Student Work
Silas Snider, who is double majoring in math as well as computer and information sciences, also recently added a minor in linguistics to his workload. Wait, linguistics? “So much syntax in math and computer science comes from linguistics,” Snider says. “I wanted to understand why and how that works.”
In addition to being charter member of the CIS department group called the Student Interest Group in Com-puter Science, Snider hosts tutoring sessions once a week, which are open to anyone who wants to talk about math and computer science problems.
Last year Justin Tittelfitz was granted a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), an award that allowed him to study math at the University of Washington. Since returning to the UO to finish his degree, Tittelfitz has become even happier with his chosen field and his future prospects. “Once you get to a certain point, you can see the creative and the beautiful in math,” he says. “There is a misconception that math sucks; you have to get to a certain point before you see the beauty.”
Asher Tubman arrived at the UO with a background in liberal arts, but with a strong interest in math and physics. “I’ve always been interested in math,” he says. “I guess I’ve always just been curious about figuring out how things work, and math ties in with that.”
Drawing on his experience in math and physics, as well as his desire to delve into the mechanics of the world, Tubman has been working as a research associate in Professor David Strom’s high-energy physics lab.
Selected Faculty Work
Associate professor Hao Wang has been working on subjects that include interacting branching particle systems, super-processes, multidimensional processes, financial modeling, extreme value theory, and scenario generation. He regularly teaches upper division courses that range from theory to statistics.
Professor James Isenberg works in partial differential equations and differential geometry with emphasis on applications in mathematical physics. He is focusing on solutions of Einstein’s equations and the relationships (via heat flows) between topology and geometry.
Department head Brad Shelton’s research focus is in non-commutative ring theory and non-commutative algebraic geometry. Shelton has written many journal articles on ring theory as well as a calculus textbook.
Professor Marie Vitulli’s work encompasses areas of algebraic geometry and commutative algebra. She is working on problems in valuation theory—many having their origins in algebraic number theory. She teaches classes in linear and commutive algebra, and calculus. In addition, Vitulli is the director of the Women in Math project, a collection of publications about gender and mathematics.
Career Prospects
It’s important to recognize that mathematics has applications in almost every professional field. You can apply it explicitly in accounting, business, and finance. It can be used more subtly in measurements for architecture and other fields of design. You might become a much-needed mathematics teacher, passing on valuable knowledge to young students. You might decide to explore theoretical and abstract concepts through a master’s or doctoral program.
You might even become a brain surgeon, nuclear physicist, or rocket scientist—math is a necessary component of any of these careers.