Kevin Keith Ferland

 

Mathematical and Digital Sciences

Commonwealth University of PA

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815

(570) 389 – 4502

kferland@commonwealthu.edu

 

EDUCATION

 

Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244

Ph.D. in Mathematics, July 1999

M.S. in Mathematics, May 1994

 

University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824

B.S. with Honors in Mathematics Interdisciplinary with Computer Science, Summa Cum Laude, May 1991

 

 

AWARDS and DISTINCTIONS

 

Student-Athlete Influential Professor Recognition,

2023-24:  Matthew Bowes, Morgan Holmes, Emmie Rowe, Andrew Wasilewski

                2024-25:  Matthew Marsten, Andrew Wasilewski

 

TALE Outstanding Teaching Award, May 2004

Graduating seniors nominate faculty members for this award, which is organized by the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Center.  A committee reads these contributed essays and then selects one or two winners.

 

Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences Doctoral Prize, 2000

Awarded for outstanding work on my dissertation "On the RO(G)-Graded Equivariant Ordinary Cohomology of Generalized G-Cell Complexes for G=Z/p."

 

Project Next Fellow, 1999-2000

The Mathematics Association of America sponsors this national program and annually selects approximately 60 recent Ph.D.'s to participate. 

 

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

 

Commonwealth University, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815

                Professor, August 2008 – Present.

                Associate Professor, August 2004 – August 2008.

                Assistant Professor, August 1999 – August 2004.

               

Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244

Teaching Assistant, January 1992 - August 1999

 

Courses Taught

 

                Math Thinking

College Algebra

                Finite Mathematics

Trigonometry

                PreCalculus

                Essentials of Calculus

                Discrete Structures

                Calculus 1

                Calculus 2

                Discrete Mathematics

                Calculus 3

                Linear Algebra

                Number Theory

Intro to Combinatorics and Graph Theory

Real Analysis

                Complex Variables

Independent Study – Honors (History of Calculus).

Independent Study – Real Analysis 2.

Independent Study – Introduction to Topology

 

RESEARCH

 

Books

 

K. K. Ferland, Discrete Mathematics and Applications, Third Edition, Bloomsburg University Store, Copyright 2026.

 

K. K. Ferland, Discrete Mathematics and Applications, Second Edition, CRC Press – Taylor & Francis, Copyright 2017.

 

K. K. Ferland, Instructor’s Resource for Discrete Mathematics and Applications, Second Edition, CRC Press – Taylor & Francis, Copyright 2017.

 

K. K. Ferland, Student  Solutions Guide for Discrete Mathematics and Applications, Second Edition, CRC Press – Taylor & Francis, Copyright 2017.

 

K. K. Ferland, Discrete Mathematics: An Introduction to Proofs and Combinatorics, Houghton Mifflin (now CENGAGE), Copyright 2009.

 

K. K. Ferland, Instructor’s Resource for Discrete Mathematics: An Introduction to Proofs and Combinatorics, Houghton Mifflin (now CENGAGE), Copyright 2009.

 

K. K. Ferland, Student’s Solution Guide for Discrete Mathematics: An Introduction to Proofs and Combinatorics, Houghton Mifflin (now CENGAGE), Copyright 2009.

 

K. K. Ferland and L. Gaunce Lewis, Jr., The RO(G)-Graded Equivariant Ordinary Homology of G-Cell Complexes with Even Dimensional Cells for G = Z/p, Memoirs of the American Mathematical Society, Volume 167, Number 794, pp. 1-129, January 2004.

 

K. K. Ferland, On the RO(G)-Graded Equivariant Ordinary Cohomology of Generalized G-cell Complexes for G = Z/p, Ph.D. Thesis, Syracuse University, 1999.

 

Mathematical Reviews

 

Kevin Ferland, Review of The Lovasz-Cherkassky theorem in infinite graphs, Mathematical Reviews/MathSciNet, MR4833347, March 2025.

 

Kevin Ferland, Review of The immersion-minimal infinitely edge-connected graph, Mathematical Reviews/MathSciNet, MR4664979, January 2025.

 

Kevin Ferland, Review of General d-position sets, Mathematical Reviews/MathSciNet, MR4341189, February 2022.

