Our next colloquium will be on Monday, February 6 at 1:30pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Mr. Colin Lawson from the University of North Texas will speak on Deformation cohomology for groups acting on polynomial rings.
Abstract: In the real world, deformations of an object can arise from a change in shape due to stretching, compressing, or bending the object. In mathematics, we also have a notion of deforming an object in which we deform the underlying mathematical structure (e.g., algebraic, analytic, or topological). In this talk, we investigate deformations of the multiplicative structure of a particular class of algebras called skew group algebras. Algebraic deformations are often governed by certain cohomology groups, and so understanding these groups helps us better understand the deformations of an object. We give an explicit description of the Hochschild cohomology governing the graded deformations of skew group algebras for cyclic groups acting on polynomial rings over fields of arbitrary characteristic. (flyer in PDF form)
Our next colloquium will be on Monday, January 30 at 4:00pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Dr. Donald M. Gooch from the Department of Government at SFA will be speaking on Political Polarization in US Counties: Causes and Consequences.
Abstract: My thesis employs a unique data set at the unit of analysis of counties in the United States that measures political polarization in the electorate. The thesis explores factors that cause political polarization as well as the impact political polarization has on electoral results. I will briefly discuss the political polarization theories in the political science literature and how my analysis speaks to ongoing debate over the nature and effects of political polarization. I will describe my research strategy in acquiring the necessary variables for the analysis and some of the challenges I have faced in working on the project while serving as SFA faculty. Finally, I will discuss preliminary findings and the remaining steps to reach completion of the project. (flyer in PDF form)
Editor’s Note: This is the nineteenth in a series of spotlights on mathematics and statistics faculty. Dr. Long joined us as a professor in Fall 2008.
Do you have a hobby or collect something? How did you get into that?
I do yoga 5-6 mornings per week at the fantastic Ashtanga Yoga Nacogdoches/Morning Glory Yoga studio downtown. I got into that after years of doing ballet and not feeling great while doing it; yoga is much better!
Tell us about an adventure you had, or would like to have.
I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland to dip in the volcanic pools, ride the unique breed of horses, and take part in the tradition of chasing sheep through the streets of town.
What was one of your biggest successes or failures?
One of the things I’m most proud of is that I didn’t publish any mathematical research papers for 10 years, then picked up research again and have since had 3 published papers appear (with more under review and in the works). During the years I wasn’t producing papers, I was both focusing on other things and feeling guilty about not getting research done. It took a big push to get going again but it feels great.
What kind of music, books, movies, sports, games, cars, etc. (pick one or more) do you like?
I really, really like The Great British Baking Show. I usually watch that on the weekends and then end up inspired to bake several things.
What do you study? How did you get into that? Are there any real-world applications of your area of study?
I originally trained as an algebraic topologist focusing on the cohomology of finite groups. There aren’t a lot of people working in that area and any real-world applications are not what I prioritized. (Side note – this is a question that a lot of pure mathematicians get. I usually make an analogy about pharmaceutical researchers and doctors: You wouldn’t want pharmaceutical researchers to stop looking for new drugs just because the doctors don’t yet know which patients would get them. This analogy lands with varying degrees of success.) Anyway, I have shifted my focus to number theory, specifically valuations of sequences, a topic dealing with prime numbers. It’s much more accessible to students and I’m looking forward to being able to do more undergraduate research.
What projects (academic or otherwise) are you currently working on?
I’m the director of SFA’s JacksTeach program, which prepares secondary math and science teachers (who are desperately needed in our community and across the state). The program is pretty new so this is both exciting and challenging. Other than that, I’m trying to put my feet behind my head; varying degrees of success there as well.
What is the closest you have ever come to dying?
I almost died in childbirth with my son. That’s not something I thought happened very often anymore in the US, but women still die every day in childbirth across the country (and the world). Fortunately, my son and I are both ok.
What did you do to put yourself through school, or what weird job have you held?
I used to teach nature and campcraft at a summer camp outside Marshall, TX. That involved a lot of fun camping trips and many poisonous snake and spider fatalities. (Editor’s note: We just hope the fatalities involved snakes and spiders, and not campers!)
