Stony Brook Mathematics Department and Institute for Mathematical Sciences

The Mathematics Department, housed within Stony Brook's College of Arts and Sciences, was founded in 1958 and in recent years has been consistently ranked among the top twenty-five departments in the country. Particular strengths include differential and symplectic geometry, algebraic geometry, algebraic topology, dynamics, complex analysis, and their applications to mathematical physics.

The Institute for Mathematical Sciences, founded in 1989, is closely allied to the department. The Institute's co-directors are John Milnor and Mikhail Lyubich. Its current primary research focus is on dynamical systems with an emphasis on the low-dimensional real and complex cases. The Institute is partially supported by the Simons Math-Physics Endowment.

The Institute and the Department have close ties to the neighboring Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, which focuses on the interface between mathematics and physics. SCGP permanent members Sir Simon Donaldson, Kenji Fukaya and John Morgan are members of the mathematics department faculty; there are many collaborative efforts, including seminars, colloquia, and afternoon tea.

The department offers a full range of undergraduate courses, with programs concentrating on pure mathematics or leading to preliminary certification to teach secondary school mathematics. On the graduate level there are Master's-level programs both for in-service and pre-service teachers and in pure mathematics. We have an active, high-caliber Ph.D. program in Mathematics, with over 66 students currently enrolled.

AMS Feature Column:Crochet Topology by Moira Chas

Stony Brook University News

SBU Celebrates its Largest, Most Diverse Graduating Class at 58th Commencement

Friday, May 18, 2018 - 16:58

Stony Brook University honored the largest graduating class in its history, granting degrees to 7,350 of the world's brightest minds today at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. The Class of 2018 joins the ranks of more than 170,000 Seawolves worldwide, united by a vision of a bold new future. "The data shows that employers and graduate schools recognize the value of your degree, and that helps explain why 92 percent of you will be employed or in graduate school six months from now," said Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. President Stanley affirmed his confidence in the graduates and the value of their education in his address to the Class of 2018.

Fuel Cells and Internal Combustion - a New Approach for Hybrid Engines

Thursday, May 10, 2018 - 09:38

A team of researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) are developing hybrid engines unlike others used in industry today. Supported by a new two-year $2.3 million award from the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the research involves developing and testing engines powered by internal combustion, such as gasoline or natural gas, and fuel cells.

Underrepresented High School Students on a Path with "HOPE"

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 - 14:07

Thirteen high school students from underrepresented school districts graduated from the HOPE (Health Occupations Partnership for Excellence) Program on May 8. HOPE is a successful 2-year academic program that preps high school students from underrepresented school districts and economically challenged backgrounds for the SATs and gives them exposure and experience in healthcare and related fields.

DOE Supports PhD Student's Research on an Elementary Particle

Monday, May 7, 2018 - 13:34

Samuel Homiller, a PhD student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts & Sciences at Stony Brook University is among a group of students selected nationally as a recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program award. The award supports the research of graduate students in STEM fields with a $3,000 per month stipend and an opportunity to conduct part of their thesis-related research at DOE laboratories. Homiller's award runs the duration of the 2018-19 academic year.

Breathing Lunar Dust Could Pose Health Risk to Future Astronauts

Friday, May 4, 2018 - 15:32

Future astronauts spending long periods of time on the Moon could suffer bronchitis and other health problems by inhaling tiny particles of dust from its surface, according to new research. A new study from researchers at Stony Brook University finds simulated lunar soil is toxic to human lung and mouse brain cells. Up to 90 percent of human lung cells and mouse neurons died when exposed to dust particles that mimic soils found on the Moon's surface.

Stony Brook Named Among Best In Country to Work for by Forbes

Friday, May 4, 2018 - 09:59

Stony Brook University has been identified by Forbes as one of the top large companies at which to be an employee in America. Stony Brook is one of only 25 educational organizations to make the list and was #16 of all colleges and universities. It was the only Long Island university or college named and one of two Long Island companies selected.

Stony Brook Professor Named European Inventor Award Finalist

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 - 13:52

Esther Sans Takeuchi, PhD, a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences and in Materials Science and Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University, Chief Scientist of the Energy Sciences Directorate at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the holder of more than 150 patents has been named a finalist for the European Inventor Award. The European Patent Office (EPO) selected Professor Takeuchi as a finalist in the category of "Non-EPO countries." The winners of the EPO's 2018 innovation prize will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on June 7.

Time for Skin Cancer Screening

Monday, April 23, 2018 - 15:46

Did you know skin cancer is one of the more preventable types of cancer with more than 90 percent caused by excessive exposure to the sun? The combined number of skin cancer and melanoma cases account for about 50 percent of all types of cancer. This is why skin cancer screening is important for all adults. In support of National Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month in May, Stony Brook Medicine's Department of Dermatology will host free skin cancer screenings on Saturday, May 5, from 8 AM to 11:30 AM, at Stony Brook Medicine Advanced Specialty Care, 500 Commack Road, Commack, NY 11725. Individuals 18 or older who haven't received a screening within the last year are encouraged to make an appointment.

New Imaging Method Identifies How Normal and Cancer Cells Move and Adapt

Thursday, April 19, 2018 - 14:01

An international team of scientists including David Q. Matus, PhD, and Benjamin L. Martin, PhD, in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Stony Brook University Cancer Center researchers, have developed a new cell imaging technology combining lattice light sheet microscopy (LLSM) and adaptive optics (AO) to create high-resolution "movies" of cells in their 3D environment that also captures subcellular processes. Published in Science, the research reveals a technology that shows the phenotypic diversity within cells across different organisms and developmental stages and in conditions such as mitosis, immune processes and in metastases.

Stony Brook University Makes Forbes List of "America's Best Value Colleges"

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - 16:57

Forbes has released its 2018 list of "America's Best Value Colleges," and Stony Brook University ranks #41 overall among 300 schools in the United States that provide students with the most bang for the buck, up from #83 in last year's ranks. Stony Brook ranks at #18 among public colleges and universities, up from #29 in 2018, and received the highest ranking of all SUNY schools.

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