 

Kevin Ferland, Review of A Turan-type theorem for large-distance graphs in Euclidean spaces and related isodiametric problems 2, Mathematical Reviews/MathSciNet, MR4270644, September 2021.

 

Kevin Ferland, Review of Burning the plane: densities of the infinite Cartesian grid, Mathematical Reviews/MathSciNet, MR4148415, November 2020.

 

Kevin Ferland, Review of Contractible non-edges in 3-connected infinite graphs, Mathematical Reviews/MathSciNet, MR4035868, February 2020.

 

Kevin Ferland, Review of A Turan-type theorem for large-distance graphs in Euclidean spaces and related isodiametric problems, Mathematical Reviews/MathSciNet, MR4014131, December 2019.

 

Publications

 

K. K. Ferland, Toughness of Directed Graphs, submitted to Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, Accepted March 2025.

 

K. K. Ferland, 10 Crossword Puzzles, Redstone Games, https://redstonegames.mobi/, 2025

                Bad Business, Inflation, Breakfast Time, Heck of an Idea, Fault Lines,

                Conjoined Twins, Two for One, Four-Casts, Four Clues, Let's Split It

 

K. K. Ferland, A Survey of Maximum Toughness, ARS Combinatoria, Volume 154, pp. 317-326, 2021.

 

K. K. Ferland, Prof’s 96-Word Puzzle and Clues, The Press Enterprise newspaper, Crossword puzzle, October 27, 2021.

 

K. K. Ferland, 10 Crossword Puzzles, Redstone Games, https://redstonegames.mobi/, 2021

Above Board, Color Coded, Fast Food, Fruit Salad, Keeping Score,

Major Choices, Themeless #1, Themeless #2, Themeless #3, Themeless #4

 

K. K. Ferland, Counting Clues in Crosswords, Recreational Mathematics Magazine, DOI 10.2478/rmm-2020-001, no 13, pp. 1-7, November 2020.

 

K. K. Ferland and Robert W. Pratt, Maximal Crossword Grids, Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, Volume 108, pp. 53-64, 2019.

 

K. K. Ferland, Extending Two Classic Proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem to the Law of Cosines, MAA Mathematics Magazine, Volume 90, No. 3, pp. 182-186, June 2017.

 

Robert W. Pratt (from work with K. K. Ferland), Sequence A243826: Maximum number of clues in a certain class of n X n crossword puzzles, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences, June 2014.

 

K. K. Ferland, Record Crosswords, Amer. Math. Monthly 121 (2014), No. 6, pp. 534–536.

 

K. K. Ferland, Mathematician’s Crossword, MAA Focus, Volume 32, No. 6, p. 9, December 2012/January 2013.

 

K. K. Ferland, Toughness of Infinite Graphs, ARS Combinatoria, Volume 97A, pp. 319-326, 2010.

 

L. L. Doty and K. K. Ferland, Constructing a Large Class of Supertough Graphs, Australasian Journal of Combinatorics Volume 43, pp. 191-196, 2009.

 

L. L. Doty and K. K. Ferland, Supertough 5-Regular Graphs, Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, Volume 64, pp. 97-108, 2008.

 

L. L. Doty and K. K. Ferland, Some Maximally Tough Circulants, ARS Combinatoria, Volume 87, pp. 193-203, 2008.

 

K. K. Ferland, Sweet Tangent Line, The Journal of Irreproducible Results, Volume 50, Number 4, p.7, 2007.

 

Bill Calhoun, Kevin Ferland, Lisa Lister, and John Polhill, Minimal Distinct Distance Trees, Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, Volume 61, pp. 33-57, 2007.

 

K. K. Ferland and M. L. Holben, The Tough Sets for the Generalized Petersen Graphs G(n,2), Australasian Journal of Combinatorics, Volume 34, pp. 211-228, 2006.

 

K. K. Ferland, The Original MAA, The American Mathematical Monthly, Volume 112, No. 10, p.875, 2005.

 

K. K. Ferland, In Need of Analysis, The College Mathematics Journal, Volume 36, No. 5, p. 365, 2005.

 

K. K. Ferland, Tips from Terrific Teachers, New At BU 2005, p. 24, 2005.

 

K. K. Ferland, From the Right Side, The ΠΜΕ Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2, p. 104, 2005.

 

K. K. Ferland, The What, How, and Why of Pi, Proceedings of SSHE-MA, The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association, Volume 9, 2005.

