Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Md Istiaq Hossain

Dr. Md Istiaq Hossain

Editor’s Note: This is the twenty-fourth in a series of spotlights on Mathematics and Statistics Faculty. Dr. Md Istiaq Hossain joined us as a professor in Fall 2023.

Do you have a hobby or collect something? How did you get into that?

I really love to travel around, not just the USA, but also the whole world, to see different places and taste the amazing food and experience culture. I am particularly fond of driving and hiking.

Tell us about an adventure you had, or would like to have.

I would love to have a road trip throughout the US and see beautiful mountains, hike, and camp there without worrying much about the regular day job. More specifically, I would like to go to Angels Landing in Zion National Park, Utah.

What was one of your biggest successes or failures?

One of my biggest successes is to get a PhD in Mathematics. And I believe that this came out from a failure (read “lifelong learning experience”) in my high school career. I used to be overconfident when it comes to mathematics, and only looked at solutions to problems in my notebook without actually practicing them using pencil and paper. In the actual test, I scored 47 out of 100. Things got worse when I lied to my father, saying the score didn’t come out yet. Eventually, however, he came to know about this from one of my teachers in school.

What kind of music, books, movies, sports, games, cars, etc. (pick one or more) do you like? Is there any particular reason?

I like rock bands, and one of my favorite bands is Scorpions. I have watched the performance of their 2001 Acoustica concert (which was held in Convento do Beato, Lisbon, Portugal) several times on YouTube. I wish I could see them performing live sometime in my lifetime. In addition, I also like to play and watch Cricket, although nowadays, due to busy life schedules, it has become much more challenging to keep up with the updates.

What do you study? How did you get into that? Are there any real-world applications of your area of study?

My primary research centers around the mathematical modeling of interacting species (e.g., predator-prey). In particular, I develop and analyze discrete-time models that account for ecological, environmental, or human impacts on such species. This may help us better understand the complex dynamics, give us valuable insight into understanding the intriguing nature of species interactions, and may guide us to find effective management policies and conservation strategies.

A major part of my modeling pursuit is to include increasing complexities based on species properties and their interaction with other species (e.g., stage structure, intraguild predation, etc.) in the ecosystem. As a specific case, we have developed a discrete-time predator-prey mathematical model where both prey and predator population have two stages in their lifetime – juvenile and adult populations for each species. This is a funded project through an internal grant at SFA that will involve undergraduate and graduate students and is set to be conducted during the Spring and Summer of 2024.

What projects (academic or otherwise) are you currently working on?

One of the scenarios that puzzled ecologists is the wide existence of intraguild predation/parasitism (IGP) in productive environments, where predation also happens among potential competitors that use similar resources. Our investigation includes to explore under what conditions the species coexists and what resource distribution is needed to result in various ecological scenarios including the existence of rich dynamics (such as chaos).

What is the closest you have ever come to dying?

We had an accident in a red light when someone hit our car from the back. That is the same day when my wife was finishing 40 weeks of her pregnancy with our first child. It still scares me to the death.

What was the best piece of advice you were ever given?

Consistency and hard work are the key to most of the successes in life.
Compete against yourself and not with others.

The thing that really makes you cool and unique is something that I would never have thought to list here. What is it?

I am really patient with my two kids!

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Colin M. Lawson

Dr. Colin M. Lawson

Editor’s Note: This is the twenty-third in a series of spotlights on Mathematics and Statistics Faculty. Dr. Colin M. Lawson joined us as a professor in Fall 2023.

Do you have a hobby or collect something? How did you get into that?

I really enjoy going on camping road trips during the summertime, typically between 9 and 14 days in length. As a kid, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go on several long road trips throughout the United States as part of a venturing crew. Now I enjoy planning and going on similar trips with friends and family – I especially love exploring the southwest region of the US.

Tell us about an adventure you had, or would like to have.

I have two dream adventures I’d love to do one day: 1) Backpack through the Guadalupe Mountains, exploring the various trails between the Pine Springs and Dog Canyon campgrounds, and, of course, hiking up to the highest natural point in Texas. 2) Canoe the lower Pecos River from the Pandale crossing to Lake Amistad (about 60 miles), camping on the riverbank along the way.

What was one of your biggest successes or failures?

A success story that comes to my mind quickly is rebounding after finding a major mistake in my main thesis result during the semester prior to going on the job market. This mistake forced me to start over completely and rebuild my results. In that summer, I learned a lot about my patience and my ability to persevere through a challenge. The correct result turned out so much cooler than the incorrect result.

