Modeling the Power of Connection
With a talent for making collaboration and learning tools more accessible, Alexei Kolesnikov, Ph.D., is expanding the power and reach of undergraduate research
When Alexei Kolesnikov, Ph.D., was in middle school, fellow students called him “Professor,” a fitting nickname for a kid who frequently and enthusiastically spoke up in class.
Now, an actual, tenured professor, Kolesnikov heads the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry, creating a conduit of discovery for students as curious and enthusiastic as he.
Seeing and Developing Talent
“In my role, I work with directors from every academic discipline, as well as the Office of Development, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Division of University Marketing and Communication,” he says. “We have students doing amazing things, with dedicated faculty supporting them.”
We have students doing amazing things, with dedicated faculty supporting them.
Alexei Kolesnikov
Kolesnikov notes that the student body at Towson University is rife with talent, including students who may not yet realize their potential to achieve on a high level. A big part of the support he offers is seeing each student as an individual and helping them believe in themselves.
A Collegial Environment that Stands Out
Kolesnikov is an expert in mathematics, specializing in an area of theoretical mathematics called model theory, as well as applications to machine learning and approximation theory. After completing his post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan, he seriously explored joining several institutions of higher education. But, he says, TU stood out for its commitment to liberal arts, its courses, and the workplace culture.
“I really liked the mathematics department from the start,” he recalls.
“On my job interview day, we went to lunch with about 12 faculty members in Newell Hall. Everyone was chatting, catching up with one another. It was clear that they enjoyed working together.”
Driving Technologies to Make Academics More Accessible
Working together, Kolesnikov realizes, is also essential for students. With that in mind, he installed a WeBWorK server at TU. The server enables students to complete homework assignments online and get feedback in real time from other students working on similar challenges.
Blind students were getting steered away from technical courses, which was unfair to skilled people in these fields. Now, a faculty member can produce Braille copies of their own notes for students who need them, quickly and affordably.
Alexei Kolesnikov
He also took part in developing a system for translating mathematical instruction to Braille. Before the Raised Mathematics Project, students with sight impairments would have to work with an institution’s accessibility service for months to get a textbook translated. The cost of these translations typically ran into tens of thousands of dollars.
“Blind students were getting steered away from technical courses, which was unfair to skilled people in these fields,” Kolesnikov says. “Now, a faculty member can produce Braille copies of their own notes for students who need them, quickly and affordably.”
Inspiring a Love of Learning
“Our students don’t just take classes and leave,” Kolesnikov says.
He keeps in contact with several of his former mathematics students who have blossomed into successful, mid-career professionals who return to field questions from current students.
I want to introduce what I find enjoyable to as many people as possible.
Alexei Kolesnikov
The graduates assure them that no matter how tough their studies and workload can be at times, faculty members like Kolesnikov are there to support them and help them grow.
Kolesnikov's enduring investment in student development and success isn't just apparent at TU. In 2025, he was awarded the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents Faculty Award for Mentoring.
Building and maintaining a community fits the role of a professor whose love of his field is balanced with his affinity for those who want to learn. “I want to introduce what I find enjoyable to as many people as possible,” he says.
The Raised Mathematics Project
During his tenure, Kolesnikov helped implement a system to translate mathematical instruction to Braille, using Rob Beezer's approach combining PreTeXt, Liblouis and Speech Rule Engine tools to produce Braille versions of mathematics textbooks.
Graphics are converted by first translating elements into braille (i.e. numbers, Greek letters, chart labels). Then black boxes are placed over those elements so that the braille labels can be added in correctly.
The entire image is then scaled to fit on a piece of paper and is exported into a temporary SVG file. In the SVG file, the black boxes are replaced with those previously created braille labels. When that's done, the file is converted to a PDF, and the Braille fonts are un-embedded. Finally, it is sent to the embosser for print.
(1) A figure from "Abstract Algebra: Theory and Applications" by Thomas W. Judson that is an example of mappings and relations. (2) The braille translation of the textbook figure.
Figure 4.2.5. of Riemann sums using right endpoints and midpoints in "Active Calculus" by Matthew Boelkins.
The figure translated into braille.
Images courtesy of David Austin and Bill Casselman.
