Math and Computer Science Archives - ��ý��Ƶ

West Campus opens as interdisciplinary hub for creative learning, collaboration, and community engagement

Communications — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 17:25:26 +0000

��ý��Ƶ today marked the opening of its new West Campus building at a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating its new interdisciplinary hub. The building is designed to foster interdisciplinary creative learning, collaboration, and community engagement.

��ý��Ƶ President Laurie A. Carter

A Bold New Chapter

The $38 million development, located at the corner of East College Avenue and South Drew Street, features more than 100,000 square feet of academic and public space. The building features the Trout Museum of Art on the first floor, state-of-the-art academic spaces on the second floor, and beautiful one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments on the third and fourth floors that are available to the general public.

The project is a response to a growing need for new and innovative ways of preparing students for the changing world and the evolving careers ahead of them as they move into the workplace after graduation.

The interdisciplinary hub encompasses the Humanities, Math, Statistics, Computer Science, and the Conservatory of Music to cultivate cross-disciplinary collaboration and spark innovation.

The project was made possible through partnerships with the Trout Museum of Art, community leaders, and ��ý��Ƶ alumni. Fredrick Fisher and Partners of Los Angeles led the architectural design. Locally owned Boldt Construction served as the general contractor for the project, and the 40 upper-level, LUX apartments are now managed by NAI Pfefferle, a commercial real estate firm headquartered in Appleton.

Susan Hall, a 1976 ��ý��Ƶ alumna and current member of the ��ý��Ƶ Board of Trustees, said ��ý��Ƶ held a special place in her heart because it was where she learned to think deeply, listen generously, and believe in the power of community.

“When I first heard the vision for West Campus, I was struck by its boldness, A space that brings together the humanities, mathematics, computer science, and the conservatory. That’s not just interdisciplinary—it’s transformational.”

Hall and other key supporters included local business leader John Bergstrom, Curt Detjen, President and CEO of the Community Foundation, and the Van Asten family.

Van Asten Family Overlook

“Partnerships like this ensure that our students’ education is not confined to classrooms but is enriched by direct engagement with the cultural fabric of our region,” President Carter said. “We are building bridges between theory and practice, past and future, campus and community.”

��ý��Ƶ Provost and Dean of the Faculty, Professor of History Peter Blitstein

A Creative and Collaborative Environment

The West Campus academic spaces include:

Eight state-of-the-art classrooms
Digital Humanities laboratory
Music production studio
Mathematics Commons for collaboration and study
30+ offices, including soundproof offices for Conservatory faculty for private music instruction with students.

Brooklyn Schara, ��ý��Ƶ’s Community Council President, said West Campus represented a promise of transformative learning opportunities.

“Here, students are able to collaborate and innovate, not just with one another but also with our incredible faculty and staff and our community partners who share our passion for discovery, creativity, and lifelong learning,” said Schara, a junior from North Freedom, WI, and a double major in international relations and Spanish.

Learn more about ��ý��Ƶ.

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Ann Ellsworth, Julie Rana, Andrew Sage earn 2024 tenure appointments at ��ý��Ƶ

Communications — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 19:24:08 +0000

Three members of the ��ý��Ƶ faculty have been granted 2024 tenure appointments.

President Laurie Carter and the college’s Board of Trustees, based on recommendations by the faculty Committee on Tenure, Promotion, Reappointment, and Equal Employment Opportunity, approved the granting of tenure to Ann Ellsworth (music), Julie Rana (mathematics), and Andrew Sage (statistics). All three will be promoted to associate professor at the start of the 2024-25 academic year.

“I am very happy indeed that these three colleagues have been awarded tenure,” said Peter Blitstein, provost and dean of faculty. “These distinguished faculty members together represent the kind of teacher-scholars who make ��ý��Ƶ a leading national liberal arts college and conservatory.”

Ann Ellsworth

A horns professor in the Conservatory of Music since 2018, Ellsworth delivers excellence as a teacher, soloist, recording artist, and chamber musician. She attended the Eastman and Juilliard schools, with further study in Oslo and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Her versatile recordings have included solo projects—EUPHORIA,��Rain Coming,��Late Night Thoughts, and Leningrad—and ensemble work such as 2022’s music project with the ��ý��Ƶ Graduate Bayreuth Tuben Quintet.

Ellsworth has toured internationally as a member of Kristjan Jarve’s Absolute Ensemble, the Manhattan Brass, the Danish Esbjerg Ensemble, and numerous other musical and artistic configurations. An advocate of new music, she was a founding member of the New Music and Culture Symposium.

Ellsworth pushes musical boundaries and brings that same curiosity and excitement to her teaching.

Julie Rana

A member of the mathematics faculty since 2017, Rana has excelled in classroom teaching and research. Much of her scholarly focus has been in algebraic geometry, especially moduli spaces, singular algebraic surfaces, deformation theory, and computational methods.

