Summer Program at Purdue University
Please welcome the EDGE 2016 Participants!
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Meghan Malachi My name is Meghan Malachi, and I'm very excited to participate in the EDGE Program this summer. I was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, but I've spent the last four years living in Providence, Rhode Island. I recently graduated from Providence College with a Bachelor of Arts in English as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Math. This Fall I will begin graduate school at the University of Iowa's Mathematics PhD program. I spent the last two summers participating in pure math-based REUs, one in Hilo, Hawaii and another in Southern California. My current research interests include topics in Group Theory and Commutative Ring Theory. Besides an aspiring mathematician, I am also a Latin dancer/choreographer, poet, and Snapchat enthusiast! |
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Morgan Strzegowski Hello! My name is Morgan Strzegowski and I graduated this May from St. Mary's College of Maryland, with a major in Mathematics and minors in Economics and Dance. I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and plan on staying close to home while I attend University of Maryland, Baltimore County in the fall to pursue my Ph.D. in Applied Math. My favorite thing to study is differential equations and mathematical modeling. Aside from math, I love to dance, watch hockey, bake yummy desserts, and dream of the day I get to feed a giraffe. |
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Zonia Menendez Hi! My name is Zonia Menendez and I was born and raised in New Jersey. I've loved math from a young age, but I did not seriously consider studying mathematics until high school when I decided I wanted to become a mathematics professor (before I even knew what it was really about). I studied at the College of New Jersey for the past 4 years where I recently received my Bachelors of Science as a Liberal Mathematics major. I was a part of a supportive math community who led me to an REU program the summer of 2015 at the University of Washington, Bothell where I made some irreplaceable friends and fell more in love with math. I will be attending Wesleyan University this fall embarking in my Mathematics PhD. When I'm not studying mathematics I like to spend my time playing soccer, listening to music, singing, and laughing! I can't wait to form another math family here at the EDGE program! (: |
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Genesis Islas My name is Genesis Islas and I was born and raised in Southern California. I received my Bacehlor's Degree from California State University, Long Beach. This fall I will begin the Applied Math Ph.D program at Arizona State University. In my free time I enjoy hiking, camping, and anything outdoors. |
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Zaynab Diallo Hello everyone! My name is Zaynab Diallo, and I was born and raised in Dakar, Senegal. I came to the US five years ago to continue my studies. I started school in Iowa at a community college for two years (DMACC) before transferring to Iowa State University. I just completed my bachelor degree in Mathematics and Statistics, and I will be attending The Ohio State University in the fall to pursue my graduate studies in Statistics. My goal is to get first get my phD and then go back home to teach. I am really excited to be part of the EDGE family, and I cannot wait to meet all of you. |
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Amanda Reeder I was born in Salt Lake City Utah and grew up in Ogden until I was almost 17. My family then moved to Virginia where I went to Tidewater Community college for three years. I transferred to Norfolk State University and was awarded the Dozoretz National Institute for Mathematics and Applied Sciences (DNIMAS) scholarship grant. I graduated from Norfolk State University this past May with a BS in Applied Mathematics. I will be attending North Carolina State University this fall to start their Biomathematics Phd program. I look forward to attending the EDGE program and meet women in mathematics with the same goal in mind. |
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Sarah Yoseph I am from Inglewood, California where I live with a big, diverse community which I consider family, but you may know it as Los Angeles. I went to community college for 4 years in Santa Monica, then transferred to Loyola Marymount University as a Pure Mathematics major where I just graduated from this past May. I am interested in Algebra and Number Theory, and my research experience lies in geometric combinatorics and knot theory with applications of group theory. I am attending Claremont Graduate University this Fall 2016 for a PhD in Mathematics, and can't wait to meet more bright and motivated women in Mathematics at the EDGE program this summer. |
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Kirsten Morris Born in Dothan, Alabama, Kirsten Morris grew up in Savannah, Georgia and became interested in mathematics in high school. She recently graduated from Georgia College & State University with a B.S. in mathematics. While in college, she enjoyed being active in the Mathematics Club, Association for Women in Mathematics, and Collegiate 4-H. She also participated in the 2015 REU at California State University, Channel Islands. Kirsten will begin the mathematics PhD program at the University of Georgia in August. In her free time Kirsten enjoys traveling, spending time with family, and fishing. |
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McCleary Philbin I went to high school outside of Boston, and attended Swarthmore College where I earned a B.A. in 2014 in Mathematics and English Literature. I attended the yearlong Post-baccalaureate in Mathematics at Smith College for the 2014-2015 school year. I spent the Fall 2015 semester at in Budapest, Hungary studying at the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program. After the semester was over, I stayed in Europe for the winter to travel and see as many places as I could. In the fall of 2016, I will be entering the Mathematics Ph.D. program at the University of Minnesota. My mathematical interests include algebra and geometry. I am also interested in learning more about combinatorics. Outside of math I enjoy running, soccer, detective novels, and cooking. |
