recruitment of new majors over the next several years. In support of those recruitment efforts, we are partnering with programs across campus that create new credentials for our students. These credentials provide students with professional development opportunities, including career options that are often overlooked by students pursuing or considering mathematics. Our partner programs align with recent workforce development data coming from the Iowa Board of Regents. We’ll share more as programs are approved; in the meantime, we welcome suggestions from our alumni and friends on how to better serve the professional development of our students!
Supporting the Department
Thank you for your support of the department—our students and faculty benefit from your partnership! Consider a gift to our Mathematics Fund for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (which funds our teaching development activities), our Mathematics Lecture Series (for bringing high profile speakers to Iowa State), or the Mathematics Development Fund (which supports all our faculty and students in research, teaching, and outreach).
Please visit https://www.foundation.iastate.edu/math.