What kind of music, books, movies, sports, games, cars, etc. (pick one or more) do you like? Is there any particular reason?

Plants are my thing. I really enjoy collecting houseplants and learning about how they grow and how to take care of them. I especially love my peace lilies because of the cool flowers they produce. My PhD advisor kept a lot of plants in and around her office, and this inspired me to collect.

There’s something about plants that is calming to me.

What do you study? How did you get into that? Are there any real-world applications of your area of study?

I am an algebraist. I study the cohomology governing deformations of an algebra (i.e., I study Hochschild cohomology). Given an associative algebra, there is a multiplication defined in some way that satisfies the associativity property. But how might we change this multiplication to get a *new* multiplication that is also associative? The Hochschild cohomology encodes information about all new multiplications that are possible for a given algebra. I am not sure of any direct application to the real world, but perhaps these ideas are an answer to a question that hasn’t yet been asked.

I was inspired to study deformations because, in my second year of grad school, I took an Algebraic Topology class (with Dr. Cherry…one of the most challenging classes I have ever taken…). We learned a lot about different cohomology theories, and even though I found it super difficult, it really captured my interest. Discussing this class with my future advisor led to my thesis problem.

What projects (academic or otherwise) are you currently working on?

Currently, I am working on three projects, two academic and one not.

1. We have not yet had the opportunity to take our kiddos on a road trip, and so I am planning a short trip for next summer from Nac to Palo Duro Canyon and back.
2. I am in the very beginning stages of developing a prototype for a summer research experience program for local high school students with the aim of strengthening the interest in mathematics for those who have a desire to pursue a math-related major in college. The vision is that groups of students work together in a collaborative environment (with undergraduate mentors, perhaps) where they explore topics and gain hands-on research experience in areas related to algebra, combinatorics, and computer science. Ideas and collaboration on this project are definitely welcome.
3. I am working with a collaborator from Sam Houston State to extend the main result of my thesis by using the cohomology to find specific (and hopefully new and exciting!) deformations of a particular class of algebras.

What is the closest you have ever come to dying?

On an impromptu summer road trip to El Paso, friends and I decided to stop and hike the Emory Peak Trail in Big Bend NP. We arrived around noon and we were severely underprepared — this was a dumb plan. On the way up, we got to a set of bear boxes before I couldn’t go any further due to dehydration and severe leg cramps. I think the only reason I was able to make it back down is because gravity works and essentially pushed me down the mountain. Apparently, I passed out shortly after getting to the car and I don’t recall much else about that day.

What was the best piece of advice you were ever given?

As a student struggling in grad school, this was most helpful: Worry less about the grade and worry more about learning; the grades will follow.

The thing that really makes you cool and unique is something that I would never have thought to list here.  What is it?

In the summer of 2022, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks in South America attending a math workshop and conference on representations of algebras. The first week was spent in Montevideo, Uruguay and the second was in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This was one of the coolest adventures I have ever been on.

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Christal Schoen

Dr. Christal Schoen

Editor’s Note: This is the twenty-Second in a series of spotlights on Mathematics and Statistics Faculty. Dr. Christal Schoen joined us as a professor in Fall 2023.

Do you have a hobby or collect something? How did you get into that?

I love to read and drink coffee, so I collect books and coffee mugs. I like all kinds of books, and they make excellent birthday presents if anyone’s shopping.

What was one of your biggest successes or failures?

I don’t really believe in “failure,” but I do believe in learning experiences, so I can tell you about a few of those. When I began my mathematical journey as an undergraduate, I tested into Math 097, a not-for-credit course that I took at Delta College in University Center, MI. Later, I failed Calculus III the first time I took it because I wasn’t devoting enough time to my studies. I’m grateful that I started in developmental mathematics classes, and I’m thankful for my “F” because I can use those stories to comfort my students when they are struggling.

My greatest success has been raising two incredible kids. My oldest is in marketing at High Caliber Karting and Entertainment in Okemos, MI, and my youngest is a Forestry major at SFA. They are both thoughtful, kind individuals who are good at making me laugh. I love spending time with them.

What kind of music, books, movies, sports, games, cars, etc. (pick one or more) do you like? Is there any particular reason?

