Prestigious mathematics journal publishes ECTC faculty member’s research

Published on Feb 18, 2025

Robert Lamphere, a professor emeritus of Elizabethtown Community and Technical College’s Computer and Information Technologies program, has achieved an academic milestone with the publication of his paper “Some Definite Integrals of Ramanujan” in The Ramanujan Journal.

“The journal is a highly regarded publication specializing in areas of mathematics influenced by Srinivasa Ramanujan, a famous 20th century mathematician,” Lamphere said.

When Ramanujan died in 1920, he left behind notebooks, filled with hundreds of mathematical formulas but no proofs. In the 1980s, mathematicians began supplying proofs of these formulas. Lamphere participated in that endeavor. Lamphere’s current paper provide proofs of two of these formulas.

“Mr. Lamphere’s research contributes to the ongoing exploration of Ramanujan’s groundbreaking ideas,” said Dean of Physical Sciences Dr. Shawn Kellie. “His work also highlights the caliber of scholarship associated with ECTC faculty, past and present.”

Lamphere, of Elizabethtown, taught full time at ECTC from 1991 to 2010, and continued to teach part time for years after his retirement. He taught a variety of programming and program design classes.

“ECTC is like home,” he said, noting the college’s positive environment and high-quality instruction. “Many of the faculty have PhDs, and all of the faculty really care about students.”

Lamphere, who holds master’s degrees in mathematics and computer science, estimates that he has published over 20 academic math papers. His paper, “How to Compute the Volumes of Hyperbolic Solids of Revolution,” published last year in The College Mathematics Journal, is among the most recent.

He is writing “Hyperbolic Analytical Geometry with Applications to Hyperbolic Mechanic,” a research book that may be published as a textbook. He expects to complete it by the end of the year.