Michael E. Moody Michael E. Moody NEEDHAM Michael E. Moody, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty at Olin College and a central figure in the development of Olin's academic program, died Thursday. He had battled cancer for more than two years, and passed away at age 57. Moody joined Olin as a visiting professor in June 2001, when the engineering college was just getting off the ground. He was appointed dean of faculty and F. W. Olin professor of mathematics in September 2002, as Olin was offering its first academic courses, and was named vice president of academic affairs in July 2007. Moody served as a guiding light in the creation of Olin's pioneering curriculum. A mathematician, he was strong believer that engineering students benefit from exposure to other fields, including the liberal arts, the sciences and business, and he made sure these areas were well represented in Olin's academic program. "Michael Moody was the architect of the unique Olin learning culture," said Richard K. Miller, president of Olin College. "Olin simply wouldn't be what it is today without Michael's gifted leadership and enormous work ethic. He was a tremendous inspiration to us all, and the Olin community feels his loss deeply." Moody also led the successful efforts to gain accreditation for the new college. He oversaw faculty recruitment efforts and served as a respected and beloved mentor to many faculty members. Despite his heavy administrative duties, Moody continued to teach while at Olin, inspiring students with his infectious love of mathematics. "Mike could not imagine life without teaching, and until 2007 he taught every student who entered Olin College," said Miller. "He was a master teacher with a passionate commitment to each student, who taught and inspired other teachers by his extraordinary personal example, high expectations, and bottomless commitment to hard work." Prior to joining Olin, Moody was at Harvey Mudd College, where he was the Diana and Kenneth Jonsson professor of mathematics and chair of the mathematics department. Moody is credited with rejuvenating the department, where he served as chair from 1996 to 2002. Largely as a result of his leadership, Harvey Mudd's mathematics department was awarded the American Mathematical Society's inaugural award for an Exemplary Program or Achievement in a Mathematics Department in 2006. Born in Murray, Ky., Moody first attended Murray State University before enrolling at the University of California at San Diego, where he received his B.A. degree in 1975 with a double major in mathematics and chemical physics, and a double minor in history and philosophy. Pursuing an interest in biological systems at the University of Chicago, he finished an applied mathematics thesis in population genetics in 1979. Following graduate school, he spent two years as a USPHS post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In 1981 he joined the faculty at Washington State University, with a joint appointment between the Department of Pure and Applied Mathematics and the Department of Genetics and Cell Biology. He had a Fulbright Fellowship for research to the Institute for Mathematics at the University of Vienna 1990-91. In 1994 Moody joined the Harvey Mudd faculty. Moody's research in biomathematics focused on genetic models for evolving populations. His developmental work in teaching concentrated on designing and implementing curricular models and technological tools to improve mathematics education for engineers and scientists. He was co-designer and developer of the award-winning multi-media ODE Architect software program for teaching and solving ordinary differential equations. He also published two books for integrating technology into the calculus curriculum through laboratory experiments. Moody was a member of the advisory board at two colleges: Carroll College in Montana and Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Meyers. Dr. Moody is survived by his wife, Joni; daughter Kjersten Moody, son-in-law Vincent Longo, Jr. and grandson Vincent Longo III, of Evanston, Ill.; father USN CPO James C. Moody of Murray, Ky.; and sisters Sandra Halter of Mayfield, Ky., and Teresa Gilson of Murray. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in Saint Joseph Church, 1360 Highland Ave., Needham, Monday, Jan. 25, at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Interment will follow at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge To honor his memory, Olin College has created a faculty chair in Dr. Moody's name. Contributions to the Michael E. Moody Faculty Chair may be made online at:
https://www.olin.edu/giving/donation.aspx (Designation: Unrestricted; Comment: "for Moody Faculty Chair"). Harvey Mudd College has created the Michael Moody Mathematics Lecture Series; donations to the series can be made at
http://www.hmc.edu/giving/waystogive/moodygiving.html Arrangements by the Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Ave., Needham.
Published by The Wellesley Townsman from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, 2010.