News: page 11
Abdoulaye Maiga accepted to Rochester Institute of Technology for his Ph.D
May 11, 2020
My name is Abdoulaye Maiga, and I will
be graduating during this Spring of 2020 with a Bachelor of Science
in pure mathematics. My journey as an undergraduate student at CCNY
began during the Fall of 2016. At the time, I was already very
motivated to learn more about the topic that excited me the most
since high school. Inspired by my cousin, who also studied
mathematics, I became more and more interested in using mathematics
to solve problems in related fields such as biology and
physics.
Before even declaring my major, the department of mathematics
already seemed to have adopted me as one of their own. I was very
lucky to meet early in my education incredible people such as Dr.
Michael Shub, Dr. Joseph Bak, Jason Redman, George Brathwaite, and
everyone else that I did not mention who informed me about various
opportunities I could get if I was able to maintain a good academic
standard.
I want to personally thank Dr. Michael Shub who decided very early
to become my mentor and introduced me to Math Alliance. I cannot
thank him enough for everything he has done for me. I also want to
personally thank Dr. Christian Wolf, Dr. Patrick Hooper, and Dr.
Joseph Bak for all their help, guidance, and for believing in me. I
never thought that I could be calm and relaxed while talking to a
Professor, but I was very comfortable talking to all of you.
The department of mathematics here at CCNY is composed of an
amazing group of people, from faculty to staff, who will believe in
you. They will do their best to provide you with all the resources
you need to reach your goals and be successful. Thanks to Dr.
Khalid Bou-Rabee, Dr. Patrick Hooper, Dr. Michael Shub, and Dr.
Christian Wolf, I was always able to expand my knowledge of
mathematics through independent studies, summer internships, and a
summer school.
Thanks to Professor Elizabeth Blair Davey who taught me to be
rigorous in mathematics since Calculus 1. I cannot forget to thank
Dr. Eli Amzallag for his great lectures, and my favorite teacher
and role model Gennady Yassiyevich. I am really going to miss
everyone I have met at the department. This is not a goodbye, but a
see you soon.
A very important chapter is coming to the end, and a new one is
about to open. I have chosen to join Rochester Institute of
Technology in the Fall for a Ph.D. in Mathematical modeling to make
my dreams come true, but CCNY will always occupy a special place in
my life in general, and in my education in particular. Without all
the support I received here at CCNY, I wouldn’t have been able to
become a future Ph.D. student by myself. I am grateful to have made
friends that share the same passion here. Karoline Dubin, Pavel
Javornik, Sarah Van, Vincent Filardi, Junjie Chen, Ana Tao, I wish
you all the best in your programs and I am sure that we will all do
our best to make CCNY proud of us.
Pavel Javornik accepted to Northwestern University for his Ph.D
May 8, 2020
I can recall snippets of memories
throughout my life that might have suggested I would go on to study
mathematics, but it wouldn’t be until my first few semesters at
City College that it became clear to me that I had a real love for
the subject. To me, it seemed that the math department’s mission
was to uplift their students and make them see their true
potential. From the first time I awkwardly walked into the chair’s
office to inquire about the Math Club, I was welcomed with open
arms. I knew then that I wholly wanted to emulate these people. I
would like to thank George Brathwaite, Dana Mann, Dr. Michael Shub,
and Mark Turner on behalf of the Math Club and the Association for
Women in Mathematics CCNY Chapter for all of their support
throughout the years. We could not have done it without your help
in coordinating, funding, and even taking a part in our events. And
I couldn’t have made it here now without your support. I will
sincerely miss coming up there just to chat with you all.
I would like to personally thank Jason Redman, Dr. Bianca Santoro, Dr. Pat Hooper, Dr. Zajj Daugherty, Dr. Ethan Akin, Dr. Christian Wolf, Dr. Joseph Bak, and Dr. Alice Medvedev for all of their help with club activities, and for providing personal guidance. Even when things were tough, you all came through for me in ways I never expected. It is the sort of kindness I intend to honor by passing along down the road. Our interactions have meant the world to me. I would also like to thank the scholarship committee for making it possible for me, and so many others like me, to devote so much of our time to pursue our interests by alleviating the stress of making ends meet. The time I’ve spent poring over material, and working with others has been some of the most meaningful to me. Everyone in this department has greatly influenced my current trajectory, and I hope that we all keep in touch in the future.
I want to thank my girlfriend, Orian, and all my friends – Casey, Karoline, Anna, Joe, Kameron, Vincent, to name a few– that I’ve met here at City College for their support, and companionship over the years. The picture would feel incomplete without any one of you there. I have nothing but love for all of you and wish you all the best in your future.
Every chapter in our lives has to come to a close sometime, and I am glad I spent this chapter here at City. I will be moving to Chicago and attending Northwestern University in the Fall to pursue my Ph.D in mathematics. With everything I’ve learned from the people in this school, I feel confident about the future. I am eternally grateful to everyone I’ve had the pleasure of meeting here, and for the opportunity to deepen my understanding of mathematics, as well as the sorts of communities it attracts.
San Diego State University REU
Dec. 9, 2019
San Diego State University is pleased to invite applications to its Summer 2020 Mathematics Research Experience for Undergraduates. The program dates this year will be June 14 to August 7, subject to final NSF approval. The projects will be in number theory.
The program will pay a stipend of $4000, provide housing, and some support for food for participants and the application deadline is March 1, 2020. For a detailed program description and application instructions/materials, please see the program website:
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/math-reu/index.html
Math Club & AWM Student Seminar
Dec. 3, 2019
The Math Club & Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)
hosted a student seminar to give students a glimpse into more
advanced fields of mathematics. Prof. Bianca Santoro gave a talk
on geometry and Prof. Ethan
Akin gave a talk on game theory.
CCNY Graduate Julia Saccamano
Nov. 14, 2019
Julia Saccamano graduated from CCNY in 2019 with a B.S. in
applied mathematics and a minor in economics. She is now working as
a Research Associate at Deerfield Management, a healthcare
investment firm!
Hear about it from Julia herself! --
My
name is Julia Saccamano and I’m a 2019 graduate of the CCNY math
department. I hold a BS in applied mathematics and a minor in
economics. After graduating, I started working full time as a
Research Associate at Deerfield Management, a healthcare investment
firm where I interned the previous summer. I currently provide
primary market research and analysis for companies and products in
various healthcare sectors including pharmaceuticals, medical
devices, and healthcare services.
My favorite part about my work is the fact that I’m constantly
learning. We need to understand and analyze the medical world as it
advances, which is a never-ending process. It sometimes feels like
not a lot has changed since I was a student because I’m still using
the same skills that I developed during undergrad. I still get
projects/assignments, have deadlines, do research, analyze data,
and need to present my work.
When picking my major I didn’t know of many career opportunities
for mathematics (aside from teaching or academia) but I decided
that studying math was the best fit for me. Over the course of my
undergraduate studies, I got exposed to many opportunities and
avenues that revolved around math that I had no idea existed. One
pathway led to the internship that I took at Deerfield as part of
its Fellows program. Most of this exposure was outside of the
classroom: talking with professors/faculty, going to lectures, and
joining clubs and fellowship programs. This lead to me realize the
importance of networking and being proactive to finding
opportunities.
On that note, I’d like to thank Jason Redman for helping me learn
to navigate the math department and for being available to answer
any questions I had. I’d also like to express my deep gratitude to
Professor Akin for his support over the years. Whether it was
concerning classes, independent studies, internships, scholarships,
presentations, or just general words of wisdom, he was always there
for me, and I am sure I would not be where I am today without
him.