I love The Beatles! When I was young, my parents would play Beatles music and dance with my sister and me in the living room. After my mom passed, my dad and I would stay up late, listen to The Beatles, and talk about the meaning of life. After my father passed, I took my stepmom and kids to see Paul McCartney on tour in Detroit, MI. I know I’m not the first to say it, but it feels like they wrote the soundtrack to my life.

What do you study? How did you get into that? Are there any real-world applications of your area of study?

I study mathematics education. Specifically, I look at active learning with technology, but I am interested in many topics in mathematics education. I was not too fond of math as a high school student but I loved it as a college student. That experience made me wonder how many other people might be interested in math but don’t know enough about it to realize how fascinating it is.

What did you do to put yourself through school, or what weird job have you held?

I was a single mom who worked multiple jobs throughout my undergraduate and much of my graduate career. I waited tables, worked at Mathnasium in Saginaw, MI, tutored at my community college, and taught as an adjunct. It was challenging, but I’m grateful for the experience. I don’t think I could have finished my undergraduate career if it weren’t for the help of my stepmom, and I wouldn’t have been able to finish graduate school if it weren’t for the support of my kids and my fiancé.

What was the best piece of advice you were ever given?

My dad used to say, “Chirssy, you can do anything when you put your mind to it.” I’m so glad that I believed him.

The thing that really makes you cool and unique is something that I would never have thought to list here. What is it?

I miss being involved in the arts. I danced ballet as a kid and went to a magnet high school for dance in the afternoons as a high school student. My first major was theatre, and I sang in a choir and took voice lessons for a number of years. I hope to find a way to engage locally with the artistic community.

Colloquium 09/20: Dr. Robert K. Henderson

Our next colloquium will be on Wednesday, September 20 at 4:00pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building Room 357. Dr. Robert K. Henderson will speak on The most Widely Utilized Statistical Application in the World: Statistical Process Control (SPC).

Abstract: Statistical Process Control, or SPC, is by far the most utilized statistical procedure known to man. Its origins trace back to Dr. Walter Shewhart, who in 1931, when working at Bell Labs, published his seminal work: Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Product, where he proposed a very simple concept for controlling a process utilizing data produced in routine process operations. Soon after this work, engineers at Western Electric (a subsidiary of Bell Labs at the time) began to augment Dr. Shewhart’s simple approach with some additional process control rules (WECO rules). However, widespread use of these approaches was not initiated until almost a half a century later when Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, etc. (using the Shewhart approach communicated to them by American University professor Dr. W. Edwards Deming and others) began taking significant worldwide automobile market share away from American producers Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler in the early 1980’s. Then the use of SPC (as the Shewhart approach became to be known) provided a competitive market advantage for the Japanese; however, it did not take long for others to catch up, and now utilization of SPC is essentially a requirement for any manufacturer to even remain viable in their respective market. When I left Samsung Austin Semiconductor, 14 years ago now, there were 100,000 control chart observations being obtained and associated process control decisions being made every day, and that was just one of the smaller of 14 worldwide Samsung semiconductor operations at that time.

This talk will briefly describe the origins and history of SPC, then more fully examine a specific electronic connector gold plating process control problem I worked on at DuPont in the early 1980’s. The various alternatives and motivations for such alternatives will be outlined leading from a simple Shewhart process control plan to a more advanced situational specific process control plan. This talk should be accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students, and should provide an example of how mathematical and statistical concepts can be applied to an actual production process. (flyer in PDF form)

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Tom Judson

Dr. Tom Judson

Editor’s Note: This is the twenty-first in a series of spotlights on Mathematics and Statistics Faculty. Dr. Tom Judson joined us as a professor in Fall 2008 and is retiring at the end of this school year.

Do you have a hobby or collect something?  How did you get into that?

Skiing, cycling, traveling, and yoga.  I have been riding (and racing) bicycles for decades and have ridden over many of the mountain passes that are used in the Tour de France.  I once competed in a ski downhill race.  Going 60+ mph on skis is interesting to say the least.

Tell us about an adventure you had, or would like to have.

Spending several summers in Japan doing some research and learning Japanese.  I have written a journal article in Japanese.  Japan is definitely not Kansas.

What was one of your biggest successes or failures?

Writing an abstract algebra textbook that has become very widely used.  In addition to English, my textbook is now available in Spanish and braille.

What kind of music, books, movies, sports, games, cars, etc. (pick one or more) do you like?

Skiing, cycling, old movies, eating good food.  French and Japanese cuisine are two of my favorites.

What do you study?  How did you get into that?  Are there any real-world applications of your area of study?

