Robert Molina

Faculty Profile: Robert Molina

Math professor Robert Molina has a puzzle obsession. From Sudoku to Rubik’s cubes, he has a vast collection of puzzles in his home—and always brings a table-full to the annual math taco dinner.

Mind puzzles are a branch of his expert field, combinatorics, which is the study of discrete (and usually finite) objects. In other words, it deals with arrangement of items such as books on a shelf or numbers in a defined set.

His interest in mathematics began at an early age, but his math preparation in high school was so bad that he had to take a remedial math class in college.

After leaving community college for a job, he chose mathematics as a major when he went back for his bachelor’s degree because he wanted to finish in two years. He planned on teaching high school, but his class was so unruly during student teaching that he jumped on his professor’s suggestion that he go to graduate school.

“I never realized I was that good at math,” he says.

He came to Alma in 1993 and loves working with a wide variety of students.

“I like teaching mathematics in a liberal arts setting,” he says. “I have the opportunity to teach students who might not like math, but end up having fun and learning in the class.”

In his spare time, he likes to hike, collect guitars and stay physically active.

 

The Alma College Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team has won 11 consecutive regional championships. The competition awards the SIFE teams that are most effective in teaching the principles of market economics through outreach projects in their communities. Last year’s team presented 12 projects, including teaching ethics and entrepreneurship skills to students at a juvenile detention center and launching an entrepreneurship competition for students with business ideas.

 

Faculty Profile

Dr. Robert Molina

Dr. Robert Molina
Departments: Mathematics

Math professor Robert Molina has a puzzle obsession. From Sudoku to Rubik’s cubes, he has a vast collection of puzzles in his home—and always brings a table-full to the annual math taco dinner.

Mind puzzles are a branch of his expert field, combinatorics, which is the study of discrete (and usually finite) objects. In other words, it deals with arrangement of items like books on a self, or numbers in a defined set.