The Last Lecture

A Merrimack Tradition

The Last Lecture was created in 1999 and, after a period of dormancy, was resurrected by the Honors Program in 2013.

The Last Lecture is a tradition at Merrimack and many other colleges and universities that allows a faculty member to speak on any subject as if it were his or her final class.

2022 Speaker

Dana Rowland                              
Associate Professor, Mathematics

Dana Rowland is an associate professor in the Mathematics Department – this is her 22nd year teaching undergraduate math classes at Merrimack! Dr. Rowland’s mathematical scholarship involves a mix of combinatorics, graph theory, the mathematics of knots, and recreational mathematics. She has mentored undergraduate research projects studying knots that can be found in three-dimensional graphs and she has supervised several honors capstone projects exploring the mathematics behind games (including cribbage, Carcassonne, and Wordle). Recent classes taught include Discrete Mathematics, Calculus I and II, Knot Theory, Combinatorics & Graph Theory, and Real Analysis. Dr. Rowland holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Stanford University and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, where she double-majored in mathematics and English.

The Last Lecture will be held on Tuesday, November 15, at 7 p.m. in Cascia Hall. 

Dana Rowland

Previous Speakers

Year Lecturer Title Notes
2021 Kevin McGravey Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science & Public Policy
2020 Andy Cannon Associate Clinical Professor, Exercise and Rehabilitation Science
2019 Deb Michals Assistant Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies
2018 Alicia Malone Assistant Professor, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
2017 Kevin Salemme Director, Media Instructional Services
2016 Laura Hsu Associate Professor, Human Development
2015 Christina Hardway Associate Professor, Psychology
2014 Vance Poteat Associate Professor, Computer Science
2013 Marcia Walsh Associate Professor, Health Sciences
2011 Cynthia McGowan Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Professor of Chemistry Video
2010 Patricia Sendall Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Professor of Management
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