News

Mathematics is all around us. In a recent article for UC Davis' Letters and Science Magazine, Greg Watry features the work of Roger Casals, illustrating observations on "The Mathematics of Daily Life." Inspired by a caustic created by light falling through a window, Casals contemplated singularities and the mathematical tools to describe and understand them. In Casals words, “Everything seems very smooth, but at some point, a transition happens ... The theory of singularities helps us understand these transitions.”

Winners of the 2025 College of Letters and Science Teaching Award have just been announced and Rohit Thomas is among them! The award recognizes outstanding teaching, both inside and outside the classroom. Rohit is one of the drivers behind our weekly pedagogy hangouts, which have been a treasure trove of insight about teaching for many of us. Thank you for teaching us how to teach, as well as teaching your students how to do mathematics. Keep up the good work!

In an effort to encourage professional development for our faculty, the Dean's Office has created the Dean’s Faculty Fellows Program. The program honors outstanding achievements in early career faculty from across the college. The award was launched in 2020 and comes with a stipend to support research activities. One of this year's awardee's is our own Laura Starkston! Dean's Faculty Fellows give a public lecture during the second year of their fellowship, and this will surely an event worth attending. Congratulations Laura!

On April 9, at 6pm, UC Davis will host a play on the life of Emmy Noether at our Wyatt Theater. The play, entitled "Diving into Math with Emmy Noether," is a joint production by portraittheater, Vienna and Freie Universität Berlin. The performance is part of portraittheater's USA Tour 2025, so don't miss this opportunity to see a play about a famous mathematician. Go as a group, a ring, or a noetherian ring!

• Letters and Science Magazine has written a short background featured on their website.
• An interview and background information on the artists and play can be found by Dr. Andy, on his Poetry and Technology Hour.