Wing Hong Tony Wong

Department of Mathematics

I am a Professor at the Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, serving as the Interim Department Chair in Spring 2024. I finished my Ph.D. dissertation in June 2013 at the California Institute of Technology under the supervision of my advisor Richard M. Wilson. Here is my curriculum vitae.

I am also a co-founding and co-chief editor of the journal Communications on Number Theory and Combinatorial Theory (CONTACT) (ISSN 2832-2657). It is an open access journal that aims at providing a fair review process and publishing original research articles in the areas of number theory and combinatorics. To achieve this, manuscripts submitted to the journal will be reviewed in a double-blind format.

Research Interests

Combinatorics: linear algebraic methods, Ramsey-type problems, extremal combinatorics, design theory; Graph Theory; Elementary Number Theory.

Personal Interests

Problem solving in Mathematics Olympiad or the Putnam competition; Table Tennis; Promoting mathematics to a bigger community (see my Youtube channel).

Contact Information

Awards

• Carlson R. Chambliss Faculty Research Award, by Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. (2023)

• Editors' Choice Award 2023, by Discrete Mathematics. (2023)

• Early Career Teaching Award, by the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). (2020)

• Excellence in Teaching Award, by the National Society of Leadership and Success. (2019)

• 40 Under Forty Award, by Reading Eagle. (2018)

• John P. Schellenberg Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, by Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. (2017)

• Scott Russell Johnson Prize for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, by California Institute of Technology. (2012)

• Apostol Award for Excellence in Teaching in Mathematics, by California Institute of Technology. (2010)

Grants

• Two-Person Impartial Pebbling Games (working with Samuel Murray),
  sponsored by the Kutztown University Bringing Experiences About Research in Summer (KU BEARS), May-Sep 2022. ($2000)

• (Senior Personnel) REU Site: Research Challenges of Computational Methods in Discrete Mathematics,
  sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), through the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), Apr 2022-Mar 2025. ($364,440)

• (Senior Personnel) Emerging Mathematics and Computer Science (EMACS) Scholars Program,
  sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), through the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) Program, Aug 2020-Aug 2026. ($999,758)

• Researching the structure of graphs from finite incidence geometry with the aid of computer algebra programs,
  sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), through the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) National Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (NREUP), May-Aug 2020. ($25,322)

• Enumerating subgraphs in algebraically defined graphs (working with Peter Kanjorski),
  sponsored by the Kutztown University Bringing Experiences About Research in Summer (KU BEARS), May-Sep 2020. ($2000)

• Kutztown University Mathematics Olympiad Initiative,
  sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Dolciani Mathematics Enrichment Grant (DMEG), Apr 2018-May 2020. ($5000)

• Edge-distinguishing chromatic number for graphs (working with Grant Fickes),
  sponsored by the Kutztown University Bringing Experiences About Research in Summer (KU BEARS), May-Sep 2017. ($2000)

• Two-person coloring game on graphs (working with Diego Manzano-Ruiz),
  sponsored by the Kutztown University Bringing Experiences About Research in Summer (KU BEARS), May-Sep 2016. ($2000)

• IBL Small Grant to develop an Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) course for discrete mathematics,
  sponsored by the Educational Advancement Foundation (EAF), through the Academy of Inquiry Based Learning (AIBL), Jan-May 2015. ($1500)

• Travel grant to DIMACS Conference on Challenges of Identifying Integer Sequences,
  sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), through the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS), Oct 2014. (Approx. $700)

Publications

Other Published Work

• Integer sequence A364237 related to zero-sum free permutations
  Anna Coleman, Joshua Harrington, Maggie X. Lai, Philip Thomas, and Wing Hong Tony Wong, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

• Mentoring students virtually in undergraduate research
  Elizabeth A. Donovan, Brian G. Kronenthal, Jan Rychtář, Dewey Taylor, Lesley W. Wiglesworth, and Wing Hong Tony Wong, Expanding Undergraduate Research in Mathematics: Making UR More Inclusive (2023), 131--142.
  