In 2021, Rana was awarded a two-year grant of $192,905 through the National Science Foundation’s Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) program. The first-time grant was awarded to only 21 pre-tenure faculty across the country. A portion of the grant allowed Rana to work on research in algebraic geometry related to moduli spaces, collaborating with math scholars in Europe, Chile, and elsewhere in the United States. It also allowed her to hire multiple students for summer research work in an area of math known as graph theory.

Rana has played lead roles in developing math curriculum and support mechanisms aimed at making ��ý��Ƶ’s mathematics, computer science, and data science programs more inclusive and accessible.

She earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Marlboro College.

Andrew Sage

Sage joined the ��ý��Ƶ faculty in 2018. , he has brought innovative teaching and research to the Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Department.

Sage has been a key part of that department’s growth, including the 2020 launch of a data science minor.

He has worked with colleagues to develop new courses in rapidly advancing areas such as data science, machine learning, and Bayesian statistics. He also has worked across disciplines to bolster data-driven courses and research in other departments.

Sage has a bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster, master’s degrees from Iowa State and Miami University, and a Ph.D. from Iowa State.

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On Main Hall Green With … Acacia Ackles: Drawn to puzzles, problem-solving, computer science

Communications — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 14:34:16 +0000

��ý��Ƶ the series: On Main Hall Green With … is an opportunity to connect with faculty on things in and out of the classroom. We’re featuring a different ��ý��Ƶ faculty member each time — same questions, different answers.

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Acacia Ackles came to ��ý��Ƶ in 2022 as a visiting professor in computer science. She quickly made her mark in the growing Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Department, and in fall 2023 was hired as an assistant professor of computer science.

Ackles said a love of puzzles and problem-solving led her to computer science. And within that rapidly evolving field, she finds particular joy in the connections that link various academic disciplines. Since arriving at ��ý��Ƶ, she has designed an introductory programming course for non-majors where students build games in Python, and she’s been collaborating with members of the biology faculty and their students on research.

Computer science at ��ý��Ƶ

Blending disciplines of statistics, data science, mathematics, and beyond, the expansive world of computer science comes to life through hands-on, innovative problem-solving.

That work ties into her academic interests. Ackles received a dual Ph.D. in integrative biology and ecology, evolutionary biology, and behavior at Michigan State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science in biology and applied mathematics at The George Washington University.

We caught up with Ackles to talk about interests in and out of the classroom.

In the classroom

Inside info: What’s one thing you want every student coming into your classes to know about you?

I want students to know that while I’m employed by ��ý��Ƶ, my responsibility is to you, the students. Academic institutions are wonderful centers of knowledge and discovery, but that knowledge and discovery is generated by the people who work and learn there, not the structures they work and learn in. I want students to know that I am here for them, because if I ask them to show up for me in my classroom, I want them to know I’ll show up for them in theirs.

Getting energized: What work have you done or will you be doing at ��ý��Ƶ that gets you the most excited?

The most energizing work I’ve done so far is building new courses according to student interest. I love seeing where the flow of academic inspiration is and following it with passionate students. I’m always searching for new ideas for courses that students have been missing, and that I wish I had as a student.

Going places: Is there an example of somewhere your career has taken you (either a physical space or something more intellectual, emotional, or spiritual) that took you by surprise?

Honestly, I’m surprised to be here in Appleton, Wisconsin. I never expected to end up putting down permanent roots in the Midwest but am happy to have found this place and the students and community we have here at ��ý��Ƶ. I’m not sure I’ll ever really warm up to the winters, but the Great Lakes world has really captivated me.

Out of the classroom

This or that: If you weren’t teaching for a living, what would you be doing?

I think I’d be a midwife or doula; I have a great passion and respect for fields surrounding maternity and community support around birth and family.

Right at home: Whether for work, relaxation or reflection, what’s your favorite spot on campus?

I’ll cheat a bit and say Björklunden is my favorite place “on campus.” Every time I’ve been there, it feels peaceful, relaxing, and yet deeply imbued with scholarship and inspiration.

One book, one recording, one film: Name one of each that speaks to your soul? Or you would recommend to a friend? Or both?

Book: The Black Cathedral, by Marcial Gala. Plays fast and loose with what it means to be a novel while hitting emotional notes with clarion accuracy.

Recording: Pedestrian Verse, by Frightened Rabbit. For when you love someone and all their flaws.

Film: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012). Never before or since has a movie so thoroughly delivered on its premise. That sure is Abraham Lincoln, and he sure is a vampire hunter.

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��ý��Ƶ faculty guide academic planning in two transformational building projects

Communications — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 20:19:59 +0000

Constance Kassor can’t help but smile as she talks about the state-of-the-art academic spaces being planned for the new building that’s about to rise in the 300 block of E. College Avenue.

The ��ý��Ƶ associate professor of religious studies points to the Humanities Center that will be part of the building’s 30,000-square-foot second floor as an opportunity to bring additional vigor to the humanities at ��ý��Ƶ—more collaboration, more innovative teaching tools, and more opportunities to partner with outside scholars.

“We do things in different ways, we do things more collaboratively, we do things digitally,” Kassor said. “We do a lot more than read books and write papers. This is really highlighting and supporting ways that the humanities are changing and growing and innovating.”

Kassor is among the ��ý��Ƶ faculty providing leadership as academic spaces are mapped out for the coming 315 E. College Avenue building and the nearby Fox Commons development, two transformational capital projects that will add layers to the student experience, bring new pathways to career discernment, and build long-sustaining partnerships within the Fox Cities community.

Scott Corry: “We can design the classrooms to foster active learning and create the type of rich learning environments that we want on campus.” (Photo by Danny Damiani)

Scott Corry, the Patricia Hamar Boldt Professor of Liberal Studies and professor of mathematics, is at the table for planning spaces in the 315 building for the growing Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Department; Beth De Stasio, the Raymond H. Herzog Professor of Science and professor of biology, is working to develop collaborative spaces for pre-health students on the third floor of Fox Commons; and Adam Galambos, the Dwight and Marjorie Peterson Professor of Innovation and associate professor of economics, is leading a group of faculty members who are helping to design a Business and Entrepreneurship Center and Finance Lab on the second floor of Fox Commons to foster student-community collaborations. Brian Pertl, dean of the Conservatory, is leading design plans in the 315 building to enhance Conservatory offerings.

View full issues of ��ý��Ƶ magazine

This story originally appeared in ��ý��Ƶ magazine.

“We can design the classrooms to foster active learning and create the type of rich learning environments that we want on campus,” said Corry, whose department of 10 faculty members will be moving their offices and classrooms onto the second floor of the 315 building. “Another exciting thing is creating the common space to build community among math-stats-computer science students, and really all the students who take those classes. I’m excited that we’re building that in at the outset as part of the design.”

Two major developments build momentum

Fox Commons and the 315 building, both announced in summer 2023, will strengthen academic programs while enhancing career discernment for students across campus. In addition, they provide avenues for ��ý��Ƶ to grow its enrollment in coming years, a key piece of the college’s strategic planning.

The Fox Commons development, to house nearly 180 ��ý��Ƶ students in modern living-learning communities in the heart of downtown Appleton, is expected to open in two phases—the second floor by fall of 2024 and the third floor a year later. And the new four-story mixed-use building at 315 E. College Avenue, in partnership with Trout Museum of Art, is expected to open in fall of 2025, transforming the west edge of campus. Both capital projects will bring career-focused collaborations woven through multiple disciplines.

“These projects speak to the future.”
– President Laurie A. Carter

Excitement for what this will bring to ��ý��Ƶ students—in conjunction with other strategic investments—is building on and off campus.

“The student experience includes what happens inside the classroom as well as outside the classroom,” President Laurie A. Carter said. “These projects speak to the future. Our faculty and students will have state-of-the-art teaching and learning spaces, our students will have modern living environments, they’ll have partners who can connect them with careers. And all of this will be done within the context of a deepening relationship with the community.”

The mix of built-in learning, collaborating, and mentoring spaces and new housing options is a powerful combination that adds important layers to the student experience as ��ý��Ƶ strengthens its draw in an increasingly competitive higher education environment. As the enrollment cliff arrives—a reference to the dramatic drop in the number of high school graduates nationwide set to peak between 2025 and 2029—it is paramount that ��ý��Ƶ positions itself to attract the best and brightest students while continuing to lean into the lifelong benefits of a liberal arts education, Carter said. That means embracing the university’s 177-year history and its commitment to the liberal arts while evolving the student experience to meet the needs of today’s students—needs that are different than those of past generations.

The draw of these projects comes not in the buildings themselves but in what those new spaces bring to ��ý��Ƶ’s students and faculty—stronger academic programming in areas ranging from the arts and humanities to pre-health and business and entrepreneurship, modern teaching tools, and built-in mentorship opportunities aimed at building life-after-��ý��Ƶ career paths.

The 315 partnership

The building at 315 E. College Avenue is projected to open by fall of 2025. (Design by Frederick Fisher and Partners, in partnership with Boldt)

The new building at 315 E. College Ave., at the southwest corner of College Avenue and Drew Street (adjacent to Brokaw Hall), will be ��ý��Ƶ’s first new major building project since construction of Warch Campus Center in 2009. It will feature more than 100,000 square feet across four floors.

