Michigan Technological University Department of Mathematical Sciences

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National Science Foundation's annual report Mathematical Sciences with a phenomenal boost in the rankings.

The Department of Mathematical Sciences has seen a phenomenal boost in the rankings. In its breakdown of research expenditures by field, the NSF publishes only the top 100, and in fiscal year 2005, Michigan Tech's math department did not make that list. But in FY2006, it rocketed up to 79th.

"They didn't just cross over into the top 100, they burst through," Michigan Tech Vice President for Research Dave Reed said. "It's an amazing accomplishment."

The department's research program has been building for a number of years, he said, first under the leadership of former chair Al Baartmans and more recently with the support of the current chair, Mark Gockenbach.

"It's primarily the result of our faculty in statistical genetics," Gockenbach said. "They have received a lot of funding from the National Institutes of Health to study the genetic causes of disease using statistical techniques. Additionally, other faculty in discrete and applied mathematics have been doing important research that is being supported by funding agencies."

Max Seel, dean of sciences and arts, also commended the department. "This is exciting news for the Department of Mathematical Sciences," he said. "My congratulations and compliments go to the faculty who made this possible. I also would like to extend my thanks and recognition to the former department chair, Dr. Al Baartmans, who laid the foundation for the statistical genetics group."

Michigan Tech's research program is continuing to grow. "Overall, we increased from $43.1 million to $56.6 million from FY2006 to FY2007," he said. "Though there is always some up and down, we should be looking at further increases this year in most disciplines, so the news should continue to be good going forward."

The NSF report is available at www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf08300/ .

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