Department of Mathematics

Welcome!  The Department of Mathematics, located in Everett Tower, is one of the largest and oldest academic departments at Western, being among 12 departments listed in the University's first bulletin, published in 1904. We offer major programs in mathematics, applied mathematics, and secondary mathematics education at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels, in addition to numerous minors and general education courses. The Mathematics Faculty is dedicated to excellence in teaching, and maintains its strong reputation for scholarship through an impressive level of research and grant activity. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
Gene Freudenburg, Department Chair

WMU BIOMATH Seminar Series: Click here for details about the November 19 talk.

Mathematics Center Provides Equipment and Training for Teachers in Rural Districts: On Saturday, October 10, the WMU-based Michigan Mathematics Rural Initiative (MMRI) launched an ambitious new project aimed at improving the content knowledge of math teachers at 33 rural Michigan schools in 20 districts.
In the day long workshop, project staff met in Gaylord, Michigan, with 14 Teacher-Leaders to train them in the use of equipment and software being distributed to participating schools. The event was described by one participant as "Christmas in October".
The equipment given to each school includes a Dell laptop computer loaded with Office software, a digital projector, and speakers. This equipment will facilitate use of computer-based learning modules developed by faculty in the WMU Department of Mathematics, in addition to internet-based instructional tools. Overall, the project will provide 21 hours of professional development for each of the more than 100 participating teachers in grades 6-12. The total value of the equipment, modules, and training being supplied to districts by this project is about $205,000, or $6,200 per participating school.
MMRI is jointly funded by the Michigan Department of Education and the Dow Foundation, and is administered by the WMU Department of Mathematics. Speaking of the weekend's events, MMRI Director Dr. Ruth Ann Meyer said, "You just can't capture in pictures how excited the participating teachers were."
Topics covered by the modules at the high school level include complex numbers, graph theory, mathematical modeling, and systems of equations; middle school topics are decimals, proportional reasoning, real numbers, and diversity.

News, Announcements, and Events. Go to the Department Updates page to read about the following items

• Garman named 2009 distinguished alumnus
• Zinchenko joins faculty
• Kline awarded promotion
• Doorlag joins department staff
• Three external grants awarded
• CPMP receives national recognition
• Dutta receives dissertation fellowship
• Ervin China awarded AGEP fellowship for mathematics
• Math student commons upgrades