Mathematical Association of America President Michael Dorff’s words to engineering grads

Thirty-three Campbell University School of Engineering students made history this year as the school celebrated its first graduating class. In honor of their virtual graduation and conferment of degrees on May 9, Mathematical Association of America President Michael Dorff delivered these congratulatory words to the Class of 2020 via video.

“As an engineer, I encourage you to look for opportunities to make the world a better place through your background in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Dorff.

About the Speaker

Michael Dorff is a professor of mathematics at Brigham Young University in Utah. He received his PhD in complex analysis from the University of Kentucky in 1997. He is the founder and director of the $2.6 million NSF-funded Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (CURM). He started and runs the BYU “Careers in Math” speaker series and the BYU summer 8-week mathematics REU both funded by NSF grants. He is a popular mathematics expository speaker giving about 25 invited presentations a year at conferences and other universities. He has received several university and national teaching awards including a Mathematical Association of America’s Haimo Teaching Award, the top U.S. award for teaching undergraduate mathematics, and BYU’s top teaching award, the Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award, both in 2010. In 2012, he was honored with BYU’s Egbert Teaching and Learning Fellowship and was named a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He is married with five daughters. His interests include reading, traveling, running, music, and soccer.