Jeremy Muskat

Western alumnus Jeremy Muskat, Ph.D. has been teaching mathematics at Western since 2007. He is a number theorist, and his area of mathematics has many applications in the field of cryptology. Over the years he has become fascinated with how the world secures our internet communication and continues to research this popular area of mathematics.

How did you discover Western?

My best buddy from high school discovered Western and attended the first year after we graduated high school in Buffalo, N.Y. He convinced me and another really good friend to visit during his first summer. We drove out from The Ohio State University and never returned. It was our first time west of the Mississippi River, and our minds were blown away by the landscape, the people and the recreation. We both enrolled in Western a year later and realized that finding an appropriate balance between work and play was important for us to be happy. I am lucky enough to be one of the three of us who was able to stay in the Gunnison Valley.

What are some of the highlights of your career?

I was hired at Western in 2007. It was a homecoming, and I was able to work with my undergraduate advisor Heidi Keck, who became my colleague. Highlights happen every May when I participate in commencement; it is amazing to see how far our graduates come and how attached we get to them.

What most excites you about your field?

I am a generalist at heart and truly love mathematics and all I have learned and discovered in the field. I am super excited to share that with students and enjoy relating it at a level that they relate to. As a number theorist, my area of mathematics has many applications in the field of cryptology. Over the years I have become fascinated with how the world secures our internet communication and continue to research this popular area of mathematics.

What is your favorite thing about the Gunnison Valley?

Endless entertainment right out your front door.

Courses Taught:

• MATH 099: Intermediate Algebra
• HTWR 100: Headwaters
• MATH 140: College Algebra
• MATH 141: Precalculus
• MATH 151: Calculus I
• MATH 220: Introduction to Advanced Mathematics
• MATH 251: Calculus II
• MATH 252: Calculus III
• MATH 330: Modern Geometry
• MATH 360: Linear Algebra
• MATH 380: Introduction to Cryptography
• MATH 397: Special Topics; Introduction to Graph Theory
• MATH 397: Special Topics; Computational Mathematics
• MATH 451: Real Analysis
• MATH 471: Abstract Algebra
• MATH 495: Senior Seminar

Publications:

“Securing the Vote, Bolstering Election Confidence via Encryption”. Math Horizons 2024

“Elliptic Curve Cryptography”. Parabola 2018

“The Local and Global Zeta Functions of Gauss’s Curve”. Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics 2015

“Alternating Group Covers of the Affine Line”. Israel Journal of Mathematics 2009