JESSIE GAMBRELL
STAFF WRITER

The late Professor Radhika Ramamurthi was considered a great woman who benefited CSUSM in many ways.

She helped graduate students with their theses, as well as improving the Faculty Center to be more of a community atmosphere for our faculty here on campus.

“Radhika was so well-respected. She worked tirelessly in the Faculty Center. She made a mark on this campus. She was a very accomplished person, and her sense of humor could just break a logjam. She was a real problem solver; a mover and shaker,” Professor at the College of Education, Health and Human Services, Janet McDaniel said.

Professor Ramamurthi got her B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Delhi, India in 1993 and her Master’s in Operations Research in 1995. In 2001, she got her Ph.D. Specialization: Graph Theory from the University of Illinois followed by her Postdoc at UCSD.

In the fall of 2002, she came to CSUSM where she began working in the Mathematics Department. That same semester, she started up the Hypatians, a mentoring program in mathematics intended for women. She also organized the Mathematics Colloquium, which promotes collegiality and intellectual engagement for various disciplines.

From fall 2004 to spring 2008, she was a part of the Academic Senate. In the academic year of 2007 – 2008, she was the chair of NEAC. In the fall of 2008, she was promoted to Associate Professor and received tenure. From fall 2009 to early spring 2011, she held the position of Director of the Faculty Center.

“She was very straight forward and to the point; no nonsense. She was always happy and upbeat and very approachable during office hours. She was never afraid to speak her mind and was very inspirational as a mathematician,” Professor Joshua Lovelace said.

“We are going to miss her so much—her energy and enthusiasm. She had a passion for teaching, learning and math. She was a champion of the idea of structuring the Faculty Center in such a way to serve the faculty,” Professor Amber Puha said.

“She cared about people. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for her. She kicked my butt, and [my thesis] came out pretty good. She was a wonderful person and I owe her a lot,” student Gina Sanders said.

Professor Ramamurthi passed away on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 after a long battle with bone cancer. Her first encounter with the cancer was in 2005. After successfully battling the disease, it came back in 2010. In her passing, she is survived by her husband, Professor Andre Kungden, and seven year old daughter, Mira.

A campus-wide memorial will be held in her honor on Friday, Feb. 17, location TBA. For more information, email Dr. Marie Thomas at: [email protected].