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               Â
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.Â
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 |
