GVSU College of Computing

Professor, Department of Mathematics
 

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (616) 331-3745
Office: MAK C-2-415

Education

Ph.D., Mathematics, University of Pennsylvania
M.SE, Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania
M.A., Mathematics, University of Pennsylvania
B.A., Mathematics, Cornell University
       Magna Cum Laude with Distinction in All Subjects

Dr. William Dickinson is a professor whose work bridges the worlds of mathematics and computer science, with a particular focus on discrete and computational geometry. His research explores geometric problems that can be solved or visualized through computational techniques, often leading to elegant visual insights and algorithmic solutions. A significant portion of Dr. Dickinson’s work has involved the development and use of technology to deepen his student’s understanding of geometry. He is the co-creator of Spherical Easel, an open-source, web-based tool for teaching, learning, and researching spherical geometry. He is currently developing a complementary tool, Hyperbolic Easel, during a sabbatical at Hope College. His earlier research includes a high-performance computing project that examined optimal packings of small numbers of circles on flat tori and Klein bottles, a problem that required evaluating trillions of combinatorial embeddings. Dedicated to mentoring, Dr. Dickinson has guided 59 undergraduate students through research and capstone projects in both mathematics and computer science. Many of these collaborations have resulted in student co-authored publications and presentations. His teaching career spans nearly three decades, and in 2022, he expanded his teaching portfolio to include introductory programming. He now aims to teach mid-level computer science electives, such as computer graphics. Dr. Dickinson has received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency to support undergraduate research, as well as an NSF high-performance computing award for his work on toroidal graph embeddings. Outside the classroom, he enjoys learning to play the piano, baking, and is in the process of setting up a woodshop to pursue furniture design and woodworking.

Recognition

• Distinguished Undergraduate Mentoring Award – February 2018 
• University Pew Teaching with Technology Award – February 2006

• Dulimarta, H. S., & Dickinson, W. Spherical Easel Remote Script Execution. The Institute for Innovations in Computer Science and Computing Engineering Research (IICSER), International Conference on Advances in Computing Research (ACR '25), Nice, France, 2025 
• Dulimarta, H. S., & Dickinson, W. (2024). Composite Command Pattern for Managing Spherical Geometry Constructions. Athens Journal of Technology and Engineering, 11(4), 2024, doi: 10.30958/ajte.11-4-1 
• Dulimarta, H. S., & Dickinson, W. Spherical Easel: an Open-Source Web Application Modeling Spherical Geometry. Third International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technology (ICECET 2023), Capetown, South Africa. 
• Periodic Planar Disk Packings, with Dr. Robert Connelly (Cornell University), Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences Vol. 372 , No. 2008 (2014) DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2012.0039 
• The Geometry of Compact Homogeneous Spaces with Two Isotrophy Summands, with Dr. Megan Kerr (Wellesley College), Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry, Vol. 34, No. 4 (2008), 329-350.

• Optimal Packings of Two to Four Equal Circles on Any Flat Torus, with students Madeline Brandt, Hanson Smith, AnnaVictoria Ellsworth, and Jennifer Kenkel, Discrete Mathematics Vol. 342 , No. 12 (2019) DOI:10.1016/j.disc.2019.111597 
• Optimal Packings Of Up To 6 Equal Circles On A Triangular Flat Torus, with students Anna (Castelaz) Keaton, Daniel Gulliot, and Sandi Xhumari. Journal of Geometry, Vol. 102, No. 1-2 (2012), 27-51, DOI: 10.1007/s00022-011-0099-6. 
• Optimal Packings Of Up To 5 Equal Circles On A Square Flat Torus, with students Anna (Castelaz) Keaton, Daniel Guillot and Sandi Xhumari, Beiträge zur Algebra und Geometrie, Vol. 52, No. 2 (2011), 315-333, DOI: 10.1007/s13366-011-0029-7.