Education

• PhD in Mathematics, 2000, Duke University
• MA in Mathematics, 1997, Duke University
• BS Mathematics, 1994, University of Chicago

Teaching Interests

• General education courses in math and computational design (MATH 103, ISCI 104, UNST 300)
• STEM Calculus with Functions (MATH 231-232)
• Pure math courses for majors, most especially Discrete/Proofs (MATH 245) and Graph Theory (MATH 353)

Service and Activities

• JMU Haynes Scholars RLC program
• JMU Experimental Mathematics Lab (JEM Lab)
• JMU 3SPACE Classroom
• Illustrating Mathematics Steering Committee

Research Areas

• Algebraic geometry, knot theory, graph theory
• Algebraic and combinatorial analysis of games and puzzles
• Computational generative design and patterning

Publications

Lucas, Stephen K., and Laura Taalman. "Ideal spatial graph configurations." Journal of Mathematics and the Arts (2022): 1-12. doi.org/10.1080/17513472.2022.2081047

Lucas, Stephen K., Evelyn Sander, Laura Taalman. "Modeling Dynamical Systems for 3D Printing." The Best Writing on Mathematics 2021 19 (2022): 82-107. doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1nwbr15.11

Antonsen, Roger, and Laura Taalman. "Categorizing Celtic Knot Designs." In Bridges 2021 Conference Proceedings, pp. 87-94. Tessellations Publishing, 2021.

Lucas, Stephen K., Evelyn Sander, and Laura Taalman. "Modeling Dynamical Systems for 3D Printing." Notices of the American Mathematical Society (2020), Vol. 67, No.11: 1692-1705. doi.org/10.1090/noti2187

Taalman, Laura, and Carolyn Yackel. "Wallpaper Patterns for Lattice Designs." In Bridges 2020 Conference Proceedings, pp. 223-230. Tessellations Publishing, 2020.

Eget, Abigail, Stephen K. Lucas, and Laura Taalman. "Optimizing Morton's Tritangentless Knots for Rolling." In Proceedings of Bridges 2020: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Education, Culture, pp. 367-370. 2020.

Crews, Madeline, Brant Jones, Kaitlyn Myers, Laura Taalman, Michael Urbanski, and Breeann Wilson. "Opportunity costs in the game of best choice." Electronic Journal of Combinatorics, 2019, Vol. 26, No.1. doi.org/10.37236/8322

Kim, Seong Ju, Ryan Stees, and Laura Taalman. "Sequences of Spiral Knot Determinants." J. Integer Seq. 19, no. 1 (2016): article 16.1.4.

Arnold, Elizabeth, Rebecca Field, John Lorch, Stephen Lucas, and Laura Taalman. "Nest graphs and minimal complete symmetry groups for magic Sudoku variants." The Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics 45, no. 3 (2015): 887-901. doi.org/10.1216/rmj-2015-45-3-887

Lanphier, Dominic, and Laura Taalman. "Heartless Poker." The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects: Research in Recreational Math (2015): 149. 

Jones, Brant, Laura Taalman, and Anthony Tongen. "Solitaire Mancala games and the Chinese remainder theorem." The American Mathematical Monthly 120, no. 8 (2013): 706-724. doi.org/10.4169/amer.math.monthly.120.08.706

Taalman, L., A. Tongen, B. Warren, F. Wyrick-Flax, and I. Yoon. "Mancala matrices." The College Mathematics Journal 44, no. 4 (2013): 273-283. doi.org/10.4169/college.math.j.44.4.273

Arnold, Elizabeth, Rebecca Field, Stephen Lucas, and Laura Taalman. "Minimal complete Shidoku symmetry groups." Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, Vol. 87, Nov. 2013.

Brothers, N., S. Evans, L. Taalman, L. Van Wyk, D. Witczak, and C. Yarnall. "Spiral knots." Missouri Journal of Mathematical Sciences 22, no. 1 (2010): 10-18. doi.org/10.35834/mjms/1312232716

Arnold, Elizabeth, Stephen Lucas, and Laura Taalman. "Gröbner basis representations of sudoku." The College Mathematics Journal 41, no. 2 (2010): 101-112. doi.org/10.4169/074683410x480203

Breiland, Anna-Lisa, Layla Oesper, and Laura Taalman. "p-Coloring classes of torus knots." Missouri Journal of Mathematical Sciences 21, no. 2 (2009): 120-126. doi.org/10.35834/mjms/1316027244

Taalman, Laura. "An exact sequence of weighted Nash complexes." Illinois Journal of Mathematics 52, no. 2 (2008): 591-610. doi.org/10.1215/ijm/1248355352

Brownell, Kathryn, Kaitlyn O'Neil, and Laura Taalman. "Counting m-coloring classes of knots and links." Pi Mu Epsilon Journal (2006): 265-278.

Taalman, Laura, and Eugénie Hunsicker. "Simplicity is not Simple: Tessellations and Modular Architecture." Math Horizons 10, no. 1 (2002): 5-9. doi.org/10.1080/10724117.2002.11974601

Taalman, Laura. "The Nash sheaf of a complete resolution." manuscripta mathematica 106, no. 2 (2001): 249-270. doi.org/10.1007/s002290100206

(for books and other publications see this link)