News: page 8

Nazifa Taha is a senior applied mathematics major at CCNY. She is now a data analyst intern at NASA!

Hear about it from Nazifa herself!

My name is Nazifa Taha and I am a senior studying applied mathematics. My primary interests lie in applying data science, mathematics, artificial intelligence and machine learning tools in sustainability and climate science domains. Currently, I am an intern at NASA Headquarters and my primary role is to analyze data. I am working on a project with NASA mentors to build a standardized package to help Science Mission Directorate staff track their program statistics. My work is very rewarding because I am contributing to NASA Missions and learning to work with real life data which is a dream come true. I am seeing applications of Mathematics unfold in the real world.

I decided to study Applied Math because of two reasons. First, I enjoyed doing math problems and second, I wanted to learn how Mathematics is applied in our day-to-day life. I want to thank Prof. Gennady Yassiyevich for supporting me in my journey and for his excellent teaching skills. I was able to walk out of his lectures with competency and curiosity to learn more. I want to thank Prof. Jack Hanson for his continuous support and kindness in my endeavors. I also want to thank Jason Redman for always being there to chat and giving me advice whenever I was having a hard time in making academic and career decisions.

Lastly, to all the students – I want to share a message that continuously inspires me. “If you really want something, you're going to have to work hard, you'll have to take advantage of every opportunity but don't give up.” - Dr. Jane Goodall.

Submitted by Dave and Leah Kopperman:

Ralph Kopperman (1942 - 2021)

Ralph David Kopperman of Pearl River, NY, died on Saturday (February 6, 2021) of complications from COVID-19 less than two weeks short of his 79th birthday. He loved learning, teaching, travel, nature, exercising, and his family.

Born on February 17, 1942 in New York City, his love of travel originated during the five years (1949-1954) in his childhood when he lived with his parents Abraham and Elsie and younger brother Paul in Bogota, Colombia.

Ralph was a dedicated student and auto-didact in a way that reflected the man he was to become. After he and his mother and brother returned to Queens, NY, he attended Forest Hills High School, then earned an AB in mathematics from Columbia College in 1962, and a Ph.D. in mathematics from MIT three years later. He also earned an MA in psychology from City College in 1984.

After a short time teaching at the University of Rhode Island in the mid-1960s – where he met his first wife, Sandra Baldwin, and also founded the crew team that exists to this day – he joined the faculty at City College of New York, where he stayed until his retirement in 2013, serving as math department chair during his last year and continuing to teach graduate courses as an adjunct faculty member subsequently.

Ralph liked to challenge himself, seeking ways to grow intellectually and personally. While he started in academia as a Logician, he changed disciplines to Topology in the late 1970s and became an important figure in that field. He pursued his MA in Psychology not for any professional need but to better himself and his relationships.

A dedicated father, Ralph opted to be the primary caretaker of his two children when he divorced, an unusual choice in the mid-1970s. In 1979, Ralph married for a second time to Constance Hodapp Picciano, and together they raised a blended family of five. He pushed his children to succeed academically while encouraging and supporting them in pursuing their own passions. This support extended outward to his students and peers. He remained a dedicated teacher even after his retirement, and an important mentor to younger mathematicians.

He co-authored over 75 academic papers and a graduate text book, Model Theory and its Applications. He mixed his love of travel into his work by serving as visiting faculty or lecturer throughout his career, including time in Venezuela in the 1970s, California in the ’80s, and England in the ’00s. He regularly traveled around the world to write papers with colleagues. He served on the editorial board of the journal Topology and its Applications from 1998 until his death, and founded the New York Seminar on General Topology and Topological Algebra and the Summer Conference Series on General Topology, both of which remain active today.

In addition to all of this, Ralph had a wide array of interests and self-taught skills. He loved the outdoors and camped across the US and Canada several times. He loved astronomy, bicycling, and movies. He fixed his own cars and learned and implemented an entire DIY-homeowner’s set of skills. When asked once if he was prouder of having lectured at Oxford or having single-handedly re-roofed his home, he declared it to be the latter.