The nonprofit art museum will be on the first floor, with state-of-the-art academic spaces for ��ý��Ƶ on the second floor. The upper floors will feature market-rate apartments, space that could one day be converted to student housing to meet future needs. It will be built by Boldt and jointly owned by ��ý��Ƶ and the Trout Museum of Art, with ��ý��Ƶ controlling the upper three floors and the art museum the ground floor.

A recently announced $10 million gift from an alum and spouse is a huge initial step.

��ý��Ƶ’s academic space on the second floor will include soundproof offices for Conservatory faculty and offices for the Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Department. It will include an innovative teaching and co-curricular commons, where students will engage in both formal and experiential learning in varying disciplines. And it will be home to the Humanities Center, an intellectual collaborative for faculty, students, and scholars-in-residence.

The mathematics, statistics, and computer science faculty have outgrown their space in Briggs Hall as the department has expanded to accommodate growing student interest, including in the statistics and data science minor that was introduced in 2020. The opportunity for the department’s faculty to have offices together and share innovative teaching spaces is a game-changer, Corry said. A bonus is the alignment with the Conservatory.

“There has always been a lot of overlap between mathematics and computer science students and students interested in music,” Corry said. “That happens here in general at ��ý��Ƶ, but in this case it’s a really good kind of synergy for us.”

“This is where we’re going to lean into creating internship opportunities and set up community partnerships.”
– Constance Kassor

Kassor, meanwhile, said humanities faculty will have new opportunities to innovate. Humanities faculty have outgrown Main Hall, many with offices located in other buildings across campus.

While the humanities faculty offices will remain where they are—including in Main Hall—the new space in the 315 building will allow faculty to work more in unison. That will include digital projects—podcasting, video editing, virtual reality, and more—and collaborations across disciplines in deeper ways than is now available.

“The idea is it will allow for more interdisciplinary work between faculty, between departments, and between faculty and students,” Kassor said.

There also will be several designated offices for visiting scholars, providing new opportunities to bring scholars-in-residence into the curriculum, add new punch to traditional programs such as the Main Hall Forum, and facilitate connections to the community so humanities faculty and students can spotlight the work they’re doing.

“Because this space on the corner of College and Drew is going to be so accessible and right there downtown, it will be a place we can invite community members to,” Kassor said. “We can really work to highlight the real-world skills our students gain in humanities classes. And this is where we’re going to lean into creating internship opportunities and set up community partnerships.”

Meanwhile, in the halls of the Conservatory, there is growing excitement over the possibilities that will come with the new space—a huge upgrade from office and studio space formerly housed in the Con West building.

“This will be an enormous addition to our commitment to giving our students the tools they need for a successful musical life in the rapidly changing world of today, tomorrow, and far into the future,” Pertl said.

Expanding campus with Fox Commons

The Business and Entrepreneurship Center in Fox Commons will feature meeting spaces and a stage for pitch contests, speakers, and other activities.

Fox Commons, located three blocks to the west, will give ��ý��Ƶ new academic and student life avenues as a living-learning community that blends apartment-style student housing with built-in mentoring partnerships.

The renovation of City Center Plaza into Fox Commons began in the summer of 2023. Located at 10 E. College Avenue, Fox Commons will be a 180,000-square-foot health care, housing, retail, and mixed-use community hub. It’s a project of Dark Horse Development and Boldt. Besides ��ý��Ƶ, other prominent tenants include Mosaic Family Health, Prevea Health, and gener8tor, a business incubator focused on sustainability.

Built-in academic and collaboration spaces include a Business and Entrepreneurship Center, a Finance Lab equipped with specialized financial industry software, a pre-health commons, a community kitchen, and lecture and meeting rooms. The living-learning spaces will allow for ��ý��Ƶ students interested in business and entrepreneurship and pre-health careers to collaborate regularly with professionals from Mosaic, Prevea, gener8tor, and other nearby finance and business entities.

The business and entrepreneurship piece will come first, with those spaces and the second-floor apartments opening in time for the start of the 2024-25 academic year. The pre-health spaces and third-floor apartments will open the following year.

The Pre-Health Commons in Fox Commons will feature a built-in kitchen amid the teaching spaces.

De Stasio has been working with designers to incorporate collaborative spaces into the third floor that will facilitate partnerships with the health-focused tenants. She envisions at least two speaker series tied to “The Future of Medicine” and to career pathways within the broader field of health care as well as more casual mingling of students and health care professionals. There will be a lending library for health-related materials, and there will be robust mentorship activities ranging from internships and shadowing experiences to mock interviews.

“In addition, the inclusion of a demonstration kitchen will allow us to provide chef-led demonstrations of healthy cooking for these students living with full kitchens in their apartments for the first time, as well as for other students on campus,” De Stasio said.

There also will be room to invite alumni who are Fox Valley-based health care practitioners to come in for catered meals with ��ý��Ƶ students.

“We want to provide space for those interactions with health professionals,” De Stasio said.

