About me
Background
I am a sixth-year PhD student and VIGRE Trainee in the School of Mathematics at the Georgia Institue of Technology. After growing up in a small town in western North Dakota (and by small, I really do mean small, as in 275 people) and graduating at the top of my class of nine students at Halliday High School, I did my undergraduate work at North Dakota State University, where I majored in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science. During summer 2002, I participated in the Louisiana State University Mathematics Research Experience for Undergraduates.
Mathematical Interests
If you told me to sum up my mathematical interests in one word, that word would be combinatorics. My precise interests have evolved over time and continue to do so. For some time, I thought that I wanted to work strictly in graph theory, but in Spring 2005, I took a combinatorics class from Professor William T. Trotter that opened my eyes to the world of partially-ordered sets and several other areas of combinatorics. Shortly thereafter, I began working with him as his student.
I also have an interest in the history of mathematics, specifically the academic genealogy of mathematics. Some historians of mathematics claim that mathematical genealogy is not part of the history of mathematics, but I contend that it is the history of mathematics. The history of my field can be traced back by following links from students to advisors, showing the flow of knowledge over the years. As Assistant Director of the Mathematics Genealogy Project, I'm responsible for technical development and creation of departmental posters.
In addition to mathematical research, I'm also intrested in being the best teacher of mathematics that I can be. Too many students fail to study mathematics because they've had a teacher who gave them a bad experience. I was recognized in 2008 as one of three Georgia Tech Outstanding Teaching Assistants for my teaching skills, and have also been involved in planning the New Teaching Assistant Orientation for the Georgia Tech Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning for two years. I have also been recognized by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as one of the 2009 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders. More information about my teaching, including my teaching philosophy statement and course materials, can be found on my teaching page.
Nonmathematical Interests
I have this crazy love of campus governance that got me involved with the Student Government Association (SGA) at Georgia Tech. Since arriving at Georgia Tech, I have served as School of Mathematics Senator and Secretary of the Graduate Student Senate, Executive Vice President, and Graduate Student Body President. On 24 April 2007, I stepped down from the last post and returned to the GSS in the fall. Combined with my tenure as Chief Justice of the NDSU Student Court, I have now headed all three branches of student government. I had a great time as President, and under my leadership, a number of great things were accomplished for the benefit of Georgia Tech's graduate students, due largely to the many great administrators and students with whom I worked during the year.
I'm also involved with the Honor Advisory Council (HAC), which works to inform students, faculty, and staff about the GT Honor Code and their rights and responsibilities under it. After spending several years on the Code of Student Behavior Complaint Resolution Board, Grade Appeals Board, and Student Court at NDSU, it's nice for me to be on the nonjudicial side of things. During Summer 2005, I led the group that developed a new program for international student orientation that helps new international students become more educated about the cultural differences involved with academic integrity. I presented on this project at the 2005 International Conference of the Center for Academic Integrity at Virginia Tech. I have also spoken to groups of incoming students as well as new teaching assistants.
Outside of campus life, I enjoy time staring at the TV (Law & Order, Boston Legal, House, and Monk rank among my favorite tradiational shows, and I'm also addicted to the Food Network, particularly anything with Alton Brown and nothing with Rachael Ray) or reading a good book (John Grisham, Vince Flynn, Joseph Finder, and David Sedaris are favorites). I've also found I have a knack for baking and am a decent cook. My desserts have acquired a reputation for deliciousness, and so I can usually be counted on to show up to a party with cookies, bars, cupcakes, a cake, or a pie (with homemade crust, of course). I also try to bake most of my own bread; rosemary sheet focaccia is a personal favorite.
VIGRE Trainee Defined
What exactly is a VIGRE trainee, you might ask? Here at Tech, it's a hybridization of a teaching assistantship and a research assistantship. VIGRE (Vertical InteGration of Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences) is an NSF-sponsored program to increase the number of U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents who pursue careers in the mathematical sciences. Basically, they give grants to U.S. universities to strengthen their mathematics programs by supporting graduate students, undergraduate research, and various activities wherein the department reflects upon itself and its programs. For graduate students here, it means that (1) we get to start our first year by taking classes without teaching requirements, (2) we get supported during the summer term without teaching requirements, and (3) we get supported for half of each of our fourth and fifth years without teaching requirements. It seems that the no teaching thing worked for me during my first year, as I passed the written comps in April of that year.
