College of Sciences
Department of Mathematics & Statistics
Fiscal Year 2024-2025
Dear Donor,
As my third year as chair for the Department of Mathematics and Statistics is coming to an end, I want to thank you for your generous support.
Although this year has been challenging in many ways, our faculty are achieving amazing results. Professor Ponomarenko became an editor of The American Mathematical Monthly; Professor Palacios secured SDSU’s frst project funding through the Department of Defense's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program; and Professor Rasmussen was invited to serve on the National Academies of Sciences' Mathematical Sciences Education Board.
In the educational sphere, we are continuing to grow our footprint in the data science and AI spaces, having recently added a rapidly growing data science minor. Philanthropic giving has helped us provide modern technology in some of our learning spaces and continues to provide support for a dynamic statistics and data science seminar series.
We are always very grateful for this support, which is making a marked diference in these times of decreased state and federal funding.
Peter Blomgren, Ph.D. Professor and Chair Department of Mathematics & Statistics.
Propelling the SDSU Community Forward
Alba Gonzalez Thompson Endowment for Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education
This year, funding was received to establish the Alba Gonzalez Thompson Endowment for the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE) in honor of Alba Gonzalez Thompson, one of the center's frst faculty members. A trailblazing Latina in STEM, Alba's revolutionary research impacted math teaching and learning worldwide.
Located of Alvarado Road, CRMSE is a strong collaboration between the College of Science’s Department of Mathematics and the College of Education’s School of Teacher Education. The fund recognizes Alba's contributions to the feld of math education and to the lives around her, while supporting the center and its faculty and staf.
Portrait of Alba G. Thompson, 1984 (SDSU Digital Collections)
Thriving in the Aztec Experience
Kayla Andrus, Class of 2025 Class Level: Undergraduate Student College: College of Sciences
Major: Applied Mathematics
My name is Kayla Andrus, and I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from SDSU. During my pursuit of this degree, I participated in three research projects, was a member of the Disease Modeling Lab, and was honored to be selected by faculty to represent my class as the Outstanding Graduate of the Math and Statistics Department.
Above all else, I attribute my achievements and success to the incredible professors I had the privilege of learning from in class and collaborating with on research. They motivated me to push myself to the fullest, saw potential in me that I had shied away from, and inspired me to continue my education in graduate school.
Because of their consistent support and unwavering belief in my ability to excel at anything I set my mind to, I took a chance and applied to Ph.D. programs. Today, I am proud to say that I have committed to pursuing a Ph.D. in Mathematical Sciences at Rutgers-Newark, with full tuition remission and a Teaching Apprenticeship. I will forever be grateful for and motivated by the mentorship I received from the faculty at SDSU, and I look forward to the endless opportunities their guidance will lead me to.
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I will forever be grateful for and motivated by the mentorship I received from the faculty at SDSU, and I look forward to the endless opportunities their guidance will lead me to.
Celebrating Shared Success
Recent Rankings
U.S. News & World Report ranked SDSU #133 in Mathematics in the United States.
Statistics of Interest
426 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Spring 2025 (SDSU Analytic Studies & Institutional Research).
Recent Highlights
The Mathematical Association of America has selected Vadim Ponomarenko to serve as the next editor of their journal, The American Mathematical Monthly.
The Math and Science Learning Center (MSLC) has been awarded certifcation as a Level 1 certifed tutor training program by the internationally recognized College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA).
Uduak George is collaborating with CHHS’s Rebecca Mattson to build an AI model that spots lung cancer and chronic conditions linked to higher risks of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes sooner than current screening methods.
The Department of Defense has granted $9 million to SDSU and three other institutions to explore intricate networks such as the brain for a project on which applied mathematics professor Antonio Palacios is a Co-Principal Investigator.
The Mathematical Association of America awarded math professor Daniel Reinholz the 2024 Annie and John Selden Prize for publishing an impressive body of research in undergraduate mathematics education and for adopting innovative strategies to promote equity in classroom settings.
Math Rankings
Advancements
U.S. News & World Report ranked SDSU #133 in Mathematics nationwide. In Spring 2025, 426 undergrad and grad students were enrolled in SDSU’s Mathematics programs.
Vadim Ponomarenko named editor of The American Mathematical Monthly; MSLC earns CRLA certifcation; SDSU advances AI research in early disease detection.
Valeria Barra, Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Professor College: College of Sciences
Achievement: Dr. Valeria Barra is an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics and a member of the Computational Science Research Center at SDSU.
Her interdisciplinary work bridges applied mathematics, scientifc computing, and high-performance simulation, with applications ranging from climate modeling to computer animation.
Before joining SDSU in 2024, Dr. Barra served as a Research Software Engineer at Caltech’s Climate Modeling Alliance (CliMA), collaborating with MIT and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. There, she contributed to the development of next-generation Earth system models designed to improve predictions of extreme weather events and inform climate policy. Her work focused on the mathematical foundations of these models, particularly the development of stabilization methods to enhance computational efciency and accuracy.
Dr. Barra's research also includes contributions to opensource scientifc computing libraries such as libCEED and ClimaCore.jl, which are utilized in high-performance computing environments for solving complex partial diferential equations. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a research internship at Pixar Animation Studios, where she developed software tools for animators.
At SDSU, Dr. Barra is committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists and mathematicians. She teaches courses in scientifc computing and computational methods, emphasizing the real-world applications of mathematics in diverse felds.
Antonio Palacios, Ph.D.
Title: Professor
College: College of Sciences
Achievement: Dr. Antonio Palacios was named the Most Outstanding Faculty Member for 2024–2025 by the Department of Mathematics & Statistics.
He was recognized for his groundbreaking research, mentorship, and lasting contributions to interdisciplinary science and engineering.
Dr. Palacios recently secured the frst-ever Ofce of Naval Research (ONR) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) grant for the project titled “Complexity Sciences Disorder-Promoted Synchronization: Disorder-Infuenced Collective Dynamics of Nonlinear Oscillator Systems.” This prestigious, multi-institutional award supports fundamental research aimed at understanding and harnessing the behavior of complex systems through the lens of nonlinear dynamics.
His research focuses on modeling complex nonlinear systems, particularly those at the intersection of biology, computer science, engineering, and physics.
A long-time collaborator with the Applied Chaos and Dynamics Group at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) Center in San Diego, Dr. Palacios and his team are at the forefront of applying advanced dynamical systems theory to the design of next-generation sensor technologies.
Honored as Most Outstanding Faculty, Dr. Palacios leads groundbreaking research in nonlinear dynamics, securing SDSU’s frst ONR MURI grant to explore complexity in interdisciplinary systems.
