Purdue to House National Math Alliance

Purdue University’s mathematics department will soon become the new home of the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences. The organization aims to increase underrepresented minorities earning doctoral degrees in math and related fields.

The organization is currently based at the University of Iowa and will move to Purdue in March. Purdue Mathematics Professor David Goldberg will serve as its new executive director and faculty members Edray Goins and Rodrigo Bañuelos will serve as associate director and program adviser, respectively.

"Ensuring the continued success of the Alliance is a huge responsibility and we do not take it lightly," said Bañuelos. "It represents an enormous opportunity for us – the mathematics department, the College of Science and the university as a whole – to play a national role in increasing diversity in mathematical sciences and related fields."

Purdue says doctoral programs affiliated with the alliance account for about one-third of all math-related doctorate degrees awarded to students from underrepresented backgrounds in the last five years. The alliance also works to increase a diverse work force in the mathematical science community. 

Purdue will be the home of the alliance until at least 2020. The organization is funded by a National Science Foundation grant from the Department of Mathematical Sciences.