Math Department at Kent State

10/13/2026

10/11/2026

In Memory of Per H. Enflo (1944--2026)

The Department of Mathematical Sciences at Kent State University mourns the passing of Professor Per H. Enflo, an extraordinary mathematician, musician, teacher, and friend. Per served our department as a University Professor for more than two decades before retiring in 2012 and remained part of our academic community as an Emeritus University Professor until his passing. He was a cherished member of our department, our university, and the wider Kent community.

Per was a mathematician of exceptional originality and independence of thought. His solutions to the approximation and basis problems, and to the invariant subspace problem for Banach spaces, transformed functional analysis. He approached problems that had resisted generations of mathematicians with imagination and perseverance, developing new methods and opening directions that others would pursue for decades. His pioneering work on the geometry of metric spaces also had a lasting influence, helping lay the foundations for connections between pure mathematics and theoretical computer science, including the design and analysis of algorithms.

Per was also a teacher and mentor to many students. Over his long career, he introduced thousands of undergraduates to mathematics and guided numerous doctoral students, both at Kent State and elsewhere. Teaching was an important part of his life. His influence continues through his former students, in their research and teaching and in the encouragement they give their own students.

Music was another essential part of Per’s life. An internationally accomplished concert pianist, he performed as a soloist and chamber musician for audiences around the world. His music meant a great deal to those of us who had the pleasure of hearing him play.

To many of us, he was simply Per, a dear friend. His achievements were only one part of the person we were fortunate to know. We will remember our conversations, the ideas we exchanged, and the pleasure of his company. We will always cherish the memory of the wonderful piano concerts he gave in his own home and in the homes of his friends, including Victor Lomonosov and Richard Aron. These were special occasions that brought us together to enjoy music and one another’s company. Per helped make our department not only a great place to work, but a place where we felt at home. For us, this loss is deeply personal.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and former students. We share their sorrow and will remember Per with affection, gratitude, and respect.

The world has lost an extraordinary mathematician and musician. We have lost a dear friend.

10/09/2026

It was nice to see everyone at the Picnic!

10/09/2026

Join us for a Math Club talk on the mathematics of the Rubik’s Cube on Monday, October 12 at 4-5 pm in MSB 120. Everyone who attends will get a Rubik’s Cube to take home! There will also be pizza and drinks.

Dr. Davidson was part of the team that proved that any position of the Rubik's cube can be solved in at most 20 moves!

This is also a preview of the course that Dr. Davidson will be teaching this Spring MATH 49995 Math of Rubik’s Cube. Come and check this out!

10/03/2026

A childhood problem, still challenging a mathematician decades later.

From 8th grade curiosity to the colloquium stage!

It's Professor Fedor Nazarav!

10/01/2026

What happens when a math problem follows you all the way from 8th grade to a university colloquium?

Professor Fedor Nazarov kicked off the first Fall 2026 Colloquium of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Kent State University with a wonderfully interactive talk on Polyomino Games—an elementary discrete geometry problem he first encountered in 8th grade and still hasn’t resolved to his complete satisfaction.

A fun afternoon of mathematics, curiosity, clever ideas, and a reminder that some of the best problems are the ones that refuse to leave us alone!

A few moments from the event:

09/29/2026

Dr. Omar De La Cruz Cabrera gave a Math club talk on Persistent Homology last night. Join the club for the game night on Monday October 12 at 4-5 pm in MSB 120!

09/02/2026

Here are a few pictures from today's meet and greet for undergrads! Solving puzzles together is the best way to start the semester.

07/06/2026

Congratulations to Juan Benigno Seoane Sepúlveda, a Kent State Ph.D. alumnus and former Ph.D. student of Richard Aron and Vladimir Gurarii, on being elected a Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical, and Natural Sciences of Spain, which is one of Spain's highest scientific honors!

07/02/2026

Dr. Chebotar gave a talk today for our REU and grad students on the peer-review process.

Title: Everything you wanted to know about publishing but were afraid to ask.

Abstract: How to select a journal to publish your paper? How to prepare your paper for this journal? What is peer review? We will discuss these and other questions related to publishing using some real-life examples.