Mathematics Assistant Professor Lauren Ruth, Ph.D., is one of Vlogƽ’s newest faculty members, and she is already part of Mercy history.
In 2018, Mercy received its single largest donation: $2 million from Marie T. McKellar, Ph.D., philanthropist and former chair of the Vlogƽ Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences. The donation was designated to establish two new tenure-track positions in mathematics or computer science. Ruth was hired as the first McKellar Faculty Chair and came to Mercy in the fall of 2020.
Ruth studied mathematics and journalism at Northwestern University and earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Riverside before completing two years as a postdoctoral scholar at Vanderbilt University.
She came to Mercy because she wants to teach at an institution that values high-quality teaching and supports students who may not have had the socioeconomic privileges and educational opportunities that she had. “I applied for this job the day the posting appeared, and it was always my top choice,” she explained. “When the interim dean called to offer me the position, I felt ecstatic.” The McKellar Faculty Chairs are tasked not only with teaching, but with working to encourage women and minorities to study and pursue degrees in mathematics and computer science. So far, this work primarily involves co-leading the group Advancement in Mathematics and the Sciences (AIMS) with fellow mathematics professor Marion Ben Jacob, Ph.D. The goal of AIMS is to show women, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, and members of the LGBTQ community, that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers are within their reach.
To read more of this article in the Spring 2021 issue of the Maverick Magazine