U.C. Davis Math Circle

Instructors

$picture of graduate student$ The Math Circle 2012 graduate student instructors are:

Jeff Anderson

Yvonne Kemper

Amanda Back

Jeff is a fourth year PhD candidate in Mathematics at UC Davis. His PhD research focuses on Numerical Linear Algebra applied to problems in Electrical Engineering. His first true love in mathematics is Linear Algebra. His six favorite topics in mathematics include Linear Algebra, Calculus, Mathematical Finance, Optimization, Statistics and Probability.

Jeff is also a dedicated teacher who believes deeply in the creative talents and intelligence of his students. In his 10 years of experience as an educator, he has been a lead instructor for Math 16A: Differential Calculus offered at UC Davis, Math Circle, the JET Program, Seifukujitsu Massage and DanZan Ryu Jujitsu. He has also been a teaching assistant at UC Davis for 10 quarters and a volunteer math tutor for underrepresented groups in mathematics.

Jeff encourages students of mathematics to strive for SUCCESS:

S- Self-Dicipline: make the commitment to get the job done the best way you know how

U- Understanding: exercise curiosity and improve your ability to learn, think and solve problems

C- Collaboration: cooperate with, encourage and support your fellow students

C- Creativity: express yourself and where you come from as you learn

E- Effort: Work hard, work smart and take responsibility for yourself

S- Self Confidence: believe in yourself and have the courage to take risks

S- Satisfaction: Find fun in everyday, laugh deeply and enjoy the moment

Yvonne is a third-year grad student in the math department. Her research interests lie in the intersection of combinatorics, geometry, topology, and commutative algebra (ask her about matroids!). She completed her undergraduate education at UC Berkeley, where she majored in math and astrophysics. When not doing math, Yvonne is usually reading, hiking, or making a mess in the kitchen.

Amanda is in her first year of graduate study at UC Davis. She earned her BS in mathematics (with a minor in physics) from Tulane University and an MS in computational science from the same. Her master's research was on numerical integration through Landen transformations. Currently, her research interests are varied; they include chaos theory, experimental mathematics and dimensional analysis. When she's not thinking about math she's usually thinking about creatures, including, but not limited to, sea creatures, dinosaurs and bugs.

Director

Owen Lewis is a fourth year graduate student studying fluid dynamics and mathematical biology. He has taught two Math Circle courses in the past: Fractals and Chaos (2010), and Mathematical Biology (2011).

When Owen is not in MSB or working from home, he enjoys playing in the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range. During the Summer months he is an avid backpacker and hiker. During the Winter, Owen spends the majority of his free time skiing or doing whatever he can to be on snow.

This program is sponsored by the University of California, Davis College of Letters and Science and the University of California, Davis Mathematics Department with the support of National Science Foundation VIGRE grant #DMS-0135345.

Photo credit for this site goes to the USA/Canada Mathcamp and the UC Davis Math Department .

The People of Math Circle

Instructors

Director