Classification of infinite dimensional complete filtered Lie algebras.  I found a good advisor who suggested a good problem.  Not many applications outside of pure mathematics.

What projects (academic or otherwise) are you currently working on?

I am doing a lot of research in mathematics education and PreTeXt, a markup language for writing textbooks.

What is the closest you have ever come to dying?

Falling off of a cliff while I was rock climbing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  And almost following off a mountain in the Grand Tetons.

What did you do to put yourself through school, or what weird job have you held?

I was a full certified professional ski instructor for 5 years at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.  I taught skiing part-time at Mount Bachelor when I was in graduate school at the University of Oregon.

What was the best piece of advice you were ever given?

Floss.

The thing that really makes you cool and unique is something that I would never have thought to list here.  What is it?

I have been fortunate to do quite a range of different things:  teach at Harvard University in addition to SFA, learn Japanese and French, do interesting math, and travel.

Colloquium 03/31: Dr. Christal Schoen

Our next colloquium will be on Friday, March 31 at 1:30pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Dr. Christal Schoen from Centenary College will speak on The Role of the Use of Technology within the Dynamic of an Active Learning Calculus Classroom.

Abstract: it is understood that conceptual development can be enhanced when mathematics students use technology in the classroom to collaborate and inquire about mathematical phenomena actively. Despite this, some mathematics students may be reluctant to adopt technology. Reasons for this may include negative attitudes toward technology in the classroom (such as handheld graphing calculators) that the student’s teachers may have displayed or a fear that relying on a calculator may inhibit their ability to manipulate problems presented in their current or future classes symbolically.

This study focuses on the use of the TI-Navigator System and TI-Nspire-CX CAS handheld graphing calculators as teaching and learning tools in a Calculus II class. The class was taught by a mathematics education researcher who is an expert on technology in the mathematics classroom. Classroom observation and interviews examined the interaction between the professor, technology, and students. Student attitudes towards and proficiency with the technology varied greatly, as did benefits gained from utilizing the technology. While some students believed that using the calculators helped them complete problems without putting forth much mental effort, test scores and the quality of their work suggest that such assumptions were inaccurate. Other students believed that the technology helped them master conceptual material, with one student claiming that the calculator helped him become more proficient with symbolic manipulation. In interviews, students with negative attitudes about technology frequently referenced previous educators who frowned upon calculator use. (flyer in PDF form)

Faculty Spotlight: Mrs. Angela Dixon

Mrs. Angela Dixon

Editor’s Note: This is the Twentieth in a series of spotlights on mathematics and statistics faculty. Mrs. Angela Dixon joined us as a graduate assistant in 2005 and as a lecturer in Fall 2007.

Do you have a hobby or collect something?  How did you get into that?

I started gardening a few years ago, and it has been such a learning experience. There is something incredibly peaceful and calming and yet exciting to be able to plant a tiny seed into the ground, nurture and tend the young plant, and then be able to feed my family with the vegetables that it produces. Plus I get to look great while doing it (sarcasm); a massive floppy hat (to keep from burning to a crisp), arm sleeves (so I don’t get eaten alive by mosquitos), gloves (so I don’t accidentally touch a bug), knee high boots (because snakes, of course). So, if anyone needs a good laugh, just drive by my house during the spring/summer months, and you will most likely see me digging around in my garden.

Tell us about an adventure you had, or would like to have.

My husband and I took a road trip to the Southwest with our three kiddos this past summer. We nearly hit 5000 miles of drive time. Did I mention we had three kids with us?!? We went to eight national parks and one state park during our two-week trip. It was the most fantastic and terrifying trip I had ever been on. The scenery of the Grand Canyon and Bryce National Park and Zion and all of the parks we saw was breathtaking. However, taking three very rambunctious kids aged 10, 6, and 4 on hikes that have sheer drop offs was nerve wracking! I had expected more significant barriers or maybe just a footpath wider than eighteen inches in places! My word of warning is to NOT believe the trail maps. A “moderate” hike just means you only encounter dangerous drop-offs three dozen times. I am just thankful we all made it back alive.

What was one of your biggest successes or failures?

I think one of my biggest successes in life is somehow snagging this wonderful job as a lecturer here at SFA. I get to teach a subject I enjoy, I get to work with the MOST wonderful people, and I have a great work schedule. I couldn’t ask for more…well maybe winning the lottery.

What kind of music, books, movies, sports, games, cars, etc. (pick one or more) do you like?