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Alicia Arrua Alicia Arrua will be joining the pure mathematics program at Oregon State University this fall. She graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2013 with her BS in Math and in 2015 with her MS in Math. Her previous research includes finding permutation patterns from iterative real-valued functions during her time at MSRI-Up at Berkeley and studying crossing numbers for composite knots for her Master's thesis. Her interests lie in topology, algebra, and number theory. |
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Erica Musgrave My name is Erica Musgrave, and I recently graduated from Saint Mary's College in California. I am very excited to begin attending the University of Nebraska - Lincoln Ph.D. program this coming Fall. I have attended a variety of summer programs in the past including the Summer Math Program for Women at Carleton College and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Undergraduate Program in Berkeley, CA. My current favorite areas of study are Algebra and Number Theory, and my recreation for the past four years has been playing on the softball team at my school. |
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Nida Obatake I am a California girl: I got a BS in Math from Santa Clara University and am finishing up my MS in Math at San Jose State University. This fall I'm starting a new adventure; I'm headed to Texas A&M University where I will begin my PhD studies. My research interests include algebra, topology, and mathematical biology. I enjoy teaching as a way to share my love for mathematics. In my free time, I watch way more TV than I should. |
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Stephanie Reyes I'm originally from Chicago, where I went to Whitney Young Magnet High School. I am graduating from Caltech with a BS in mathematics, and next year I will be entering the PhD program in mathematics at Purdue University. I am interested in studying algebraic topology. My other interests include art and knitting. |
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Sarah Chehade My name is Sarah Chehade, and I am from Weatherford, Texas. I earned my Bachelor's Degree of Science in Mathematics from the University of Houston, and I plan to attend graduate school there too. I have always loved mathematics and wanted to obtain a Ph. D. in it even in grade school, a time when I did not understand or know what mathematics truly was or what it meant to get a Ph. D. in mathematics. What allures me most towards mathematics is the free power to think abstractly about crazy and not-so-intuitive concepts for long periods of time, and the ability to share mathematics with others. Outside of mathematics, I enjoy taking Zumba classes and exploring the outdoors. |
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| Mentors |
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| Stefanie Wang My name is Stefanie Wang and I graduated in 2010 from Saint Mary's College of California with a B.A. in the Integral Liberal Arts Program and a math minor. I graduated from Smith College in 2011 from the post-baccalaureate program in mathematics. After working for a year, I returned to academia. I will be a fifth year graduate student at Iowa State University in Fall 2016. My current work involves non-associative algebras, representation theory, functional analysis, and category theory. When I can, I try to learn new math, read philosophy, or write short essays. My non-academic hobbies in graduate school include cooking, eating good cheesecake, powerlifting, practicing yoga, and knitting. My time at Saint Mary's and Smith have taught me the importance of community and open discussions. I look forward to meeting everyone this June and joining the EDGE family! |
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| Angie Gonzalez Hi! My name is Angie and I am a graduate student in the mathematics department at the University of Arizona. My current research is in graph theory, analytic combinatorics, and random matrix theory. I earned my undergraduate degree at Whittier College where I double majored in Mathematics and Economics. In my free time I like to sleep, watch TV, crochet, go hiking, and hang out with friends and family. I am excited to get to know you all. |
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| Chassidy Bozeman Hi ladies. I am currently a 4th year Ph.D. student in the discrete mathematics program at Iowa State University. I am originally from Little Rock, AR, and I received my B.S. in mathematics from Clark Atlanta University in 2012. In the summer of 2012, I participated in the EDGE program, and I am returning this summer as a mentor! My research interests include combinatorial matrix theory, linear algebra, and graph theory. In my spare time, I enjoy bike riding, crocheting, reading, cooking (and eating), socializing with friends and family, and road trips! See you soon! |
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| EDGE Facilitators |
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| Shelby Wilson I am an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Morehouse College. After graduating from Spelman College in 2006, I joined the EDGE Family. I was an EDGE participant in 2006, mentor in 2009, and Analysis instructor in 2014. I'm very excited to be leading the first half of the Analysis course in Summer 2016! I received my Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Maryland in 2012. I went on to do a post-doc in Grenoble, France. I've been back in the States (and at Morehouse) since January 2014. My research interests lie broadly within the field of Mathematical Biology (Cancer-Immunology, Modeling Sleep Dynamics, Synchronization in Parkinson's Disease). |
