COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland announced today a $27.2 million gift to the Department of Mathematics to endow the Brin Mathematics Research Center, establish a new Brin Endowed Chair in Mathematics and pilot the Brin Maryland Mathematics Camp for talented high school students in the state.
The gift is the latest from UMD mathematics Professor Emeritus Michael Brin and his wife Eugenia, a retired NASA scientist, who established the Brin Mathematics Research Center in December 2021 with a $4.75 million gift.
"We are always happy to help support the Department of Mathematics at the University of Maryland,” said Michael Brin.
This is the fourth-largest outright gift to the university from an individual and the largest ever to the department.
“Michael and Eugenia Brin believe in the power of research to expand knowledge and solve grand challenges, and we are grateful for their investment,” said university President Darryll J. Pines. “The research at the Brin Mathematics Research Center expands our mathematics and statistics understanding and showcases excellence here at the University of Maryland.”
Housed in the Computer Science Instructional Center, the Brin Mathematics Research Center is a platform for UMD to expand and spotlight its mathematics and statistics research excellence nationally and internationally. The center brings hundreds of mathematicians to the university every year for workshops, summer schools and distinguished lectures. It also fosters interactions among mathematicians from near and far.
“This generous gift from the Brins ensures that the research and scholarship taking place in the Brin Mathematics Research Center will continue for generations to come,” said Amitabh Varshney, dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences. “The additional support for an endowed chair is critical for recruiting and retaining the best faculty members in mathematics, and we’re excited that the summer camp will bring young scholars to College Park to explore our programs and campus.”
Michael and Eugenia Brin, parents to Google co-founder Sergey Brin ’93 (mathematics and computer science) and Samuel Brin ’09 (computer science), have made several significant gifts over the years to support the university’s Department of Mathematics; Department of Computer Science; Russian program; and School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.
The impact of their gifts has been immediate. Since the Brin Mathematics Research Center launched, the University of Maryland rose to become the No. 20 graduate-level math program, and No. 6 among public institutions, according to U.S. News & World Report.
“The Brin Mathematics Research Center makes the University of Maryland a destination for mathematics and statistics research,” said Doron Levy, the center’s director and chair of the Department of Mathematics. “With this transformational gift, we will continue to boost the visibility of our program, attract top faculty and students, and provide our Maryland community with unparalleled educational and research opportunities.”
The new gift includes:
$25 million to endow the Brin Mathematics Research Center and support activities such as visiting scholars, workshops and research
$2 million to establish a new Brin Endowed Chair in Mathematics
$200,000 for the new Brin Maryland Mathematics Camp, a competitive summer camp launching in 2024 for high school students in the state
The Department of Mathematics has over 100 tenured/tenure-track and professional-track faculty members, 650 undergraduate majors and 200 graduate students and teaches over 10,000 students a semester.