What was the best piece of advice you were ever given?
If a great opportunity comes along but not at the right time, it’s ok to say no to it. People will know your worth and will come back with other opportunities in the future; you can say yes when the time is right.
The thing that really makes you cool and unique is something that I would never have thought to list here. What is it?
My go-to answer to this question is that I’ve never eaten a PB&J sandwich. When I was a kid, I thought the idea was too gross. Clearly, it’s too late for me to try one now.
Our next colloquium will be on Monday, November 7 at 4:00pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Dr. Dylan Rambow will be speaking on The Story of Lattices.
Abstract: What is a lattice? It’s a grid-like thing that you hang on the side of your house to let vines grow on. What is a lattice in a math context? It’s a grid-like thing? What are the uses of these lattices? Come and find out! (flyer in PDF form)
Our next colloquium will be on Monday, October 24 at 4:00pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Dr. Nurul Raihen will be speaking on Bifurcation in Regularized Two-Phase, Elliptic-Parabolic Free-Boundary Problems
Abstract: In this talk, I will briefly introduce the free- or moving-boundary problems and their applications in many areas of mathematics and science. Then, I will focus on my recent work, where we showed a bifurcation phenomenon in a two-phase, singularly perturbed, free-boundary problem of phase transition. We show that the uniqueness of the solution breaks down for boundary values below a threshold and three solutions appear, the harmonic or trivial solution, a minimizer of the functional, and a mountain-pass solution. Then, we discuss the stability of the solutions by considering the convergence of a related evolution problem. (flyer in PDF form)
Our next colloquium will be on Monday, October 17 at 4:00pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Mr. Cody Morgan will be speaking on Numerically Approximating Partial Differential Equations
Abstract: This study investigates a special class of mathematical equations, known as partial differential equations (PDEs), used to model multivariable systems and real-world phenomena. Numerical approaches, including the employment of MATLAB’s pdepe function and the central-difference method, are utilized to compare results with known analytical formulations. Specifically, this research focuses on three types of PDEs. The first is the equation for one-dimensional heat conduction, which is fundamental to study related to heat transfer in engineering, while the second is the equation for a wave on a string, an elementary concept for understanding wave propagation in physics. Lastly, it is shown that the renowned Schrödinger Equation takes the form of a PDE and can be solved using numerical methods; this is a well-established law in the field of quantum mechanics, hence, its significance is the motivation for this research. Solutions to example PDEs exhibited in this study are depicted as graphs and surfaces in MATLAB, which can then be used for conceptual analysis. (flyer in PDF form)
Our next colloquium will be on Friday, October 7 at 1:00pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Dr. Eric Johnson of Mbira Technologies will be speaking on A Math Student That Became a Data Scientist, By Declaring Himself So
Abstract: In this talk I will discuss how my graduate education in mathematics helped me get my current job as a data scientist, and some of the ways I lean on my math training nearly every work day. In my job, as with most data scientists, I do a lot of machine learning. Often times machine learning is the use of a computer to try to construct a function whose graph reveals a pattern. The kind of machine learning that I work on helps decide which customers visiting my company’s website should be allowed to pay for their order with monthly payments -instead of paying the whole price upfront- and receive the items in their order as if they had paid us upfront. This presents a big risk. For example, a customer can choose to pay for their order with monthly payments, receive our products, then not pay us, ugh! So, my job is to use a computer to approximate a function that takes as its input: 1. Customer financial history variables and 2. Order details, and gives as output how much we think we stand to lose from approving the customer’s order. Given this context, we will then discuss:
How my math background helps me understand the algorithm that actually does the approximating of our decision function.
How my math background helps me find/construct the best data set to use to determine which customers we should approve/deny.
Ways in which my math background helps me evaluate the effectiveness of the decision function I have created.
Editor’s Note: This is the eighteenth in a series of spotlights on mathematics and statistics faculty. MRs. Cook joined us as a lecturer in Fall 2003.
Do you have a hobby or collect something? How did you get into that?
