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The Dr. Barnett and Jean Hollander Rich Internship Program has funded student summer internship experiences in the Math department going back many years now.

Typically, students work with faculty mentors on research problems, but occasionally students work with mentors from other (academic or non-academic) institutions. The following video describes the experience of some our students this year:

We'd like to thank Aliou Dibassy, Matthew Grimaldi, Michelle Madera, and Melisa Stillo for agreeing to be in the video, and Jason Redman for creating the video.

Ivan Morozov transferred from City Tech in 2023, and completed his B.S. in Pure Mathematics with minors in Physics and in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences in 2025. He complete our Masters in Mathematics this year and is starting the PhD program in Mathematics this Fall at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Congratulations, Ivan, for all that you have already accomplished! We wish you the best of luck going forward!

Below, Ivan shares some information about his experience in his own words:

I dreamed of becoming a physicist because I was fascinated by the endless complexity and consistency found in nature. When I was a child, I learned that the mathematics of symmetries in 3-dimensional space explains why crystals form according to one of seven crystal systems; I also learned that the current model of gravity describes motions of massive objects along geodesics in curved space-time. To understand these kinds of ideas thoroughly, I had to dedicate more time to studying mathematics. Knowing maths gave me tools to find new kinds of connections within natural systems, and it turned out that I really enjoyed engaging with the abstract world of mathematics itself. So, I started learning more about it on its own.

In studying maths, I kept encountering more questions that did not yet have a solution. This surprised me, and when I arrived at City Tech and later City College, I was welcomed by a community of scholars who were actively pushing the boundaries of such questions. I felt encouraged to think thoroughly about ideas that I wanted to explore, and to situate these ideas within the venerable mathematical tradition – something I hadn’t done before. I saw the field in a new light that was more about creation and exploration, and which felt closer to philosophy and art rather than to science.

Apart from mathematics, I’m an active clarinettist, and as an artist, I felt this perspective deeply resonate with me. For me, playing music is a personal endeavour, and achieving the final result of learning a piece is only a fraction of what I actually end up learning. The vast majority of it comes from months of practicing. Even if I don’t achieve a desirable final result, I know I will walk away with a richer breadth and depth of skill.

After years of toiling with mathematics, I started to see the world in a similar way. We might never have all the answers, regardless of the field we pursue, and yet we still push for progress. There is something very human about pioneering simply because we can, and I treasure this creative endeavour in itself more than just having the answers. As J.R.R. Tolkien beautifully wrote of Aragorn, “Not all those who wander are lost.”

I am thankful to have been admitted to the PhD program at the Graduate Center, starting this fall. The journey ahead will undoubtedly be long and demanding, but right now, I’m excited to acquaint myself with the wonderful community of mathematicians, deepen my understanding of the field, and do research on my own and with professors there.

I want to thank Professor Satyanand Singh for first showing me the mathematics world and mentoring me in research, from my first to my most recent, as well as inclining me towards number theory. I’m grateful to all the faculty I had the luck to study under, and especially to Professors Gautam Chinta, Sean Cleary, Brooke Feigon, and Pat Hooper for their immense encouragement and mentorship. You have all made this a really enjoyable chapter in my life.

Two of Dr. Sánchez-Muñiz’ students, Rosanny De Leon and Michelle Madera, presented their research at the CUNY Celebration of Undergraduate Research on May 26, 2026, hosted at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Michelle presented findings on permafrost thaw under varying warming scenarios using a Stefan based conceptual model and site specific data from Fairbanks, Alaska. Rosanny shared her work on the model validation of Dr. María Sánchez's permafrost thaw conceptual energy model with the GIPL model, using real-world data from sites in Alaska.

Both of their projects were supported by the Department’s Rich Summer Research Internship.

Michelle won an award of Best Presentation from the CUNY Celebration!

Congratulations to both Rosanny and Michelle!

Tabitha Ramirez received a B.S. in Math from CCNY in 2024 and an M.S. in Math in 2026. Now she will continue her CUNY Math journey at the CUNY Graduate Center where she will commence her studies for a Ph.D. in Fall 2026!

Congratulations, Tabitha!

Read more about Tabitha's story below in her own words:

When I was younger, I never thought I would become a mathematician. In fact I'm pretty sure I didn't even know what a mathematician was as a kid. Before high school, math was my least favorite subject. I even failed math in 7th grade and wasn't a great student. Instead, I had a passion for the sciences. Surprisingly, when I got to high school, I improved academically, and that passion for the sciences evolved into a love for mathematics. Suddenly, most of my free time was spent coming up with and solving fun math problems. I constantly wanted to learn more about math so, I looked to college with excitement over being able to study mathematics more formally. Graduating top of my class, my teachers pressured me to go to an Ivy. However, when financial support didn’t materialize, I decided to take CCNY’s offer over theirs, since I was offered a scholarship. To this day I am incredibly grateful for that decision.

My life throughout college was filled with many adversities. A pandemic came, I was displaced, pets and loved ones passed on, family members fell ill, and I had to learn to manage ADHD. Ultimately, amidst all the chaos, one thing that provided a sense of stability was the community here at CCNY. The friends I made here supported me through every struggle. Whether I was studying for exams with Jack, Kadar, Aris, and Aidan A, or unwinding with Victor, Josh, Aidan J, Nadya, Ifeanyi, Eliza, and Alex, the time spent with the friends I made here was the true bedrock of my success. The support of my professors also proved to be essential to my success. When challenges arose they were always willing to accommodate and they provided me with opportunities which helped me develop the skills to do math research. Thanks to a friend and alumni connecting me, I joined Professor Sormani’s Manifold Learning Team where I learned the basics of math research. Then thanks to Professor Chinta’s advice, I got to participate in the RAMMP program, where my work with Professor Fei resulted in a publication.

CCNY graduate student Haider Riaz's engagement with foundational topics in physics and philosophy led him to recognize the central role of rigorous mathematical structures in these fields. This, in turn, led him to our Master's program where he completed his degree in Spring 2026.

Congratulations, Haider!

Read below, as he reflects on his time in our program and what lies next in his journey!

My motivation to do a graduate degree in mathematics happened, of all places, in a philosophy seminar. The seminar in question was on philosophy of physics, and included topics in the foundations of quantum theory and quantum field theory. As fascinated as I was with the material we were studying, I struggled with the mathematical formalism that accompanied the theories. It dawned on me that to properly pursue my intellectual interests, I needed to strengthen my background in math. After graduating from my MA program and working in the city for a few years, I decided to enroll in the math master's program at CCNY to do just that.

The math program at CCNY is quite flexible and provides students with research, independent study, and funding opportunities. Thanks to the Rich Scholarship, I was able to work on a research project in dynamical systems theory with Prof. Kucherenko. I also completed an independent study with Prof. Chatterjee on stochastic processes. Among the courses that I took, I particularly enjoyed stochastic calculus and modern algebra, both taught by Dr. Amzallag. In addition, I had a great deal of fun doing a presentation on Lie groups and Lie algebras (a topic close to my heart) for Dr. Amarasingham's linear algebra class. Lastly, my time at CCNY was particularly memorable thanks to my classmates, who were always there to help me. As for my future plans, I will be taking a break before pursuing further graduate studies in physics. In the meantime, I plan to continue working with Prof. Kucherenko on my research project and learning new math along the way.