Faculty - Science and Humanities

Dr. Lane is definitely a local, a twelfth generation Mainer. On the way to Husson each morning he passes the one-room schoolhouse where his education began a half century ago. "You can't get to town from my house without passing by the old school", he says. "Each day it reminds me that education has empowered my life, providing tools and skills to make my way in the world." After graduating from Hampden Academy in 1969, Ken chose math as his undergraduate major at UMPI because he "hadn't decided on a profession". Graduate degrees in mathematics from Idaho State University allowed him to "postpone the decision indefinitely". Prior to joining the Husson faculty he spent a decade solving technical problems in support of space launch activities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, serving as Senior Technical Advisor for Computer Sciences Raytheon and operating a private consultancy. During the 1980s he was an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Hamilton College and later at Colby College. He held a Sloan Fellowship and Visiting Assistant Professorship at Harvey Mudd College, and was an Associate Professor of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science at UMPI. He lists his early academic interests as mathematical ecology, algebraic graph theory, computational complexity, and computer algebra. More recent interests include public safety communications, local history and genealogy, software development methodology, systems modeling and simulation, and trajectory reconstruction. Ken and his wife Alice Jean share five adult children (four Husson grads) and several grandchildren, as well as a passion for the future of Husson and its students.

My goal is to provide a positive experience that enhances each student's relationship with mathematics, empowering them by cultivating their capacities to leverage quantitative perspectives as citizens, practitioners and scholars. I enjoy helping students overcome the fear and anxiety that often impedes success in mathematics. Among all of the exciting and fulfilling experiences I have enjoyed as a result of my education, teaching at Husson is the most challenging and rewarding experience yet.