Blake Temple

New Equations for Smoothing Out Singularities in Maps

We rely on maps to make sense of the world around us. This isn’t just true for sailors navigating the oceans or families taking to the highways on vacations; it’s true for scientists who use maps of spacetime to study how empty space behaves around celestial objects such as black holes. 

But for most maps, points of extreme irregularity pop up. Those points are called singularities.

What are singularities? 

Singularities are geometric points where maps break down into distortions. 

Letter from the Chair, Spring 2026

In just a few days I will hand the reins of the Department of Mathematics to the experienced hands of my colleague Joel Hass. Joel has served as department chair for 4 years (2010-2014). Through a number of leadership functions on campus he also acquired deep knowledge of all aspects of the university organization. I am very grateful he agreed to step back into the department chair role for 2026-27.