Storybook Saga
Build a team of classic heroes to take on classic villains in this combo-building dice manipulation game!
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Math and Games
A potent pairing of scintillating subjects!
I am an assistant professor of mathematics at Dakota State University, where I strive to make complicated mathematics both simple and exciting for my students. My research interests lie in combinatorics and graph theory, particularly latin squares, Steiner triple systems, graph decompositions, and graph labelings. I love to include undergraduates in my research projects, so feel free to reach out if you are interested! I also love board games and spend many date nights with my wife taming the red planet in Terraforming Mars or blowing up the Death Star in Star Wars: Rebellion. In addition to playing games, I have designed several of my own, some of which can be found on BoardGameGeek.
Current Research Projects
While I am open to any research questions related to discrete mathematics, the following topics have especially captured my interest.
Board Games
I have designed a number of board games, the following of which are publicly available.
7th Inning Stretch
A unique solo card-drafting and dice-chucking baseball game where you get to be the whole organization --- GM, manager, and players --- as you build your team, set your lineups, and then play out the final innings of a few key games each season. If you do well enough in these regular season games, you can qualify for the playoffs and earn a chance to bring home the ultimate prize!
Featuring engine-building and push-your-luck mechanisms paired with a nostalgic 20th-century baseball card aesthetic - not to mention a special duel mode where you and a friend can play out a full 9-inning game in under an hour - 7th Inning Stretch allows you to chase all of your childhood baseball dreams without breaking a sweat!
Coast to Coast
A thrifty European client is looking for a travel agent to book their dream American road trip. You will compete to provide the best itinerary, reaching as many iconic locations as possible while minimizing travel costs.
Polyhedral Park Planner
The biggest board gaming convention in the world is coming to your city, and local leaders want to develop a new city park to celebrate the event. You must manage the limited budget of city hall and the restrictions of the proposed park site as you decide where to plant trees, lay paths, dig lakes, and build benches. The park planner that pleases the most people will win the bid and be honored at the opening ceremony of the convention.
Winner of the 2019 Gen Cant Design Contest!
College Football Rankings
I have created a unique ranking system for college football that utilizes ideas from graph theory and linear algebra. Click on the following links to learn more about this system and see its rankings for selected seasons.
- Background and explanation
- 2025
- Previous Seasons