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For thousands of years, the study of mathematics has been a fundamental component of a liberal education. In modern times, it is the language of the natural sciences and a powerful tool in the social sciences. The mathematics curriculum at Pomona College is as well-suited to the student who wants a rigorous introduction to pure mathematics as it is to the scientist who requires technical expertise in mathematical, statistical and computational methods.
In cooperation with the other Claremont Colleges, a total faculty of about 50 Claremont mathematicians offer more than 100 upper-division and graduate-level courses per year. All of these courses are available to Pomona students. Consequently, there is a broad and comprehensive offering of courses, spanning the traditional areas of both pure and applied mathematics as well as probability, statistics and operations research. The faculty, consisting of outstanding researchers in each of these areas, shares its enthusiasm for mathematics and statistics with students at all levels.
The Mathematics Department emphasizes close relations between faculty and students. Faculty members work one-on-one with students on research projects and each mathematics major must write a senior thesis under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Each Friday during the academic year, mathematics students and faculty eat lunch together in a private dining room at Pomona's picturesque Frary Dining Hall.
Every semester, the department organizes a retreat to Halona, Pomona's private cabin in the mountains. The department also sponsors weekly mathematics colloquia, often featuring distinguished speakers from around the country, and an informal tea and cookie gathering after each talk.
The new Andrew Building for Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy has greatly enhanced the facilities for the study of mathematics and statistics at Pomona. For instance, the students have the opportunity to work in a modern computer lab, equipped with an up-to-date arsenal of advanced software, including Maple, Mathematica, Matlab, Scientific Workplace, LaTeX, and statistical packages such as SPSS and R. The close proximity of the department lounge, computing labs, faculty offices, classrooms and student workspaces permits ready access to faculty and peers. In the evenings, the department is
a hub of activity as students gather to collaborate on assignments, discuss their research, study for exams, work in the computer lab or simply socialize.
The research interests of our faculty are diverse. The department features specialists in abstract algebra, functional analysis, topology, geometry, combinatorics, dynamical systems, differential equations, knot theory, operator theory, mathematical biology, matrix theory, operations research, number theory, statistics and applied mathematics.
Brochures describing all mathematics courses offered at the Claremont Colleges are available either from the Mathematics Department or the Office of Admissions. The department also offers a minor. |
