There is a black composition notebook in a locked drawer in Catherine’s father’s study and located within its pages is a secret she has been hiding for years.

A mathematical proof.

More importantly, a new proof, something that will change the course of mathematics forever — but disregard the details. In David Auburn’s play “Proof,” running at Everyman Theatre, the actual math does not matter, but the people it brings together certainly do.

Directed by Baltimore native Paige Hernandez, “Proof” tells the story of Catherine, a 25-year-old woman struggling to come to terms with her genius mathematician father’s death. Catherine, played by Katie Kleiger, has inherited her own mathematical ability from her father, Robert, and wonders if she will face the same illness that made him go “bughouse” (as he puts it) towards the end of his life.

Robert, played by Bruce Randolph Nelson, leaves behind hundreds and hundreds of black composition notebooks upon his death, chronicling the work he did through the lucid and not-so-lucid moments leading up to his death. One of Robert’s former students, Hal, played by Jeremy Keith Hunter, takes it upon himself to search through these books to see if he can find any glimpses of genius — and a way into Catherine’s heart.

Catherine, however, is preoccupied with her own black composition notebook located in her father’s study— one that holds a proof she has been working on for years. When she allows Hal to find it, he does not believe she wrote it, sparking a conversation about how women are recognized — or not — for their contributions to male-dominated fields.

Complicating the emotional landscape even more is Catherine’s older sister Claire, played by Megan Anderson, who wants Catherine to move with her to New York. Concerned that Catherine has missed out on normal early adulthood, Claire encourages Catherine to go back to school and maybe even see a specialist to help her work through the years she lost taking care of her ailing father.

Anderson starred as Catherine in Everyman Theatre’s 2003 production of “Proof” in what the theatre calls her “breakout role,” but she slides seamlessly into the character of the older sister. Kleiger and Anderson have great onstage chemistry, and their exchanges take on the exasperated tone of two siblings who have known each other forever and know the other will not change.

We never get to hear the proof that everyone is so enamored with, and we do not even really get an explanation as to why it is so revolutionary. But in a play in which every character has their own personal motivations and beliefs, it hardly matters. “Proof” is not about the math. It is about the people.

“Proof” is running through Oct. 6 at the Everyman Theatre. Everyman features a $10 student rush for B location seating 30 minutes before every scheduled performance and is offered to those with a valid student ID. Additionally, all Sunday evening performances are $10 for students in B location seating with a valid ID. Full price tickets can be purchased for $43-$52.

Photo credit: Catherine (Katie Kleiger, left) sits opposite her father, Robert (Bruce Randolph Nelson, right), on their back porch. Photo by DJ Corey Photography and courtesy of Everyman Theatre.

U.S. News & World Report rankings announced today affirm that UMBC’s strength in teaching and innovation go hand in hand. UMBC is once again a leader on two closely-watched lists, ranked the #9 most innovative university and #12 top university for undergraduate teaching in the nation. 

“We are encouraged by our success in these rankings,” says UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski. “Our standing reflects the respect that colleagues at universities across the country have for the quality of teaching and innovation at UMBC.”

The university appears on these innovation and teaching lists alongside universities like MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, and Dartmouth. UMBC is the only university in Maryland to appear in the top 20 on either list.

“UMBC’s continued recognition affirms our unwavering commitment to delivering a top-notch education,” says Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, health science and policy, vice provost of enrollment management and planning.

The UMBC experience

U.S. News also recognized UMBC as the #79 top public university in the nation and one of the country’s Best Value colleges, as well as a top university for ethnic diversity and for veterans. Still, numbers don’t tell the whole story.

“UMBC is unique in that we are pushed to have agency over our own journey throughout our time here,” says Vrinda Deshpande ‘20, biological sciences, president of UMBC’s Student Government Association. 

“I’ve experienced this firsthand in so many aspects of campus,” Deshpande explains. “On the social side, it’s student organizations planning every detail of their events that create our exciting campus life. On the academic side, it’s professors that emphasize the use of peer-led review sessions and group discussions. We, as undergraduates, have the power and autonomy to build the campus around ourselves.”

Katharine H. Cole, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, echoes this feeling. “We are delighted that UMBC was recognized for our extraordinary undergraduate educational experience,” she says. “This external recognition reflects our inclusive learning environment, which provides students with broad perspectives and innovative experiences that empower them to shape the future.”

Top engineering programs

In addition to the overall rankings, this year’s publication highlights the nation’s top engineering programs. UMBC appears on the list at #93, tied with the University of Alabama, Tulane, Villanova, and Texas Tech. 

Keith J Bowman, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT), shares that faculty, staff, and students have been hard at work, making the most of new opportunities brought by the College’s growth. “We have hired twenty-one full-time faculty across the past two years that will help us continue to produce outstanding engineering and computing graduates who help fulfill the workforce and research demands of our region.”

COEIT also continues to grow its connections with UMBC’s College of Natural and Mathematical Science and College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Faculty in all three colleges are collaborating on creative and impactful research in UMBC’s brand new Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building. The facility offers innovative features that set it apart as a space for learning and discovery.

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Tradition of impact and achievement

For Karl Steiner, vice president for research, the latest U.S. News rankings recognize UMBC’s long tradition of innovation and research with impact.

“At UMBC we take pride in our culture of inclusive excellence,” says Steiner. “Here, undergraduate and graduate students, representing the diversity of the communities we serve, work closely together to address some of today’s most pressing societal and technological issues while creating new economic opportunities in the state. Our research motto ‘Innovation that Matters’ provides exciting opportunities for our students to succeed.”

Beyond U.S. News, the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education college rankings also recently recognized UMBC as one of the top 300 universities in the nation. This came just a few months after Times Higher Education’s new impact ranking named UMBC #3 in the nation for achieving social and economic impact.

“It is not surprising that UMBC is ranked so highly as it is this type of societal and economic impact that is at the very core of UMBC’s mission and values,” said Vice Provost Cole, when the news was announced. “This is a place where people are committed to taking on global challenges to make the world a better place.”

Internationally, UMBC was recently ranked in the top 3.3% of universities worldwide by the Center for World University Rankings. Earlier in the summer, Q3 World University Rankings 2020 named UMBC one of the top universities in the world for faculty research. 

See UMBC’s full profile on the U.S. News website. See additional rankings on UMBC News.

Featured image: Orientation Peer Advisors celebrate the start of a new school year. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC. 

Video produced by Corey Jennings ’10 for UMBC.