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Joshua Bourne-Inniss: from community college to CCNY mathematics graduate degree

June 23, 2025

Congratulations to Joshua Bourne-Inniss for completing his MS in Mathematics Degree at CCNY!

$Photo of Joshua Bourne-Inniss$

In his words:

When I first started college nine years ago, I never imagined I’d be pursuing an advanced degree in mathematics. My original plan was to earn an associate degree and find a job in tech. That changed when I met a math professor at BMCC who became a mentor and completely reshaped my path. I was so captivated by how he taught that I sat in every single one of his classes, literally all of them, whether they were part of my CS degree or not. At some point later, I realized I was no longer doing any of this for the hope of getting some impressive job in the future, but I was in it all the way because it was extremely fun to do. Everything else kinda worked itself out along the way.

After graduating from BMCC, I switched my major and transferred to CCNY, where I found a vibrant academic community filled with supportive professors, advisors, and close friends. Thanks to my mentor's preparation, I was able to thrive academically and personally, earning both my bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and later a master’s degree in pure mathematics, both from CCNY. During my time, I also gained valuable teaching experience as an adjunct, which became one of the most meaningful parts of my journey. I owe special thanks to Eli Amzallag, Gennady Yassiyevich, Patrick Hooper, and Gautam Chinta for their invaluable support. Looking ahead, I plan to continue my journey in the enjoyment of mathematics by pursuing a Ph.D. and exploring potential research directions.

Ben Tupper entering the PhD program at the Graduate Center

June 11, 2025

Ben Tupper is graduating from CCNY in Spring 2025 with an M.S. in Mathematics. He will continue his studies in the Ph.D program in Mathematics at the CUNY Graduate Center.

$Photo of Ben Tupper$

My journey in mathematics has been nonlinear. I studied music composition at Pomona College and spent several years working as a teacher and music director. Math remained a personal passion that I explored on my own -- I read everything from Gilbert Strang’s Introduction to Linear Algebra to Donald Knuth’s whimsical book on surreal numbers. I also created interactive math tools and instructional YouTube videos.

When the pandemic unexpectedly paused my teaching career, I finally gave myself permission to try to make math into a serious academic pursuit. Coming from a nontraditional background, I found every course here was also a crash course in the material I hadn’t seen as an undergraduate. Still, I learned a lot -- and more importantly, I discovered that I love mathematical research. I’m very grateful that I got the chance to do that at City College.

The most rewarding experiences of my time at CCNY were the Rich Summer Internships. I worked with Prof. Pat Hooper on translation and dilation surfaces, and with Prof. Tamara Kucherenko on ergodic theory and coded shifts. I want to thank Prof. Zajj Daugherty (now at Reed College), whose Modern Algebra course early in my time here was one of the most engaging courses I've taken. I'm also thankful to Prof. Gennady “Wolfgang” Yassiyevich, whose topology courses were among my favorites.

I’m excited to continue on to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics at the Graduate Center.

Prof. Hooper's work in art exhibition and New York Times

March 17, 2025

In a Pi Day piece about Mathemalchemy, an art installation illustrating mathematical content, this New York Times article refers to Prof. Hooper's work (joint with Prof. Athreya of the University of Washington and Prof. Aulicino of Brooklyn College) showing that there are 31 families of closed geodesics on the dodecahedron from a vertex to itself. Below is Bronna Butler's light fixture with one of the paths.

Dodecahedral light fixture

Pi Day celebration in the Artino Lab

March 13, 2025

The Artino Math Center is celebrating Pi Day on 3.14.2025. Come and enjoy servings of both pies and pizza! Food is first come first serve so be quick! We look forward to celebrating Pi Day with you.

Pi Di Flyer