 

L. L. Doty and K. K. Ferland, Supertough Graphs Need Not Be K1,3-free, Australasian Journal of Combinatorics, Volume 32, pp. 91-103, 2005.

 

Bill Calhoun, Kevin Ferland, Lisa Lister, and John Polhill, Totally Magic Labelings of Graphs, Australasian Journal of Combinatorics, Volume 32, pp. 47-59, 2005.

 

K. K. Ferland, What is Discrete Mathematics?, Proceedings of SSHE-MA, The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association, Volume 8, 2004.

 

L. L. Doty and K. K. Ferland, Maximally Tough Cubic Graphs, Congressus Numerantium, Volume 161, pp. 75-96, 2003.

 

K. K. Ferland, Maximum Toughness of Sesqui-Cubic Graphs, Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, Volume 44, pp.129-144, February 2003.

 

K. K. Ferland, Toughness of Generalized Petersen Graphs, ARS Combinatoria, Volume 66, pp.49-63, January 2003.

 

K. K. Ferland, Optimal Networks have Maximum Toughness, Proceedings of SSHE-MA, The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association, Volume 6, 2002.

 

K. K. Ferland, Maximum Toughness Among (n,m)-Graphs, Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, Volume 43, pp.43-55, November 2002.

 

K. K. Ferland and R. Noubary, Simpson's Paradox: Why you should watch your weight, Carver, Volume 19, No. 1, 2002.

 

K. K. Ferland, Toughness of Graphs, Proceedings of SSHE-MA, The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association, Volume 4, 2000.

 

K. K. Ferland and F. Luca, Deconstructing Conic Sections, Problems, Number 1587, Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 72, No. 5, December 1999.

 

K. K. Ferland, On the Toughness of Some Generalized Petersen Graphs, ARS Combinatoria 36 (1993), pp. 65-88.

 

P. A. Mayewski, G. Holdsworth, M. J. Spencer, S. Whitlow, M. Twickler, M. C. Morrison, K. K. Ferland, and L. D. Meeker, Ice core sulfate from three Northern Hemisphere sites: Source and temperature forcing implications, Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 27A, No. 17/18, p. 2915-2919, 1993

 

P. A. Mayewski, L. D. Meeker, M. C. Morrison, M. S. Twickler, S. I. Whitlow, K. K. Ferland, D. A. Meese, M. R. Legrand, and J. P. Steffensen, Greenland ice core "signal" characteristics: An expanded view of climate change, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 98, No. D7, p. 12,839-12,847, 20 July 1993

 

Presentations

 

Getting the Cubic Formula and Beyond,

                Department Seminar, Commonwealth University, Spring 2025.

 

Building the Toughest Networks, According to Graph Theory

Presentation, International Conference on Applied Mathematics, Informatics, and Computing Sciences, Ghent,

Belgium, Online, December 2023.

 

Irrational Mount Rushmore,

                Department Seminar, Bloomsburg University, Spring 2022.

 

Conquering the Rubik’s Cube,

                Department Seminar, Bloomsburg University, Fall 2019.

 

Advancing Results in Maximum Toughness,

                Contributed Talk, AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, Baltimore, MD, January 2019.

 

Fitting the Most Words in a Crossword Puzzle,

                Contributed Talk, EPaDel Sectional MAA Meeting, Shippensburg University, PA, November 2017.

 

Keys to a Good (Educational) Song Parody, Invited Talk

                Online Presentation, Virtual Ongoing Interdisciplinary Conferences on Educating with Song, September 2017.

 

Proving the Law of Cosines Like the Pythagorean Theorem,

AMS Sectional Meeting, Hunter College, New York, NY, May 2017

 

The Pi Song Video, YouTube, September 2016

                https://youtu.be/XLK89OXaxz8

 

The Easiest Posssible NY Times Crossword Puzzle

                MAA MathFest, Hartford CT, August 2013.

 

Xwords,

                Mathematics Department Seminar, Bloomsburg University, March 2013.

