At almost any time of day, you’ll see students working out problem sets, attacking homework, or chilling with headsets in the Austin and Chilton McDonnell Common Room.
“Many students who work in the math lounge might not know that they are actually at the place the legendary Ahlfors has worked,” says mathematics Professor Oliver Knill. Lars Ahlfors was known for his work in complex analysis. Knill says other famous mathematicians are also linked to the room, including Oscar Zariski, Raoul Bott, and Jean-Pierre Serre.
“Who knows, maybe one day, one of the students working there will develop new ideas shaping the next century of mathematics.”
1The lively Austin and Chilton McDonnell Common Room is on the fourth floor of the Science Center.
2Reuben Stern ’20 (left), Professor Noam Elkies, and James Hotchkiss ’18 discuss beats in classical music in the fourth floor math lounge at the Science Center.
3A math lounge blackboard sports writing dealing with a discrete dynamical system, part of linear algebra.
4Gray Putnam ’17 (left) and graduate student Lily Yichen Shi work on a physics lab report.
5Math department welcome parties are held in the Austin and Chilton McDonnell Common Room.
6Some visit for quiet contemplation.
7Freshmen Shelly Tsirulik (from left), May Wang, and Ariella Kahan do homework together.
8Kevin Yang ’17 shares a laugh of frustration while trying to solve a problem.
9Essential chalk!
10Zijian Yao, a Ph.D. candidate in mathematics, offers insight to fellow candidate Jeremy Hahn.
11Timers are ready for challengers.
12Working it out.
