Caption: Host Alex Trebek stands with UMD mathematics doctoral student Steven Reich on the set of "Jeopardy!" Reich appeared on the October 9, 2019, episode of the show. (Photo by Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

Most Thursday nights, you can find Steven Reich and his friends from the University of Maryland’s math doctoral program out at Hyattsville’s Pizzeria Paradiso for the joint’s weekly trivia competition.

They’re good, too — most of the time, their team comes in first place, Liam Fowl said. That’s to be expected of a bunch of math nerds, he added. A few of them competed in quiz bowls in high school, and Reich played his fair share of Trivial Pursuit.

He also watched a lot of Jeopardy! growing up.

When 7:30 p.m. rolled around on October 9, 2019, Reich’s friends gathered around the television in Fowl’s apartment and tuned in to ABC. There, standing right next to Alex Trebek, was Reich.

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Fall enrollment open for data science and machine learning professional master’s and graduate certificate programs

The University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) has launched the Science Academy to provide graduate education programs for working professionals who want to advance their knowledge and skills in key areas like data science and machine learning.

“Working professionals in nearly every field need data-related skills to stay current and advance in their careers,” said CMNS Dean Amitabh Varshney. “Science Academy programs cater to a workforce that recognizes the need for the knowledge and expertise that are required to compete in the 21st-century global economy.”

Read more: Science Academy Launches with Professional STEM Programs

 From current students to world-renowned alumni, mathematicians from five continents filled the house for a three-day 80th birthday celebration and conference.

In the world of mathematics, Professor John Benedetto is by all accounts a family man. The depth of his devotion and the impact of his parenting was on full display this past September, as 175 mathematicians gathered to celebrate Benedetto’s 80th birthday. In the tradition of academics who trace their lineage through their Ph.D. advisors, many of the participants proudly self-identified as Benedetto’s children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. In his 54-year tenure at UMD, Benedetto has advised 58 Ph.D. students who, according to the Mathematics Genealogy Project, have gone on to mentor another 92 Ph.D.-carrying mathematicians. 

Read more: Jubilee Honors Professor John Benedetto