 

Do-It-Yourself Foreign Language Immersion,

                BU French Club, Bloomsburg University, November 2011.

 

Generalizing the Pythagorean Theorem and Its Proof.

                MAA MathFest, Pittsburgh, PA, August 2010.

 

What Should Adorn Next Year’s Math Contest T-Shirt?,

                Mathematics Department Seminar, Bloomsburg University, February 2010.

 

Toughness Extended to Infinite Graphs,

Contributed Talk, AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, Washington, DC, January 2009.

 

Extending Toughness to Infinite Graphs,

                Contributed Talk, AMS Sectional Meeting, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, April 2007

 

Building the Toughest Networks,

                Contributed Talk, SSHEMA Mathematics Conference, Edinboro University, Meadville, PA, March 2006.

 

Constructing 5-Regular 5/2-Tough Graphs,

Contributed Talk, AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, San Antonio, TX, January 2006.

 

Celebrate Pi Day,

Contributed Presentation, Mathematics and Science Learning Center and NSF CETP-PA Professional Development Day, Bloomsburg University, October 14, 2005.

 

The What, How, and Why of Pi,

                Contributed Talk, SSHEMA Mathematics Conference, Millersville University, Millersville, PA, March 2005.

 

Research Collaboration Between an Undergraduate and a Faculty Member in Mathematics: Graph Theory,

                Mathematics Seminar, Bloomsburg University, February 22, 2005.

 

A Characterization of the Tough Sets for the Generalized Petersen Graphs G(n,2),

                Contributed Talk, AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, Atlanta, GA, January 2005.

 

Maximum Toughness when Edges are Relatively Abundant or Scarce,

Contributed Talk, SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics, Loews Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel, Nashville, TN, June 2004.

 

What is Discrete Mathematics?,

Contributed Talk, SSHEMA Mathematics Conference, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA, March 2004.

 

The Toughest Networks,

                TALE presentation, Blooomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, September 2003.

 

Why Maximum Toughness is Tougher than Maximum Connectivity,

                Contributed Talk, SSHEMA Mathematics Conference, Indiana University, Indiana, PA, March 2003.

 

Nearly Cubic Maximally Tough Graphs

Contributed Talk, Thirty-fourth Southeastern International Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Computing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, March 2003.

 

Maximum Toughness and Nearly Regular Graphs

                Contributed Talk, AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, Baltimore, MD, January 2003.

 

Statistical Surprises and Simpson’s Paradox,

                Invited Talk,  Southern Columbia High School,  Ms. Sock’s class, October 2002.

 

Optimal Networks Have Maximum Toughness,

                Contributed Talk, SSHEMA Mathematics Conference, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA, April 2002.

 

Simpson’s Paradox:  Statistics that make you think,

                Invited Talk,  Southern Columbia High School,  Ms. Jeffrey’s and Mr. Bet’s classes, December 2001.

 

Answers to Your Questions about Maximum Toughness.

Mathematics Seminar, Blooomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, October 2001.

 

The Maximum Toughness of a Graph.

Contributed Talk, Special Session on Combinatorics and Graph Theory, AMS Sectional Meeting, Columbia, SC, March 2001.

 

Graph Theory, Coloring, and the Four Color Theorem,

                Invited Talk, Watsontown Christian Academy, Mrs. Nuss' class, December 2000.

 

Graph Theory:  It's not the theory of graphs of functions.

                Contributed Talk, Bloomsburg University Education Conference, October 2000.

 

Toughness of Graphs

                Contributed Talk, SSHEMA Mathematics Conference, Clarion University, Clarion, PA, April 2000.

 

What is Graph Theory?  It's not the math you hated in high school.

                TALE presentation, Blooomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, April 2000.

 

How tough can graphs be?

Mathematics Seminar, Blooomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, February 2000.

 

Toughness of Generalized Petersen Graphs

                Contributed Talk, AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, Washington, D.C., January 2000.

 

Simpson's Paradox

                Contributed Talk, Bloomsburg University Education Conference, October 1999.

 

What’s so tough about generalized Petersen graphs?

Mathematics Seminar, Blooomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, March 1999.

