As Paul Dougall ’20 feverishly scribbles advanced mathematical definitions and proofs across a chalkboard, he presents his work and fields questions from three faculty members in the College’s Department of Mathematics. The weekly seminar is part of his capstone project for the BA / MA program in mathematics—a unique opportunity for highly motivated students to graduate with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics simultaneously.
“If you discuss the option with your advisor freshman year and are invited to join Theory of Sets—the course that determines whether or not they let you into the program—you can graduate with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in four years. It’s one of the few programs in the entire country that offers that. It’s really a great opportunity,” Dougall said.
Under the guidance of Dr. Cheryl Miller, the SUNY Potsdam alumnus studied algebraic structures through the lens of mathematical logic. “My seminar was on universal algebras, basically, building off of set theory and logic. It was fantastic. I really loved everything Dr. Miller did. She worked hard to make sure I was on task, but she also lets me figure things out on my own, which is a big part of the BA / MA program,” he said.
"All the professors in the mathematics department really are out of this world! They’re all understanding, especially with the BA / MA students who are really pushing themselves," Dougall said.
Several years earlier, during Calculus II, Dr. Cornelia Yuen helped set Dougall on his current academic path. Although the course was challenging at first, he sought her advice and guidance—an effort that proved transformative. “I ended up doing very well in the course. The way she presented information is very structured and detail-oriented, and I absolutely love that,” he said.
Dougall is a true Renaissance man. In addition to earning dual degrees in mathematics, he also pursued a bachelor’s degree in music business and completed an internship at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where he applied his skills in data and statistical analysis.
“I learned so much! I was doing a lot of work with Google Analytics, on their website, and tracking the organization’s social media accounts to see how they performed,” he said. “It was out of this world! After this internship, I realized that I could incorporate my love of music and my love of math and bring them together.”
On campus, Dougall embraced leadership roles, serving as a Resident Assistant and helping students adjust to college life by connecting them with essential resources. He also worked as a tutor in the math lab. “I’ve always been drawn to helping other people. That’s why I got into tutoring at the math lab. I also used to be a TRiO tutor. Throughout high school and college, I was the person that my friends came to for help, and I was always more than willing to help them,” he said.
Outside the classroom, Dougall enjoys writing music, playing guitar and piano, and indulging his passion as a self-proclaimed movie fanatic. He was also a regular at the Maxcy Hall Fitness Center. “I’m big into lifting. I have an appreciation for working hard and really pushing my body to its limits. I think that applies both physically and mentally,” he said.
Where does all that hard work come from? He points to parents who dedicated their time and resources to push him and his siblings to reach their full potential. “Both of them are engineers, but my mom decided to leave work to be a stay-at-home mom to raise us. She would read to us every single night and help us with math homework. My dad worked his butt off his entire life, and he has done more than I can fathom. He’s saved up tens of thousands of dollars for each of us to help pay for college, and that’s money that he could be putting towards retirement. They really did everything they could to help us. I appreciate everything they’ve done,” he said.
After graduating from SUNY Potsdam, Dougall enrolled at Clarkson University, where he is now finishing his Ph.D. in Mathematics. In September 2024, he accepted a job at Health Research, Inc. in Syracuse, N.Y., conducting bioinformatics research that applies machine learning to sequencing data. His academic and professional momentum began with a solid foundation at SUNY Potsdam.
“Potsdam really is a special place," Dougall said. "All the professors want you to succeed and want to do everything they can to make you stand out in a crowd and better yourself. It really is an amazing school."
For more information about the Department of Mathematics, visit: https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/depts/math
Article and photos by Jason Hunter
Dougall is the recipient of two scholarships: the Susan Portugal Statistics and Business Award as well as the Vasily Cateforis Scholarship.