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| Maia Averett Maia Averett is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Department Head of Mathematics and Computer Science at Mills College. She completed her PhD in 2008 at UC San Diego where she was a UC Regents Dissertation Year Fellow. Her area of mathematical specialty is the wobbly world of topology. She started off as a homotopy theorist, but lately her interest has turned to the fascinating new area of topological data analysis, a field that applies the abstract machinery of algebraic topology to point cloud data to gain insight about topics as from breast cancer to basketball. Since finding mathematics as her passion relatively late in college, she's made mathematical outreach to young people a central objective in her career. She created and conducted math circle sessions since 2008 for both the Berkeley and Marin math circles. In addition to reaching out to young people, Maia also has a special interest in advocating for women in mathematics. She has been engaged in the Expanding Your Horizons program at UC San Diego and at Mills founded student chapters of the Association for Women in Mathematics at UC San Diego while in graduate school and at Mills, where the chapter goes by the name of The Mobius Band in honor of her love of topology. When she's not teaching, researching, programming, outreaching, or otherwise mathematically engaged, Maia enjoys cooking Thai food, circuit-bending children's toys, backpacking and hiking in the Oakland hills with her dogs. |
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| Eirini Poimenidou I am a Professor of Mathematics at New College of Florida. I have been a member of the EDGE family since 2002 when I taught the second half of the Abstract Algebra course for EDGE at Bryn Mawr College. I was the local coordinator of EDGE 2006 and 2013 at New College. I can't wait to meet all the new EDGErs and welcome back the rest of the EDGE family. I received my Ph.D. from the University of Warwick in England. My research interests are Finite Groups and in particular in Character Theory of Finite Groups. |
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| Raegan Higgins Raegan Higgins is an Assistant Professor in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at Texas Tech University. Her research focuses on oscillation criteria of dynamic equations on time scales. Raegan is a Project NExT Fellow as well as a co-founder of Young Women in Mathematics, a student organization at Texas Tech that provides space for open discussion about and growth in the mathematical sciences for the female students in her department. She is currently serving as the chair of the SIAM Workshop Celebrating Diversity Working Group. Raegan earned a BS from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2002; MS and PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004 and 2008, respectively. Since the start of her graduate career, Raegan has been actively involved with programs supporting women and underrepresented minorities in mathematics. She participated in EDGE as a student in 2002 and later as instructor since 2014. Raegan served on the organizing committee for the Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics for several years as a graduate student and returned as invited guest in 2014. In addition, she served as a graduate student mentor for Nebraska IMMERSE Program. In 2012, Raegan served on the steering committee for the Infinite Possibilities Conference. She currently on the organizing committee for the 2017 AWM Research Symposium. Having been mentored both formally and informally throughout my career, she feels it necessary to share her experiences with mathematicians, especially women, hoping to make their journey smoother. |  |
| Mini Course Facilitator |
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| Rachel Davis Hello. I am looking forward to meeting the EDGErs! I am a mathematician, who is currently finishing a postdoctoral position at Purdue University. My research interests include algebraic number theory and arithmetic geometry. I grew up in Rochester, NY and received my PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in a related program to EDGE called the Summer Program for Women in Mathematics (SPWM) as a student and to its director, Professor Murli Gupta. I am also thrilled to join EDGE. |
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| Difficult Dialogues Facilitator |
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| Zenephia Evans Zenephia Evans earned a PhD in cell and developmental biology from Purdue and is now serving as the Director of the Science Diversity Office. She has served as the Director of Multicultural Programs and Associate Director of the Science Diversity Office, prior to this she served in various capacities in the department of Biological Sciences. She often works with K-12 educators on various projects ranging from African-American History Month to science. Dr. Evans has been honored with the Helen B. Scheleman Gold Medallion, One Brick Higher Award, Title IX Awardee, The Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) Distinguished Service Award, BGSA Engagement Award and The Black Caucus of Faculty and Staff - Staff member of the year Award. I In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, attending sporting events especially tennis, traveling, listening to music, and volunteering in the community. |
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| EDGE Co-directors |
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| Ami Radunskaya I am a Professor of Mathematics at Pomona College, and President Elect of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). I have worked with the EDGE program since it began in 1998, teaching real analysis, running the program at Pomona College a few times, and generally having a great time getting to know a lot of Women Math Warriors. I am co-director of the EDGE program with my good friend Dr. Ulrica Wilson. I received my Ph.D. at Stanford in ergodic theory, and my current research focuses on theoretical questions about stochastic dynamical systems; applications in cancer immunotherapy, energy conservation, and drug delivery; and algorithmic musical composition. |  |
| Ulrica Wilson Hello all. I am a graduate of Spelman College and since 2007 I have been a professor in the Mathematics Department at Morehouse College. I received my PhD from Emory University in noncommutative ring theory and more recently I have expanded my research to combinatorial matrix theory. I started working in the EDGE program in 1999 as a graduate mentor each summer and later started teaching the Algebra workshop. I am now co-directing the program with my dear friend and colleague, Ami Radunskaya. See you all on June 6!! |  |