I am not really sure this is a hobby, but I absolutely love being a sports/band mom! I love going to the games or the pool and getting loud, and cheering on my girls. I love being the team mom, and I have always had good relationships with all the athletes and their families. “You need a Band-Aid, pain killer, Biofreeze etc.?” I’ve got it! “You need extra socks or a belt?” I’ve got that too! I even work concessions on Friday nights, order uniforms, take pictures, and braid hair. The list goes on and on. It absolutely takes up all of my time and weekends, but I wouldn’t have it any other way (even though my husband thinks I am crazy)!
Tell us about an adventure you had, or would like to have.
One of the funniest adventures I’ve had was when I was camping with my family at Atlanta State Park. We had just parked our camper, and noticed there was a mom with 3 or 4 small children parked across from us. One of the little boys had noticed we had kids with us and kept trying to get my girls’ attention. If you know my girls, they avoided those kids at all cost! Finally, Kylie had done enough avoiding for the day, and we decided we were going to watch a movie in the camper to just relax. The little boy knocked on the camper door and asked what we were doing. We were quick and turned off the movie before he noticed (we were watching the movie HOP) and told him we were watching the news. He said he didn’t like the news and left. Then not 5 min later, same kid, opens the camper door and walked right in. We all just froze because we couldn’t see him behind the counter. He sees we are watching HOP and comes on in and makes himself comfortable on the floor to watch the movie. Don’t worry, I didn’t let that go on for long, and took him back to his campsite, where his mother began yelling at him. She had no idea he was actually IN our camper, or that I had walked him back. I was hiding behind my car.
What was one of your biggest successes or failures?
My biggest success is becoming a teacher at SFA. For years, I told myself I would never be a teacher. Until, that one fateful day I was told, they needed me to teach a remedial math class. I was dreading it. My mom was a teacher, and my sister is a teacher. I didn’t want to do the same. I walked into that class, and had two amazing students who struggled with math, but they came to my office every Wednesday and got the help they needed. From that semester on, I knew this was what I was supposed to do. I love having my students tell me I am their favorite teacher. I love when they come back in the following semesters and tell me about life. I love when we are friends on Facebook (I know that is what “Old” people use), and I get to celebrate their successes like graduation, jobs, marriage and families. It is very rewarding for me, and gives me fuel for the next semester.
What kind of music, books, movies, sports, games, cars, etc. (pick one or more) do you like?
Is there any particular reason? I love all kinds of music! My favorite sports are Softball, swimming, and LUMBERJACK BASKETBALL!!! You can find me at the Coliseum for most of the home games. I have also guest coached the team before! GREATEST MOMENT EVER. They won due to my awesome coaching in that one game. Wink wink.
What do you study? How did you get into that? Are there any real-world applications of your area of study?
My Bachelor’s degree is actually in Biology from SFA. Genetics was my passion. I loved figuring out the chance of me having naturally curly hair or my kids having hazel or blue eyes. I really had intended to be a genetic counselor, which is someone who works with high-risk pregnancies. However, God had other plans for me! OBVIOUSLY. I got my Master’s in statistics here at SFA. Dr. Miller recruited me into the dark side, and told me how much probability and stats was used with genetics. I never escaped.
What was the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Everything you learn in college is just the background information that you need to be successful at the job you choose. Being able to do research, calculations, look in texts for answers, and learning to asking questions is what you are developing here. Most of what you do in the real world, will come from on-the-job training and experience.
The thing that really makes you cool and unique is something that I would never have thought to list here. What is it?
There are a lot of things that make me cool! I was an orientation leader at SFA, and a supervising orientation leader here as well. I was one of the people who started JACK CAMP! I bleed purple, and I absolutely love going to Disney World. It is our family home away from home. My parents always thought I should work for Disney selling their vacation properties. Maybe one day, when my kids are grown and out of the house.
Our next colloquium will be on Monday, September 26 at 4:00pm in Bush Mathematical Sciences Building 357. Mrs. Candice Hamilton, a senior math major in the JacksTeach program will be speaking on Reliability Analysis of a Tactile Mental Cutting Test for Assessing Spatial Ability in Blind and Low-vision Populations
Abstract: There is ever-growing research indicating that high spatial ability correlates with student and professional success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses and career fields. A few valid and reliable testing instruments have been developed to measure specific constructs of spatial thinking in sighted populations. However, due to a lack of accessibility, most of these testing instruments are unable to be utilized by blind or low-vision (BLV) populations.
