Summer research students present at national math conference

Six students who participated in McDaniel's Student-Faculty Collaborative Summer Research Program presented at MathFest, the annual summer meeting of the Mathematical Association of America. Ellie Riggs, an Applied Mathematics major, Sophia Braun, a Mathematics and Computer Science major, and Wera Schroeder, a Mathematics and Biology major, earned notable poster awards for their research presentations.

Ellie Riggs Mathfest — Ellie Riggs, an Applied Mathematics major, received a notable poster award at MathFest, the annual summer meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

Six students who participated in McDaniel College’s Student-Faculty Collaborative Summer Research Program traveled to Boston to present their research at MathFest, the annual summer meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

MathFest, held Aug. 5 to 8, brings together mathematicians, students, and enthusiasts from across the country and around the world with more than 1,800 mathematicians in attendance at this year’s event.

Sophia Braun and Ellie Riggs presented research conducted in collaboration with Associate Professor of Mathematics Benjamin Steinhurst at MathFest.

Wera Schroeder Sophia Braun at MathFest — Wera Schroeder and Sophia Braun received notable poster awards at MathFest.

Three McDaniel students received notable poster awards for their research presentations.

Ellie Riggs, an Applied Mathematics major from Sykesville, Maryland, and Sophia Braun, a Mathematics and Computer Science major from Laurel, Maryland, received a notable poster award for their research, "The Sounds of k-Fibonacci Fractals."

Their computational and theoretical project, conducted in collaboration with Associate Professor of Mathematics Benjamin Steinhurst, considered ways that k-Fibonacci fractals can vibrate.

Wera Schroeder, a Mathematics and Biology major from Middletown, Maryland, also earned a notable poster award for "Non-Euclidean Planimeters," research conducted with Mathematics Lecturer Jonathan Epstein.

The project investigated the mathematical theory of planimeters in non-Euclidean geometries.

Hamblen Research Mathfest — Aidan Wolsey, Keyierra Harris, and Addison Meagher at MathFest

Three additional students, Addison Meagher, a Biology major from Odenton, Maryland, Keyierra Harris, a Computer Science major from Pikesville, Maryland, and Aidan Wolsey, an Actuarial Science major from Baltimore, also presented their research on "Generalizations of Waring's Problem."

Working with Mathematics Professor Spencer Hamblen, the students explored ways to extend a long-standing open problem in number theory.

Undergraduate students from all majors at McDaniel are annually selected to collaborate with their professors on hands-on research through the donor-supported Student-Faculty Collaborative Summer Research Program.

Summer research students present at national math conference

Read more about some of the other research projects from summer 2026: