Ezra A. “Bud” Brown, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Mathematics in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emeritus title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive an emeritus certificate from the university.

A member of the university community since 1969, Brown made significant contributions to number theory and related areas of mathematics. He has received six national writing awards from the Mathematical Association of America and his extensive professional service was recognized with the first Sister Helen Christensen Service Award from the Mathematical Association of America.

At Virginia Tech, many have benefited from his mentoring and support, including 22 faculty colleagues who received awards for teaching, advising, or outreach, as well as 17 undergraduate research students, 28 master’s degree students, two Ph.D. students, several Honors Scholars, and more than 50 Department of Defense summer interns.

Brown’s passion for teaching has been recognized with the university’s Omicron Delta Kappa G. Burke Johnston Award, an Edward S. Diggs Teaching Scholar Award, a William E. Wine Award, and a Mathematical Association of America MD-DC-VA Section John M. Smith Award.

He has also given extraordinary service to the university, particularly in the area of curriculum development and on leadership search committees. He served eight years as a member of and two years as chair of the Commission on Undergraduate Studies and Policies.

Brown earned a bachelor’s degree from Rice University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Louisiana State University, all in mathematics.

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