The project 3 team of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) hosted by Utah State University’s Engineering Education Department analyzed the Tactile Metal Cutting Test (TMCT)’s reliability in measuring spatial constructs of rotation, cutting plane, and proportion in BLV populations. Data was collected from BLV individuals attending National Federation of the Blind (NFB) conventions, learning centers for the blind, and STEM-oriented NFB summer camps for high school students. The analysis results indicate that the split form of the TMCT instrument is showing reliability in both subtests with the BLV population. This project reports on a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded effort to establish the instrument’s validity and reliability. (flyer in PDF form)
Editor’s Note: This is the Seventeenth a series of spotlights on mathematics and statistics faculty. Dr. Pratscher joined us as a professor in Fall 2021.
Do you have a hobby or collect something? How did you get into that?
My favorite hobby is hiking and canoeing. While doing these activities I am able to observe the beauty of the world around me. However, when I don’t have time for those activities, I build a LEGO set or work on a jig saw puzzle.
Tell us about an adventure you had, or would like to have.
One of my fondest memories of adventure is going spelunking. I’ve noticed that the world that we don’t typically see is beautiful – all we need to do is look just a little bit for it. Thankfully I had some friends with me that stopped me (or I stopped them, I forget which way that goes) from falling into a very, very cold river.
What was one of your biggest successes or failures?
Well, some failures lead to successes. When I left high school, I joined the seminary. After my first year of school, it turned out that being a priest may not be my calling. But without this “failure” I never would have wandered around through various classes and find my passion in mathematics.
What kind of music, books, movies, sports, games, cars, etc. (pick one or more) do you like? Is there any particular reason?
I like Marvel and Star Wars. My wife and I are currently up to date on the MC Universe, currently watching Moon Knight, and waiting for the upcoming Dr. Strange movie. I may also have a pile of Star Wars books on a shelf waiting to be read. When I am driving down the road, you can hear me blasting country and 90s/00s rock songs. I’m not very big into “sports ball”, however I like watching the occasional White Sox game.
What do you study? How did you get into that? Are there any real-world applications of your area of study?
Well… I like to study a bunch of different topics, a little topology here, a little analysis there. But my all-time favorite area of study is complex and quasiregular dynamics. If you can think of any type of motion applied over and over again, then you may have a type of dynamical system that can be studied and transformed into an iteration of a quasiregular function. For example, squeeze a ball into an elliptical-type shape!
I always liked to study the motion of objects without actually knowing what the particular object is, and it gets even more interesting when points just bounce around in a chaotic manner. But at Northern Illinois University, Dr. Alastair Fletcher showed me how to think about motion analytically (in the mathematical sense) and geometrically (also in the mathematical sense).
What projects (academic or otherwise) are you currently working on?
Currently, I am trying to generalize Koenig’s Linearization Theorem and Böttcher’s Theorem from complex dynamics to an appropriate version in quasiregular dynamics. I have also been interested studying sets of chaos and stability and trying to generalize dynamics of rational maps to a quasiregular setting.
What is the closest you have ever come to dying?
Probably that one time when I was repelling down a cliff…
What did you do to put yourself through school, or what weird job have you held?
During my undergraduate years, I worked overnights as a grocery store stocker. For a few months before graduate school I was the manager of the night crew.
What was the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Maybe less advice and more as a life mantra, Fr. Jim Lennon once told me “We are all a little cracked”.
The thing that really makes you cool and unique is something that I would never have thought to list here. What is it?
Well, even though I am not from Chicago I say I am because it’s easier to explain, and the city is pretty cool. I like to try different activities and find peace in various activities. If you stop by my office, you might see a painting of mine. I have a sense of humor that only my wife gets…lucky her. As I was working on this, my wife said that my unique quality is “how disgustingly optimistic you are”.
SFA | Department of Mathematics and Statistics 