No one warns you that when you have kids that you no longer get to watch or listen to the things that you want to watch/listen to.  I am now knowledgeable on all things cartoon.  As far as music, during my alone time (which is rare), I typically prefer the sound of silence. However, over the last year I have been listening to the Bible and the Bible Recap podcast on my journey to and from work.  I have already made my way all the way through the Bible in a year, which I consider a huge success!

What did you do to put yourself through school, or what weird job have you held?

As an undergraduate I worked at a motel (heavy emphasis on the “m”) during my junior and senior year of college.  It was one of the most eye-opening experiences I had encountered up to that point.  Nearly every outrageous college story I have stems back to that motel job.  Most of those stories are not suitable for younger audiences. 

The thing that really makes you cool and unique is something that I would never have thought to list here.  What is it?

Supposedly the combination of having red hair and blue eyes is the rarest hair/eye color combination possible since both characteristics are recessive traits.  Only 0.17% of the population have both traits.

Colloquium 02/24: Dr. Md Istiaq Hossain

Our next colloquium will be on Friday February 24 at 1:30pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Dr. Md Istiaq Hossain from The Pensylvania State University (Fayette) will speak on Understanding the predator-prey population dynamics though discrete-time mathematical modeling.

Abstract: The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill is considered to be the largest marine oil spill in the history of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The impacts of this may affect species interactions for an extended period of time as the effects of the spill go away and may also change as a result of species responding to the toxicity. In particular, long-term exposure to a toxicant may cause the rapid evolution of toxicant resistance in relatively short-lived species. This kind of scenario may happen when, for example, the lifespan of the prey population is considerably shorter than the predator population, such as sperm whales and their main food source giant squid. In the first part of this study, we consider the asymptotic stability of equilibria as well as the system persistence of an unstructured discrete-time predator-prey model when the prey population evolves to gain resistance to a toxicant. We show that, with the help of the evolution of toxicant resistance, both the predator and prey population may survive when, without the evolution, both go extinct. Next, we extend the population model to have juvenile and adult stage-structure in the predator population. We assume that only adult predator attacks and consumes the prey population. Our results are also accompanied by various numerical examples. We find that incorporating stage structure into the predator population can introduce rich dynamics (such as chaos) that do not occur when the predator is unstructured. Finally, this talk ends with some current and possible future directions for undergraduate research. (flyer in PDF form)

Colloquium 02/17: Mr. Liam Kahmeyer

Our next colloquium will be on Tuesday February 17 at 1:30pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Mr. Liam Kahmeyer from Kansas State University will speak on A Homotopy Invariant of Image Simple Fold Maps To Oriented Surfaces.

Abstract: In 2019, Osamu Saeki showed that for two homotopic generic fold maps f, g : S³ -> S² with respective singular sets Σ(f) and Σ(g)whose respective images f(Σ) and g(Σ) are smoothly embedded, the number of components of the singular sets, respectively denoted #|Σ(f)| and #|Σ(g)| need not have the same parity. From Saeki’s result, a natural question arises: For generic fold maps f : M->N of a smooth manifold M of dimension m ≥ 2 to an oriented surface N of finite genus with f(Σ) smoothly embedded, under what conditions (if any) is #|Σ(f)| a ℤ/2-homotopy invariant? The goal of this talk is to explore this question. Namely, I will show that for smooth generic fold maps f : M->N of a smooth closed oriented manifold M of dimension m ≥ 2 to an oriented surface N of finite genus with f(Σ) smoothly embedded, #|Σ(f)| is a modulo two homotopy invariant provided one of the following conditions is satisfied:
(a) dim(M)=2q for q ≥ 1,
(b) the singular set of the homotopy is an orientable manifold, or
(c) the image of the singular set of the homotopy does not have triple self-intersection points. (flyer in PDF form)

Colloquium 02/14: Mr. Michael Guyer

Our next colloquium will be on Tuesday February 14 at 1:00pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Mr. Michael Guyer from Auburn University will speak on The Intersection of Structural and Chromatic Graph Theory.

Abstract: Structural graph theory and chromatic graph theory are both rich areas of study in discrete mathematics. In this talk, I will introduce some of the key concepts in these areas and graph theory more broadly. The history of three large conjectures lying at the intersection of these domains will be reviewed and their inspiration for my current research will be explained. Some particular aspects of my research will be highlighted, including ongoing work that has potential for undergraduate research opportunities. (flyer in PDF form)