 

On the RO(G)-Graded Equivariant Ordinary Cohomology of Generalized G-cell Complexes for G = Z/p

                Contributed Talk, AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings, San Antonio, Texas, January 1999.

 

Computing the Homology of Complex Grassmannians the Fast and Easy Way

                Contributed Talk, Syracuse University Graduate Mathematics Conference, March 1998.

 

 

Other Research Activities

 

Certificat de L’Institut de Français, https://www.institutdefrancais.com/, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, 2025

4-week intensive program of 8 hours per day in French, May 26 to June 20, to pursue competence in the French language through classes and immersion.

 

Referee – Mathematics Magazine, Spring 2025

 

PASSHEMA Conference attendee, East Stroudsburg University, Online, February 22, 2025

 

Forum, Corequisites in Mathematics: A Forum for PASSHE, Pearson Publishing, Zoom session, November 9, 2021.

 

Mini Course, Promoting Student Success in College-Level Courses: Designing and Improving Equitable and Effective Corequisite Courses, The University of Texas at Austin, Charles A. Dana Center, 6-week Zoom course, Fall 2021.

 

Referee – Theory and Applications of Graphs, Summer 2021.

 

Penn Cube Day – World Cube Association Rubik’s Cube competition, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, April 2019.

 

Textbook Review for Elementary Number Theory, Pearson, Spring (March) 2019.

 

Textbook Review for For All Practical Purposes, COMAP, Freeman, Macmillan Learning

                11th Edition, August 2019

                11th Edition, Spring 2018

                10th Edition, Summer 2017

                9th Edition, Spring 2013

               

ALEKS Symposium – Training session on adaptive learning software for College Algebra (Math 109) homework, McGraw-Hill Education, 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY, March 2018.

 

Mathematical Reviews Reviewer – Invited to periodical write MR Reviews as a MathSciNet Reviewer, 2017 – Present.

 

Referee – Australasian Journal of Combinatorics, Summer 2016, Summer 2017, Spring 2018.

 

Referee – Mathematics Magazine, Summer 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018.

 

Referee – Journal of Graph Labeling, Fall 2015.

 

Referee – Computer Mathematics, Spring 2013.

 

Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) Researcher,  Summers of  1991 and 1992, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824.

Worked with geologist, Professor Paul Mayewski, and did a statistical analysis of glaciochemical time-series recovered from central Greenland.  This led to two publications.

 

National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, Summer 1990, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609.

Under the direction of Professor Peter Christopher, I did independent research in graph theory.

 

Professional Organizations

 

American Mathematical Society

Mathematics Association of America

Phi Beta Kappa

 

 

UNIVERSITY SERVICE

 

University Sabbatical Committee, 2007-2011, 2013-15, 2019-2026.

 

Math Department Tenure, Promotion, and Sabbatical Committee, 2008-Present, Chair 2012-2016, 2018-Present.

 

Math Department Search and Screen Committee, 2015 – 2017, 2023-Present.

 

Mathematics Curriculum Committee 1999-Present.

 

Math Department Evaluation Committee, 2012 – Present.

 

Math Club Advisor, 2013 – Present.

 

Advisor for the Putnam Exam, 2006 – Present.

 

PRAXIS Review Session, 2005 – Present.

 

APSCUF Grievance Committee, Elected, 2019-2021.

 

Area High School Outreach Organizer, Offering presentations on math careers, 2018-2020.

 

Department of Academic Enrichment Evaluation Committee, Outside Member, 2018-2019

 

Faculty Academic Grievance Board, 2017-2018.

 

BU Honorary Degrees, 2016-2018.

 

General Administration Committee, 2007-2011, 2015-2017

 

University Tenure Committee, 2012 – 2013.

 

Advisor, Mathematical Contest in Modeling and Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling, 1999-2011.

 

BU Planning and Budget Committee, 2010 – 2011.

 

TALE Co-Chair, 2005-2007.

 

Library Advisory Board, 2001-2003, 2003-2004, 2004-2006.

 

Student Recreation Center Governing Board, Faculty Representative, 2002-2003.

 

 

Other Service

 

Student Research Paper Judge – EPADEL Section of the MAA Student Paper Competition 2015-Present.