On the floor below will be spaces catering to business and entrepreneurship; spaces that Galambos sees as a momentum-builder following this year’s launch of the business and entrepreneurship major and the recent growth of the innovation and entrepreneurship program.

“We will work together with gener8tor, another key tenant in the Fox Commons development, to cultivate and enhance the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Fox Cities,” Galambos said. “��ý��Ƶ’s innovation and entrepreneurship program has engaged with the business and entrepreneurship community for a number of years, but our new business and entrepreneurship major and the new center in Fox Commons will open the door to a lot more opportunities, and we are excited to build those new collaborations.”

The Business and Entrepreneurship Center will become a hub for everything from workshops and guest speakers to community events and pitch contests. And the Finance Lab will bring experiential learning opportunities for students interested in business.

“All students will have access to the programming,” Galambos said, “but those who will live at Fox Commons will benefit from being part of a residential community organized around their academic and career interests.”

New housing options

While the focus in the Fox Commons development has been mostly on business and entrepreneurship, pre-health, and related disciplines, the apartments will also be a draw for a wide range of upper-year students. ��ý��Ƶ juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to live in two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments on the second and third floors. A lottery system is being developed for students wanting to live in Fox Commons.

��ý��Ƶ senior Anders Hanhan, an environmental studies and government double major from St. Paul, Minnesota, who serves as president of the ��ý��Ƶ Community Council (LUCC), said the apartment-style living option is something students have been asking for.

“One thousand percent,” he said of students wanting that option in their junior and senior years. “There are a lot of students who are seeking more independence, and this absolutely does that in a way that ��ý��Ƶ hasn’t done before.”

Addison Littlefield, a senior from Sidney, Maine, called the Fox Commons option a huge win because it gives upper-year students who want to explore life outside of residence halls an opportunity to do so while remaining closely connected with campus.

“We always hear about the ��ý��Ƶ bubble,” she said. “This is not exactly popping the bubble but rather expanding it.”

The design of Fox Commons is intentional in that students will still be part of the campus environment while also having the opportunity to explore what life after ��ý��Ƶ might look like—personally and professionally.

“We’re not really viewing this as off-campus housing but rather an extension of our campus in a way that allows students to develop those transitional skills while still being very connected to the campus community,” Carter said.

Bolstering the student experience

��ý��Ƶ leadership has been actively building on the student experience. That includes new and enhanced academic programs, a stronger and more engaged Career Center, additional support staff in Student Life, new investments in athletics—nearly a quarter of ��ý��Ƶ’s students are student-athletes—and now new opportunities in academics, residential life, and community partnerships.

In addition to the partnerships with Trout Museum of Art and Fox Commons, the university has in the past year:

Strengthened the first-year experience, beginning with a reimagined Welcome Week and the hiring of a first-year dean.
Introduced a new business and entrepreneurship major, built through the lens of the liberal arts.
Introduced the ��ý��Ƶ Advantage to improve accessibility to a ��ý��Ƶ education for all academically qualified students from Wisconsin and Illinois.
Introduced a new dance minor.
Upgraded facilities with more than 50 separate projects, many focused on residence halls.
Began a new facilities master planning process to assess facilities across campus.
Built a new outdoor track and field complex at Whiting Field and a new locker room facility at Banta Bowl.
Announced plans to fund-raise for the building of a new recreation center. The recreation center, open to all students, would include fitness spaces and indoor competition and/or training facilities for track, baseball, softball, tennis, and more. More details are expected to be released soon.

The strategic initiatives, supported by the Board of Trustees, puts a focus on enhancing the student experience in academics, student life, and career exploration. And they position ��ý��Ƶ to be able to transition, when the time is right, from an enrollment of about 1,500 to something closer to 1,900 while remaining a residential liberal arts campus.

Growing a stronger community

The enthusiasm surrounding these investments is palpable, in part because of the prospect of building a tighter, more connected community in downtown Appleton. That’s not lost on students.

“It helps open up ��ý��Ƶ to the Appleton community,” Littlefield, a music performance major, said of both the Fox Commons and 315 E. College developments. “I think the living-learning communities provide a great chance for students to interact with businesses downtown, kind of further fostering the ��ý��Ƶ connections to Appleton.”

Those growing interactions speak to what Appleton has to offer in terms of culture, education, and career opportunities.

“For our students, it’s additional chances to get involved, to find their passion, find opportunities, get ready for life after ��ý��Ƶ,” said Chris Clarke, vice president for Student Life. “I think Appleton will benefit from us being more in the community, and I think our students will benefit from these opportunities with our partners.”

Carter calls it an important next step in the campus-community relationship, one that dates to the founding of ��ý��Ƶ in 1847 and the development of Appleton as a municipality in the years to follow.

