I stand with the Wellesley Organized Academic Workers as they strike for better wages and a fair workload.

Our educators work hard to support their students and their communities, and they deserve a contract that recognizes that hard work.

When workers fight, workers win.

It’s getting bad. Really bad. #AcademicSky

hr.cornell.edu/2025-hiring-...

admittedly… (1) is a reminder to myself too, as I’m giving a talk on Monday about the family of graphs that made me question my soundness-of-mind 🫠

3. “Novelty” does not imply mathematical significance, but if you’re enjoying the exploration, and remain open to critique, the time-spent is worthwhile.

Reminders to undergraduates who are recently exploring math research, especially those who are “overwhelmed with interests:”

1. You’re not loosing your mind… you’re just curious/creative

2. Finding that your idea/result was published elsewhere isn’t bad at our stage

I’m somewhat biased, but Richard Stanley’s undergraduate textbook on Algebraic Combinatorics is awesome! And of course, graph theory, in all “forms,” is beautiful as well!

Dropping a cool polytope for inspiration:

Of course! And sorry for getting dramatic at the end haha.

Discrete is an awesome area to start… still one of my favorite classes. Also, you might enjoy diving into some more combinatorics later on, given your background! :D

Also, from a fellow “dumb student,” self-confidence is somewhat necessary.

Remain humble, but know that success in math is not all measured by speed or “natural talent.” You have dedication, and the insight to ask mentors for advice — that makes you intelligent.

3. Don’t forget to engage with “recreational math.” Watch youtube videos on theorems and general ideas you’re curious about, and maintain curiosity!

1. Spend a long time on each chapter, even if you “feel like you already understand enough.” You should be able to reproduce the (shorter) example-proofs before moving on.

2. Work on math with others! Ask questions on forums, chat with peers. Remember, it’s never shameful to be lost/wrong.

Math student here — if you don’t have formal training in proof-writing, start there… and slowly. I recommend “The Book of Proof” by Richard Hammack for early exercises.

If you also/instead pick up a textbook on a topic you’re curious about, here’s how I’d go about reading it:

Me: “ah yes, I am the unique one in the family for being curious about geometric graph theory.”

My grandmother: “lol I actually worked on the geodesic radome in the 1950s, twas pretty fun.”

…i’m going to need more context, this is wildly cool…

Hey! Wanted to do a quick intro post here. I’m a sophomore math major, curious about various topics… especially geometric graph theory at the moment.

Excited to join the community here, and hello to those who’ve found me from TikTok :)