Katharine A. Ott
Thomas Sowell Professor of Mathematics
Associations
Mathematics Department Chair
About
Katharine Ott joined Bates College in 2014. She graduated from Middlebury College in 2003 and completed her Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Virginia in 2008. Katy spent three years as an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow and an additional three years as an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky before returning to Maine (she grew up in Cumberland, ME).
Katy’s research interests lie in the area of intersection of Harmonic Analysis and Partial Differential Equations. She is also engaged in promoting mathematics to a diverse audience through writing aimed at the general public and outreach activities.
At Bates, Katy teaches courses across the math curriculum including Calculus, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Mathematics for Social Justice, and senior seminars on Mathematical Exposition and Series.
Expertise
Current Courses
Winter Semester 2026
Calculus I
While the word calculus originally meant any method of calculating, it has come to refer more specifically to the fundamental ideas of differentiation and integration that were first developed in the seventeenth century. The subject's early development was intimately connected with understanding rat…
Calculus II
A continuation of Calculus I. Further techniques of integration, both symbolic and numerical, are studied. The course then treats applications of integration to problems drawn from fields such as physics, biology, chemistry, economics, and probability. Differential equations and their applications a…
Senior Thesis
Prior to entrance into MATH 458, students must submit a proposal for the work they intend to undertake toward completion of a thesis. Open to all majors upon approval of the proposal. Required of candidates for honors. Students register for MATH 458 in the winter semester.
Fall Semester 2026
Calculus II
A continuation of Calculus I. Further techniques of integration, both symbolic and numerical, are studied. The course then treats applications of integration to problems drawn from fields such as physics, biology, chemistry, economics, and probability. Differential equations and their applications a…
Linear Algebra
Vectors and matrices are introduced as devices for the solution of systems of linear equations with many variables. Although these objects can be viewed simply as algebraic tools, they are better understood by applying geometric insight from two and three dimensions. This leads to an understanding o…
Multivariable Calculus
This course extends the ideas of Calculus I and II to deal with functions of more than one variable. While calculations make straightforward use of the techniques of single-variable calculus, more effort must be spent in developing a conceptual framework for understanding curves and surfaces in high…
Real Analysis
An introduction to the foundations of mathematical analysis, this course presents a rigorous treatment of fundamental concepts such as limits, continuity, differentiation, and integration. Elements of the topology of the real numbers are also covered. Prerequisite(s): MATH 205, 206, and 221.
Senior Thesis
Prior to entrance into MATH 457, students must submit a proposal for the work they intend to undertake toward completion of a thesis. Open to all majors upon approval of the proposal. Required of candidates for honors. Students register for MATH 457 in the fall semester.