“This is an opportunity to deepen that relationship in a very meaningful way,” she said. “It’s about having our students be part of the community in a way that allows them to understand what it means to be good neighbors, to really interact with the College Avenue population a little more deeply, particularly as the downtown becomes more residential. We’re preparing them for life after ��ý��Ƶ while still providing them with that piece of the ��ý��Ƶ bubble they’re looking for.”

At a glance: Fox Commons

Where: The mixed-use rebuild of City Center Plaza by Dark Horse Development is at 10 E. College Avenue in the heart of downtown Appleton, three blocks west of the ��ý��Ƶ campus.

Academic spaces: There will be learning and teaching spaces focused on business and entrepreneurship (second floor) and pre-health (third floor) careers—a Business and Entrepreneurship Center, a Finance Lab, a Pre-Health Commons, and lecture and meeting rooms.

Housing: ��ý��Ƶ will be a tenant in the building, with housing available for about 180 students in two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments on the second and third floors.

Collaborations: The space is designed to allow mentorship and collaboration with other tenants, including Mosaic Family Health, Prevea Health, and gener8tor, all geared toward career discernment and preparation.

Timeline: The second-floor apartments and learning spaces are expected to open in fall of 2024. The third floor would open in fall of 2025.

At a glance: 315 E. College Avenue

Where: The new building will go up at the southwest corner of College Avenue and Drew Street. Boldt is the builder.

Scope: It will feature more than 100,000 square feet over four floors. The first floor will house the nonprofit Trout Museum of Art. The second floor will house state-of-the-art academic spaces for the humanities, the Conservatory, and mathematics, computer science, and statistics/data science, including a Humanities Center and experiential learning spaces. The upper two floors will feature market-rate apartments, with the option of converting some of that space to student housing in the future.

Ownership: The first floor will be owned by Trout Museum of Art. The upper three floors will be owned and controlled by ��ý��Ƶ.

Timeline: Construction will begin in early 2024. The building is expected to open by fall of 2025.

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��ý��Ƶ’s Hilt, Pickett, Sattler honored for their excellence in the classroom

Communications — Sun, 11 Jun 2023 19:07:38 +0000

Three ��ý��Ƶ faculty members—Lori Hilt ’97, Megan Pickett, and Elizabeth Sattler—were honored during the June 11 Commencement ceremony with annual faculty awards, among the highest honors given at ��ý��Ƶ.

See coverage of Commencement 2023

The faculty awards were presented as part of Commencement, with each of the three faculty members called to the stage.

Lori Hilt ’97

Hilt, professor of psychology, received the Excellence in Scholarship & Creative Activity Award.

She returned to her alma mater in 2011 and has done impressive scholarly work in the field of psychology. A licensed clinical psychologist, much of Hilt’s research has focused on adolescent depression, rumination, and self-injury. She has been lauded in scholarly and popular media for research that combines the insights of clinical psychology and neuroscience. It is research that her colleagues have called “life-changing, indeed, potentially life-saving,” said Peter Blitstein, provost and dean of faculty.

“The influence of your research, well-funded by the National Institutes of Health among other sources, is more than matched by its significance,” Blitstein said in a citation presented to Hilt.

Megan Pickett

Pickett, associate professor of physics, received the Excellence in Teaching Award.

She joined the ��ý��Ƶ faculty in 2006 and has been a passionate and accomplished teacher of astrophysics. She has contributed to the redesign of the introductory physics curriculum, has led First-Year Studies, and has been innovative in celebrating the joys of science. Colleagues and students have spoken of Pickett’s “infectious” wonderment of science.

“Many of us have met you on days when you appear before your class in costume portraying unrecognized scientists of the past,” Blitstein said in a citation presented to Pickett. “And you have introduced the Science of Superheroes to the ��ý��Ƶ curriculum.”

Elizabeth Sattler

Sattler, assistant professor of mathematics, received the Early Career Teaching Award.

She has been a member ��ý��Ƶ’s mathematics faculty since 2018. She has collaborated with colleagues to revise the calculus sequence and develop a course in discrete mathematics. Sattler also is co-developing a course for the Summer Institute, Starting STEM-Savvy, demonstrating a commitment to developing students’ quantitative skills at all levels.

“Your colleagues recognize your dedication and excellence as a teacher, describing you as a ‘superb’ instructor with ‘fantastic’ pedagogical instincts,” Blitstein said in presenting Sattler her citation.

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Lighting the Way With … Kir-Sey Fam: Into the tech fray with Disney+

Communications — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:06:21 +0000

��ý��Ƶ this series: Lighting the Way With … is a periodic series in which we shine a light on ��ý��Ƶ alumni. Today we catch up with Kir-Sey Fam ’19, a software engineer with Disney+.

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Kir-Sey Fam ’19 has been a ��ý��Ƶ alumnus for all of eight months. But he already has stories to tell.

