Student connects the dots to published research

Campus News | Wednesday, July 29, 2026

What started years earlier as an interest in numbers and math for Columbus State mathematics major Alistair Folster has resulted in published mathematical research. It explores the mathematics behind the popular strategy game Connect Four.

“It started when I was waiting at the bank one morning,” said Folster. “My thoughts wandered onto a subject I'd first wondered about several years before, and I realized there might be some interesting work to be done there, so I decided to explore the combinatorics of Connect Four more deeply.”

Folster contacted Mathematics Professor T.J. Duda, whose class – Discrete Math (MATH 2366) – he had recently taken. Duda suggested he connect with Mathematics Assistant Professor Gary Gutman to pursue the idea further.

“Professor Gutman took an interest in my research and met with me to discuss it,” said Folster. “In the early stages of the project, I had some results already, but I was uncertain of their value and whether the research was worth pushing further, and in what direction. Professor Gutman was very encouraging; he advised me that it was novel and mathematically worthwhile, and that publication was not an unrealistic outcome.”

The time, effort, and research all paid off. In June, the “Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing” published Folster’s work, “Counting Reachable Positions in a Simplified Model of Connect Four.” Read the published article.

Mathematics Chair Julie Hallas said, “For Alistair to be able to study more deeply and to publish the resulting work after encouragement from Columbus State faculty is an outstanding reward all around.”

Folster will graduate in Spring Semester 2027.

 

Go to 2026 Archive Go to Campus News