Faculty Profile
Dick Forrester
Professor of Mathematics and Data Analytics (2002)
Contact Information
Data Analytics Chair
Tome Scientific Building Tome Scientific Building 235
717-245-1668
http://www.dickinson.edu/dickforrester
Bio
His scholarship is at the interface of operations research, computer science, and data analytics. Operations research applies mathematical and computational methods to decision-making, often in scenarios that require optimizing scarce resources. The majority of his research has centered around the development of techniques for solving discrete nonlinear programs. He is also interested in applying mathematical modeling and data-driven approaches to real-world challenges. Recent projects include balancing faculty and student preferences in assigning students to first-year seminars and creating machine learning-based heuristics for solving combinatorial optimization problems. As an applied mathematician, his teaching interests primarily center around data analytics, statistics, operations research, computational mathematics, and computer science.
Education
- B.A., Alfred University, 1995
- M.S., Clemson University, 1997
- Ph.D., 2002
2026-2027 Academic Year
Fall 2026
MATH 211 Foundations of Higher Math
An introduction to fundamental mathematical concepts used in mathematics and computer science, with an emphasis on writing mathematical arguments. The course presents the principles of mathematical logic, sets, functions, and methods of proof. Prerequisite: 170 - OR - COMP 130 or higher AND MATH Placement Exam Score of at least 15 or MATH 151 - OR - departmental placement. Offered every semester.
MATH 225 Probability and Statistics I
A calculus-based introduction to the core topics of probability and statistics. Topics include discrete and continuous random variables, joint distributions, expectation, variance, random sampling from populations, hypothesis tests, and confidence intervals. The course includes an introduction to the R statistical programming language. Prerequisite: 171. Offered every semester.
MATH 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch
Spring 2027
MATH 211 Foundations of Higher Math
An introduction to fundamental mathematical concepts used in mathematics and computer science, with an emphasis on writing mathematical arguments. The course presents the principles of mathematical logic, sets, functions, and methods of proof. Prerequisite: 170 - OR - COMP 130 or higher AND MATH Placement Exam Score of at least 15 or MATH 151 - OR - departmental placement. Offered every semester.
MATH 262 Linear Algebra
An introduction to matrix algebra and vector spaces. Topics include linear systems and matrices, determinants, rank and dimension, vector spaces, bases, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and inner product spaces.Prerequisite: 170 Offered every semester.