Ralph is survived by his wife of 42 years Constance Picciano Kopperman and his five children Susan Picciano, Leah Kopperman and wife Valerie Lieber, Amy McIntyre and husband Mark McIntyre, Gail Picciano, and David Kopperman and wife Yesenia Kopperman, and by his grandson Sean McIntyre, and his brother Paul Edward Kopperman.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made online by selecting "Division of Science" in the designation menu and adding a comment "for the Math Department Discretionary Fund in memory of Prof. Ralph Kopperman" or by mail to the Math Department Discretionary Fund at the City College of New York, C/O The Foundation for City College, 160 Convent Avenue, Shephard Hall 154, New York, NY 10031.

The Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Quantitative Science Undergraduate Research Experience (QSURE), an NIH-funded summer mentored research internship for undergraduate students, is accepting applicants for this summer. The program is housed in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and tailored for students with a passion for applying quantitative approaches to reduce cancer burden. They are currently accepting applications for Summer 2021.

QSURE is a 10-week paid research internship for students who want to pursue a career in the quantitative sciences. Each student is paired with a faculty mentor, who specializes in either biostatistics, epidemiology, health services research, or computational oncology; together, they work on a summer-long research project. Students will receive formal training in scientific presentation, statistical programming, and the responsible conduct of research. Students will also participate in various career development seminars. Although not required, previous competitive applicants have had at least one semester of college statistics, and some experience with statistical programming. More information on QSURE, including examples of past projects, can be found here: www.mskcc.org/qsure. You can also refer to the tweet or LinkedIn job posting below:

Tweet: https://twitter.com/MSKBiostats/status/1324734275976073217?s=20 LinkedIn Job Posting: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2327309793

Now accepting applications for U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 2021 Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions

Faculty receive a $1,200 weekly stipend and are encouraged to apply for up to $50,000 in follow-on funding at the end of their appointment.

Graduate students receive a $700 weekly stipend.

Undergraduate students receive a $600 weekly stipend.

All participants may be eligible to receive housing and travel allowances.

10-week research experiences are offered at university-based DHS Centers of Excellence (DHS Centers).

Areas of research: Engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological / life sciences, environmental science, emergency and incident management, social sciences, and more. Additional information regarding DHS Areas of Research may be found on the program website.

U.S. citizenship required

Previous program participants may apply.

Application deadline: January 11, 2021, 11:59PM EST.

How to Apply: Applications and supporting materials must be submitted at https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/DHS-SRTMSI-2021-FacultyApp

Detailed information about the program can be found at: http://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/faculty/index.html

Jean-Pierre Kassegne graduated from CCNY in 2017 with a B.A. in pure mathematics. He is now working as an actuary with MetLife!

Hear about it from Jean-Pierre himself!

My name is Jean-Pierre Kodjo Kassegne and I completed my bachelor’s degree in Pure Mathematics from the City College of New York in 2017. I am currently working for MetLife as an actuary. I started my actuarial career right after graduation from the CCNY. During my time at CCNY, I knew what I wanted to do with my degree in mathematics which is becoming an actuary. Therefore, I took advantage of all the great resources provided by the math department that prepared me for my career.

In the summers of 2016 and 2017, I did the Rich Summer Internship with Prof. Alice Medvedev and Prof. Shirshendu Chatterjee where I picked up tremendous programming skills and learned how to become a careful thinker through rigorous proofs. The skills I acquired through the internships prepared me so well for my career.

With a major in Pure Math, we had a lot of elective courses. So, I used this opportunity to take classes in probability, statistics, financial mathematics, and programming. As a result, I started taking actuarial exams while I was at CCNY. I ended up passing the first three exams before graduation, which was a big factor in finding a job after graduation.

At MetLife, my daily work involves using the analytical and quantitative skills I developed from the CCNY. If I must redo it all over again, I won’t hesitate to choose the City College of New York. I am grateful for all the help I received during my time there. I want to take this opportunity to thank my friend Djiby Top, Prof. Christian Wolf, Prof. Alice Medvedev, Prof. Shirshendu Chatterjee, Prof. Joseph Bak, Prof. Jay Jorgenson and many others for all the support and advice. A special thanks to Jason Redman who is always available for guidance. I learned about internships and scholarship opportunities through him. To any CCNY math student who wants to become an actuary, do not hesitate to reach out via LinkedIn.