After a year of research, travel and teaching that spanned three continents, Dr. Steven Senger, mathematics professor at Missouri State University, has returned to campus.

From Vietnam to Portugal, Scotland and Mexico, Senger’s sabbatical mixed math, language and culture, all while sharing Missouri State with the world.

“What stood out the most was how eager people were to explore ideas and collaborate, no matter where I went,” Senger said.

Traveling across the globe

His sabbatical began in August 2024 and lasted through spring 2025. He taught courses, gave presentations, mentored students, conducted research and engaged in cultural experiences.

In Hanoi, Vietnam, Senger met researchers working on additive combinatorics at the Vietnam Institute for Advanced Studies in Mathematics. While there, he also delivered a seminar on algebra and number theory at the Vietnam National Space Center.

At the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Senger met mathematician Prof. Kenneth Falconer, the researcher who inspired the “geometric measure theory” or “study of fractals” part of his thesis. Shortly after meeting him, he solved a major part of his planar functions project.

“When I met Falconer, he was incredibly kind,” Senger said. “Getting to stroll the Old Course (the world’s oldest golf course) made the visit even more memorable.”

His planar functions project focuses on mathematical mappings that create balance and symmetry, concepts useful in areas like cryptography and design theory.

Later stops on his trip included Austria and Portugal. He also spent time in Mexico with his wife’s family. There, he taught English and arithmetic in Spanish for a day at a one-room schoolhouse in San Isidro El Viejo, a small community in the state of Querétaro.

“I’ve always wanted to lecture in another language. It’s such a powerful way to connect with people,” he said.

The school serves grades one through six with 33 students. It is run by one man who handles everything – teaching, administration, cleaning, maintenance and security.

Bringing it all back home

Now back on campus, Senger is expanding undergraduate research through projects involving the VC-dimension of Hamming graphs and distinct triangles determined in abstract algebraic settings.

The former explores how data points can be separated and classified within mathematical networks. The latter examines geometric patterns formed by points in space, helping students investigate how structure, symmetry and randomness interact in interesting ways.

“I want our students to see that research here reaches across the world,” he said. “When I travel, I’m often the only Missourian people meet, and I’m proud to show them what Missouri State stands for.”

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