• Integer sequence A361315 related to two-person impartial (3;1,1)-pebbling games on complete graphs
  Gabrielle Demchak, Eugene Fiorini, Michael J. Herrera, Samuel Murray, Rhaldni Sayaman, Brittany Shelton, and Wing Hong Tony Wong, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

• Integer sequences A339999, A346537, A346563, and A346657 related to numbers that are divisible by the product of their nonzero digits
  Michael Gohn, Joshua Harrington, Sophia Lebiere, Hani Samamah, Kyla Shappel, and Wing Hong Tony Wong, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

• Integer sequences A346197, A346401, and A347637 related to two-person impartial (k+1,k)-pebbling games on complete graphs
  Kayla Barker, Mia DeStefano, Eugene Fiorini, Michael Gohn, Joe Miller, Jacob Roeder, and Wing Hong Tony Wong, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

• Integer sequence A340631 related to two-person impartial pebbling games on complete graphs
  Eugene Fiorini, Max C. Lind, Andrew Woldar, and Wing Hong Tony Wong, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

• Integer sequences A308853, A309088, A309089, A309257, A309258, A309259, A309344, and A309345 related to determinants and transversals of Latin squares
  Alvaro R. Belmonte, Eugene Fiorini, Peterson Lenard, Froylan Maldonado, Sabrina Traver, and Wing Hong Tony Wong, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

• Integer sequences A316945, A316946, and A317254 related to partitions of integers with equal products
  Byungchul Cha, Adam Claman, Joshua Harrington, Ziyu Liu, Barbara Maldonado, Alexander M. Miller^#, Ann Palma, Wing Hong Tony Wong, and Hongkwon V. Yi, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

• Integer sequences A316533, A316629, A316632, A316781, and A317367 related to Nimbers of the Node-Kayles game
  Sierra Brown, Spencer Daugherty, Eugene Fiorini, Barbara Maldonado, Sean E. Rainville, Riley S. Waechter, and Wing Hong Tony Wong, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

• Integer sequences A291341 and A291342 related to the game of Col
  Diego Manzano-Ruiz^# and Wing Hong Tony Wong, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

• Flow Free on a torus
  Brian G. Kronenthal and Tony W. H. Wong, Math Horizons 23.3 (2016), 2. Online Journal

• Integer sequences A265919 and A265920 related to a probabilistic chip collecting game
  Wing Hong Tony Wong and Jiao Xu^#, On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).
  

Thesis

Diagonal forms, linear algebraic methods and Ramsey-type problems,
Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. Online Journal.

Presentations

• Spring Meeting of the East Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Albright College, Reading, PA. (Apr 2024)

• Chambliss Faculty Lecture, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, PA. (Mar 2024)

• Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), San Francisco, CA. (Jan 2024)

• Spring Meeting of the East Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Penn State Brandywine, Media, PA. (Apr 2023)

• Discrete Math and Combinatorics Seminar, University of South Carolina, Online. (Apr 2023)

• Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects Conference (MOVES), National Museum of Mathematics, New York, NY. (Aug 2022)

• The 3rd International Conference on Mathematical Research for Blockchain Economy (MARBLE), Vilamoura, Portugal. (Jul 2022)

• Series on Exploring Combinatorics and Number Theory (SECANT), Cedar Crest College, Online. (Jan 2022)

• Series on Exploring Combinatorics and Number Theory (SECANT), Cedar Crest College, Online. (Jan 2021)

• Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), Online. (Jan 2021)

• Fall Meeting of the East Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Online. (Nov 2020)

• Mid-Atlantic Seminar On Numbers (MASON) IV, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA. (Mar 2020)

• La Salle University Mathematics and Computer Science Colloquium, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA. (Feb 2020)

• Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), Denver, CO. (Jan 2020)

• Fall Meeting of the East Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), DeSales University, Center Valley, PA. (Nov 2019)

• Series on Exploring Combinatorics and Number Theory (SECANT), Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA. (Oct 2019)

• Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects Conference (MOVES), National Museum of Mathematics, New York, NY. (Aug 2019)

• Canadian Discrete and Algorithmic Mathematics (CanaDAM) Conference, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. (May 2019)

• Math Club and the Plenary Talk at the Sixth Annual Larry R. Mugridge Symposium on Undergraduate Mathematics Research, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, PA. (Apr 2019)

• Spring Meeting of the East Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), King's College, Wilkes-Barre, PA. (Mar 2019)

• Albright College Mathematics Colloquium, Albright College, Reading, PA. (Mar 2019)

• Millersville University and Franklin & Marshall College Joint Math Colloquium, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, Millersville, PA. (Feb 2019)

• Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), Baltimore, MD. (Jan 2019)

• Series on Exploring Combinatorics and Number Theory (SECANT), Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA. (Nov 2018)

• Fall Meeting of the East Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA. (Nov 2018)

• The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association (PASSHE-MA) Conference, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg, PA. (Oct 2018)

• Fall Eastern Sectional Meeting of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), University of Delaware, Newark, DE. (Sep 2018)
  (Also the co-organizer of the special session on Graph Theory at this conference.)

