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.
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 |