It’s not often that you step from the stage at Commencement and immediately land in the midst of one of the most talked about media developments in the world.

Welcome to Fam’s life since graduating in June — a bachelor of arts degree with majors in mathematics, computer science, and Russian studies. Before leaving ��ý��Ƶ, he was hired as a software engineer with Disney+ in New York, meaning he was jumping into the fire as Disney prepared to roll out its much-anticipated streaming service on Nov. 12.

It reportedly had 10 million sign-ups the first day, a number that has grown to nearly 29 million in the three months since. Along the way, it’s introduced the world to Baby Yoda, put the Marvel,��Star Wars, and Pixar libraries at subscribers’ fingertips, and reshaped the high-stakes battleground for streaming services in ways we haven’t yet wrapped our eyes around.

As a kicker, a Disney+ original show is in the works that will be set in, yes, Appleton, Wisconsin. Kristin Chenoweth will take the lead in “The Biggest Star in Appleton,” playing a mom and waitress who gets her kicks as the star of local community theater.

Fam took some time to share what life has been like in the midst of all that wonderful chaos.

On his role at Disney+:

I’m currently working as a software engineer on the Growth Engineering team. What that means on a high level is that we examine each stage of the user experience, from when someone first lands on the Disney+ page, through to when they’re watching a show or interacting with other parts of Disney+. We then work to figure out what points of friction the user faces and experiment with changes to improve the user experience and increase retention.

The methods for accomplishing these goals are varied; the project I’m working on now involves using machine learning to improve how we handle billing for each user. Going in, I didn’t really know what to expect as I hadn’t done any prior internships in larger companies before working at Disney. I would say that though they’re put together differently, taking classes at ��ý��Ƶ engaged me with a lot of the elements that I now use in my work.

On being part of the Disney+ launch:

As you may know, we experienced some launch-day issues related in part to the huge demand for Disney+. So, there was a bit of firefighting going on in different areas during launch. Thankfully, the services my team developed didn’t face any issues despite the huge throughput. That was a bit of a relief since my team had been on a tight deadline leading up to the launch for developing a service integral to the super bundle combining Disney+, ESPN+, and HULU subscriptions, which saw a lot of usage. Following the launch, you could hear people talking about Disney+ on the subway, waiting in line at stores, just everywhere. And that really gave me a sense of accomplishment and excitement to hear so many people feeling enthusiastic about something that I had worked on.

On seeing a Disney+ show being developed that’s based in Appleton (no, he’s not a consultant … yet):

Yes, I’m excited to see what they do with the show. Unfortunately, as I’m on the engineering side of things, I don’t have much to do with direct content creation.

On how his ��ý��Ƶ experience, including the growth in computer science and data science during his time here, prepared him for the Disney+ job:

I would say that the classes I found most helpful were the algorithms courses I took with Professor (Joseph) Gregg, and particularly relevant now in my current project, the machine learning courses I took with Professor (Andrew) Sage.

Technology changes rapidly, and I think that the fundamentals I learned in the math/computer science department have helped ensure that I can quickly pick up any languages and frameworks that I need to use in projects. Aside from that, although music and Russian literature are seemingly disparate subjects from computer science, I see a deep interconnectedness in my experience and knowledge from these fields that helps bring fresh perspectives to whatever I’m working on.

More alumni: Check out these recent alumni profiles in our Lighting the Way With … series: ’10,�� ’10,�� ’12, and Terry Moran��’82.

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��ý��Ƶ’s Dillon earns prestigious Morgan Prize for undergrad math research

Communications — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 22:21:03 +0000

Travis Dillon ’21

Travis Dillon ’21 is the recipient of one of the nation’s most esteemed awards for undergraduate students doing mathematics research.

Dillon, who majored in mathematics while diving deep into a wide range of research before graduating from ��ý��Ƶ in June, will receive the 2022 AMS-MAA-SIAM Frank and Brennie Morgan Prize for Outstanding Research in Mathematics by an Undergraduate Student.

The Morgan Prize, presented jointly by the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), will be awarded January 5 in Seattle.

Now a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Dillon called the “incredible honor” a testament to the great mentors he had as an undergrad, including ��ý��Ƶ math professor Elizabeth Sattler, with whom he collaborated frequently over the past four years.

“Liz Sattler has been, in more ways than I can count, an extraordinary mentor, advisor, and collaborator,” he said.

In making its announcement of the award, the AMS said Dillon earned the Morgan Prize for his “significant work in number theory, combinatorics, discrete geometry, and symbolic dynamics.”

“When I was told that I won, I was stunned,” Dillon said. “Every winner in the last 15 years had attended high-profile universities—either Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford or Yale.”

Sattler said she first recognized Dillon’s vast potential as a math student when he dove into an independent research project with her as a sophomore.