• Discrete Mathematics Seminar, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, PA. (Sep 2018)

• SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics (SIAM DM), University of Colorado, Denver, CO. (Jun 2018)

• Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), San Diego, CA. (Jan 2018)

• Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects Conference (MOVES), National Museum of Mathematics, New York, NY. (Aug 2017)

• The Second Malta Conference in Graph Theory and Combinatorics (MCGTC), Qawra, Malta. (Jun 2017)

• Canadian Discrete and Algorithmic Mathematics (CanaDAM) Conference, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. (Jun 2017)

• The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association (PASSHE-MA) Conference, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA. (Mar 2017)

• Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), Atlanta, GA. (Jan 2017)

• Jointly-Organized Fall Meeting of the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) and New Jersey (NJ) Sections of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Villanova University, Villanova, PA. (Nov 2016)

• Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA. (Jul 2016)

• SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics (SIAM DM), Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. (Jun 2016)

• Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), Seattle, WA. (Jan 2016)

• Fall Meeting of the East Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Delaware Valley University, Doylestown, PA. (Nov 2015)

• Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects Conference (MOVES), National Museum of Mathematics, New York, NY. (Aug 2015)

• The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association (PASSHE-MA) Conference, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, PA. (Apr 2015)
  (Also the co-organizer of this conference.)

• Spring Meeting of the East Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA. (Mar 2015)

• Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), San Antonio, TX. (Jan 2015)

• DIMACS Conference on Challenges of Identifying Integer Sequences, DIMACS Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. (Oct 2014)

• Discrete Mathematics Seminar, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, PA. (Sep 2014)

• SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics (SIAM DM), Minneapolis, MN. (Jun 2014)

• Mathematics Colloquium, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, PA. (Apr 2014)

• The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association (PASSHE-MA) Conference, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven, PA. (Apr 2014)

• Discrete Mathematics Seminar, University of Delaware, Newark, DE. (Dec 2013)

• Discrete Mathematics Seminar, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, PA. (Nov, Oct 2013)

• Mathematics Colloquium, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, PA. (Apr 2013)

• Combinatorics Seminar, UCSD, San Diego, CA. (Feb 2013)

• Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), San Diego, CA. (Jan 2013)

• Toronto Set Theory Seminar, Fields Institute, Toronto, Canada. (Jul 2012)

• SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics (SIAM DM), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. (Jun 2012)

• WilsonFest: a conference in honor of Rick Wilson, Caltech, Pasadena, CA. (Mar 2012)

• European Conference on Combinatorics (EuroComb), Graph Theory and Applications, Budapest, Hungary. (Sep 2011)

• Combinatorics Seminar, Caltech, Pasadena, CA. (May 2011)

Selected Leadership and Service

• Interim Department Chair of Mathematics. (Spring 2024)

• Co-organizer of

  • AMS Special Session on Covering Systems of the Integers and Their Applications at the Joint Mathematics Meeting. (2024)

  • Careers Conference in Mathematics. (2019)

  • Special Session on Graph Theory at the American Mathematical Society (AMS) Fall Eastern Sectional Meeting. (2018)

  • Spring Meeting of the East Pennsylvania and Delaware (EPaDel) Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). (2017)

  • The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association (PASSHE-MA) Conference 2015. (2015)

• Vice President of the University Senate. (2020-2022)

• Chair of

  • the Committee on Committees. (2020-2022)

  • the Enrollment Management Committee. (2019-2021)

  • the Department Promotion, Evaluation, and Tenure (PET) Committee (2019-2023)

  • the Mathematics Outreach Program - Kutztown Appreciation of Mathematics Program (KAMP). (2015-Present)

• Treasurer of The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Mathematics Association (PASSHE-MA). (2015-Present)

• Founder and Trainer of the Putnam Team at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. (2013-Present)

• Coach of the mathematics enrichment program at

  • Northwest Middle School, Reading. (2018-2020)

  • Reading Senior High School (2019-2023)

Teaching at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Teaching at Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY)

Teaching at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

Teaching at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech)