From a young age, recent Millsaps graduate Andrew Lott knew he wanted to become a mathematician.
After graduating from high school in Jackson, Mississippi, Lott’s path took him to the University of Washington, which is known for its mathematics program.
Two years into his studies, Lott moved back to Jackson and studied online during the COVID-19 pandemic. He began to look at his options around Jackson, and a Millsaps College admission counselor connected Lott to Dr. Alex Rice, associate professor of mathematics.
“Dr. Rice immediately recognized my interest in math,” Lott said.
While Lott was certainly interested in Millsaps, the personal attention he received from Rice stood out in comparison to his prior experience at a large university.
“I was intrigued by the individual attention I received from Dr. Rice,” Lott said. “No professor in Seattle had taken such interest in me.”
After Lott committed to transferring to Millsaps, Rice offered Lott a spot in his summer mathematics research program. The program was one of many formative experiences for Lott at Millsaps.
“It was a great experience because we all became mathematicians and did original research in math,” Lott said.
“Some problems would take 20-30 minutes to solve, but some would take hours or even weeks. There were some problems we weren’t able to solve, and two of the papers we wrote about those problems were published.”
The research experience also gave Lott the opportunity to present his findings at six public presentations, including a presentation at the INTEGERS 2023 professional disciplinary conference at the University of Georgia. His presentation at the INTEGERS 2023 conference gave him the unique opportunity to present his findings to and receive feedback from combinatorics and number theory experts from around the world.
In addition to presenting his research, Lott won first place in the annual Louisiana/Mississippi section of the Math Association of America competition two years in a row, and was awarded the “Best Overall Thesis and Presentation” by the Millsaps Phi Beta Kappa chapter at the annual Honors Research Conference and best presentation at the Millsaps Beta Beta Beta research symposium.
Lott, who looked to Rice as a mentor during his time at Millsaps, is grateful for the support and opportunities he’s received at Millsaps.
“Dr. Rice is the most impactful teacher I’ve ever had. He led me through several years of undergraduate research, an honors project, directed studies, competitions, conferences and applications. Without him, it would not have been possible for me to accomplish so much. He has been with me every step of the way.”
Rice is equally thankful Lott decided to transfer to Millsaps.
“There is no doubt that Andrew is a brilliant and dedicated student,” Rice said. “But, spend two minutes with him and it is not his aptitude that sticks with you the most.”
“It is the way he truly, genuinely loves this stuff. I have never seen a face more consistently and dramatically light up during class and conversations the way Andrew’s does. Plus, his diligence and enthusiasm are infectious. He organizes study groups, helps struggling classmates one-on-one and encourages universal engagement during lecture. Many of the things I try so hard to foster from the instructor role, Andrew has managed to achieve as a peer.”
While his courses and academic research took up much of his time, Lott was also involved on campus with the Millsaps chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and the chess club. The community of friends he found at Millsaps was his favorite thing about the college.
This fall, Lott will be pursuing a Ph.D. in math at the University of Georgia. He already has five years of guaranteed funding for the program. His dream is to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Rice, and become a math professor.
“I want to teach and research just like Dr. Rice,” Lott said.
“A Ph.D. program was a distant dream before I came to Millsaps, and I hope to help students achieve their goals in the same way Dr. Rice and Millsaps helped me.”