The spirit of excellence that has defined Xavier University of Louisiana for 100 years continues to shine through its faculty, students, and across every academic discipline it offers. This legacy was on full display when Xavier’s Mathematics Department made a significant impact at the 2025 American Mathematical Society (AMS) Southeastern Fall 2025 Sectional Meeting held at Tulane University.

Central to the success of this meeting of mathematical minds is the American Mathematical Society. AMS is a global community of mathematics students and professionals dedicated to advancing research, supporting learning and careers, and strengthening the mathematical community. Its mission, to advance mathematics and inspire collaboration, is brought to life through meetings like this one, held at institutions around the world.

A glimpse of the special session on nonlinear PDEs organized by Prerona Dutta.

The prestigious three-day event, held in New Orleans and one of the nation’s largest mathematics conferences, featured research and discussions spanning a wide range of mathematical fields. With more than 800 participants, the conference highlighted Xavier’s math department’s growing impact in the mathematical community. It also showed the strong scholarship and deep commitment to student mentorship of the department’s tenure-track faculty.

Assistant Professors Charles Burnette, Ph.D., Prerona Dutta, Ph.D., and Diego Villamizar Rubiano, Ph.D. served as special session organizers. Meanwhile, Assistant Professors Bach Nguyen, Ph.D., Pranabesh Das, Ph.D., and Prerona Dutta, Ph.D. delivered invited talks, while Timmy Ma, Ph.D. delivered a contributed talk.

“The recent AMS Southeastern Sectional Meeting witnessed unprecedented participation of the math faculty at Xavier, in the form of presentations on a broad spectrum of mathematical areas, including analysis, algebra, combinatorics, differential equations, and number theory, to name a few,” Dutta said.

Julian Davis’ invited talk in Charles Burnette and Diego Villamizar Rubiano's special session. 

Not only did Xavier faculty show up in strong numbers, but senior math major Julian Davis ‘26 was also invited to present research co-written with his fellow Xavierites under the supervision of Charles Burnette.

“I know of no other instance where one of our students presented mathematical research this significant at a conference so high-profile. Dr. Villamizar and I had attracted some rather prominent mathematicians to our special session, and Julian gave a wonderful talk in their presence,” Burnette said.

Davis expressed excitement about his participation in AMS.

“It was nothing less than a pleasure to speak at such a prestigious event as an undergraduate student,” Davis said. “First, being given the opportunity to be a part of the research project, then presenting it to those of great knowledge, was awe-inspiring. I am very grateful for the invitation.”

Bach Nguyen's invited talk

 Xavier’s Mathematics Department continues to make strides in both research and student mentorship. Prerona Dutta recently secured an NSF LEAPS-MPS grant, which is the first NSF research grant for a math faculty member at Xavier. This grant will support her research in nonlinear PDEs, further elevating the department's national profile.

Additionally, Timmy Ma's research, published in September, explores the relationship between student performance and socioeconomic factors, offering new insights into educational equity and how mathematics can address real-world challenges.