“I was shocked at his ability to solve challenging, high-level problems in such a short amount of time,” she said. “I had anticipated this project would last an entire summer for a full-time student, but Travis solved that problem and pushed it further in just 10 weeks while still taking classes in Spring Term. Every time I threw something new at him or pointed him in a different direction, he ran away with it. It was just amazing.”

For his Senior Experience project last year, Dillon wrote a book, Graphs, Groups, Infinity: Three stories in mathematics, that looked to explain math concepts in a way that people with minimal math experience could understand and appreciate. He did it, Sattler said, with a mix of authority, expertise, and humor.

“He finished with over 200 pages of creative and imaginative text complete with pictures, stories, and exercises,” she said. “It’s more fun than your standard textbook with things like Travis Dillon’s Rule of the Infinite—‘If you think it’s true, it probably isn’t’—and abstract multiplication tables filled in with rubber ducks with hats or scarves. This was a great way for him to finish his time here at ��ý��Ƶ and allowed him to put all those wonderful quirks of a liberal arts student into a document that will be around for a long time.”

The book currently lives in a digital format, with a few printed copies at ��ý��Ƶ courtesy of a print-on-demand service. Now Dillon is exploring options on how “to best get it out into the world.”

The book project, he said, was a great opportunity to meld his love of math with a growing interest in writing.

“There’s a certain Zen to selecting and arranging words that communicate an idea exactly; to crafting sentences, paragraphs, sections, and chapters in my own particular style; to being sly, quirky, serious, profound, and irreverent precisely as I choose,” he said. “It’s frustrating, too, at times, but so is math. To a certain extent, difficulty is part of the appeal.”

While at ��ý��Ƶ, Dillon completed seven papers, six of them published or accepted, four single-authored. In addition to independent studies with ��ý��Ƶ faculty, he attended summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) at Texas A&M University and Baruch College, and he spent a year in the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program.

Scott Corry, professor of mathematics and chair of the Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Department, called the Morgan Prize “a stunning and well-deserved achievement” for Dillon.

“Our goal at ��ý��Ƶ is to help every student reach their full potential, and Travis’ potential is off the charts,” Corry said. “We are proud to have supported his development, through courses, mentoring, and research at LU as well as in off-campus programs, and we are eager to see his future contributions to mathematics and the broader world.”

This isn’t the first time Dillon has been honored for his math research while at ��ý��Ƶ. Earlier this year, he received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) award that will assist his work at MIT. A year prior, he was named a Goldwater Scholar, also a highly competitive honor.

Besides Sattler, Dillon said he’s had incredible mentors every step of the way. He was first inspired to pursue math while growing up near Newport, Washington. Two summers spent at a Canada/USA Mathcamp set him on his way.

This fall, Dillon began his graduate work at MIT as an MIT Presidential Fellow. Since 1999, MIT has used its Presidential Fellowships to “recruit the most outstanding students worldwide to pursue graduate studies at the Institute.” It currently supports 110 to 125 new graduate students as Presidential Fellows each year.

The Morgan Prize, awarded annually to an undergraduate student for outstanding research in mathematics, was established in 1995 and is entirely endowed by a gift from Mrs. Frank (Brennie) Morgan. .

The award is one more step on the journey, Dillon said. Whether it’s more research or elevating the writing he started with his book project, the possibilities going forward are plentiful.

“I really enjoy working on research, but explaining and getting people fired up about math, leading them to their own aha! moments—that’s a different kind of joy,” he said. “Fortunately, these things often go hand in hand, and I’m looking forward to a long career in both.”

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Student Snapshot: Mix of STEM, music programs appeal to computer science major

Communications — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 13:55:21 +0000

Aparna Gajulapalli, a computer science major from Palo Alto, California, knew she wanted to attend a small school with a nourishing environment. When she learned about ��ý��Ƶ through a book called Colleges That Change Lives, she decided to come to campus for a visit. She was immediately drawn in by the strong STEM programs and the diversity in music classes offered at ��ý��Ƶ.

Aparna Gajulapalli

“I have been learning Carnatic music — a form of Indian classical music — since age 7,” said Gajulapalli. “It’s not a very common form of music in the U.S., but having someone like Professor Sonja Downing know this art form made me feel at home.”

Since high school, Gajulapalli has enjoyed computer science, and she plans to continue pursuing her interests. It is a versatile area of study that can be applied to many different subjects, she said. She enjoys how her classes make her think and solve problems in creative ways and she feels challenged and inspired by the material and her professors.

“The professors here encourage students to go to office hours for anything, even to talk about material that may not be related to the class,” Gajulapalli said.

Gajulapalli intends to go to graduate school to enter a program that focuses on research.

QUICK FACTS

Name: Aparna Gajulapalli Graduating class: 2024 Area of Study: Computer Science Hometown: Palo Alto, California

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