Associate Professor of Mathematics; Johnson Center Director
Math & Computer Science / Academic
- Office:
- IDEA Center 115
- Mailbox:
- 61568
- Phone:
- 903.813.3158
Education:
B.S., Emory and Henry College
Ph.D., University of North Carolina
Fall 2021 Office Hours in IDEA Center 115:
Monday and Wednesday 10:00 a.m.– 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
If none of these times work for you and you need to meet with me, please email me to make an appointment.
Faculty Bio:
I have known that I wanted to teach mathematics since I was a senior in high school because of the inspiring influence of my calculus teacher, Ms. Berry. After high school, I went to Emory and Henry College with the goal of teaching high school math. However, my time at E&H changed my career path thanks to the great mentors I had there. After working on math research projects with two of my professors, Dr. Iskra and Dr. Winger, I knew I wanted to go to graduate school to study math. My ultimate goal was to teach at the college level so that I would one day be able to educate and mentor students like my college professors. At Austin College, I get to do exactly that! Each day, I teach my students about the creative, challenging, and beautiful nature of mathematics.
Recent Courses:
- Calculus I, II, and III
- Linear Algebra
- Applied Analysis
- Knot Theory
- Topology
- The Science of Secrets (Cryptography)
- A Walk in the Woods: Hiking North Texas
Research Interests:
My primary area of research is in knot theory. A knot is exactly what it sounds like; take a string, tangle it up, and fuse the ends together. It may be surprising, but these objects can be studied using mathematics. There are an infinite number of knots and each of them can appear in an infinite number of forms, so determining if a knot can be untied is an extremely complex problem. My work aims to find a way to always be able to tell knots apart by calculating polynomials associated with a knot. These polynomials are difficult to calculate, so I use a computer and Mathematica as tools. Each summer I collaborate with Austin College students on this ongoing project.
Faculty Extras:
- Sponsor of the Austin College Student Democrats
- Sponsor of the Austin College sorority Xi Epsilon
- Associate Coordinator of the 2018 Austin College Student Scholarship Conference