Leah Buck will begin her junior year this fall. However, she doesn’t have far to go to return to campus – the mathematics major from Zanesville, Ohio spent most of her summer working on campus with Dr. Richard Daquila, Professor of Mathematics.
Leah has been working with Dr. Daquila to find a Universal Algebraic Differential Equation. She explains that it’s “basically a differential equation whose solution can be used to approximate any continuous function.” Leah and Daquila have found the equation and are now writing a paper explaining their research.
The opportunity to research on campus became available to Leah because of the relationship she’d built with Dr. Daquila – she worked for him grading papers and expressed her interest in “learning the ins and outs of mathematical research.” She adds, however, that the opportunity was really available to her because of “the fact that Muskingum has faculty members, like Dr. Daquila, who are willing to work on projects with students.”
For Leah, it was a visit to campus on Scholarship Day that cemented her love for Muskingum, but the close-knit community and “phenomenal faculty…[who] are always willing – and often excited – to help students with academic work and planning their careers” first drew her to the University.
Many – but not all – of Leah’s campus activities center around her major and minor (English). She is a member of several academic honoraries and tutors math students in the Student Success Center. However, she’s found an outlet away from academics, as well: she plays on the Ultimate Frisbee team.
Leah, a campus tour guide, offers sound advice to students in the midst of their college search: “Be sure to visit the campus; can you picture yourself living there? Don't let any of your questions go unanswered. Your tour guides and the admissions staff are there to help you with choosing a school and the admissions process. Set up a meeting with a faculty member in your area of study so you can meet the people you could be working with and learning from for the next few years. This is also a great way to learn about the career opportunities afforded by your area of study.”