2023 Panels

First panel, between sessions 1&2: General topic

Open topic panel.

Panelists: 

Dr. Leslie J. Camacho Aquino started working for the University of Guam as an Associate Professor of Mathematics in August 2014. Prior to this, after completing her Ph.D. in 2001, she worked for the federal government for 13 years in a variety of positions. Initially, she was an applied research mathematician, then a software application developer, and eventually she moved into a position that fit her skills and interests – computer forensics and cyber security, areas that she is still interested in today.  Leaving the federal government and coming back to academia has given Dr. Aquino a chance to reconnect with her “research roots” in partial differential equations, mathematical modeling, and numerical computations. And, as the first native Chamorro (CHamoru) woman to receive her doctorate in Mathematics – and also a proud product of Guam public schools from K-12 and UOG for her bachelor’s degree – she is a strong supporter of STEM opportunities for underrepresented students in local and regional communities.  Outside of work, she tries to find time to build LEGOs or bake with her son, and binge watch TV with her husband.

Holly Hopkin is a Marketing Director in the food and beverage industry in the US. She completed her undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Economics with a minor in Statistics from Grand Valley State University, USA in 2015, and obtained a Master of Science in Business Analytics from Oklahoma State University, USA in 2018. She has experience working in analytical roles within finance, supply chain and marketing. 

Dr. Kokum Rekha De Silva is an academic who enjoys both teaching and research. In 2013 and 2015, she graduated with a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA. Since 2016 she is serving as a Senior Lecturer attached to the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Her research interests are on mathematical modelling in the interface of Mathematics and Biology, optimal control theory and operations research.

Second panel, between sessions 4&5: Graduate school in mathematical sciences

The panelists will share information about the graduate school program options, graduate school applications, how to prepare for graduate school and how to be successful in graduate school. There will be an open Q&A portion to allow questions from the audience.

Panelists: 

Dr. Sharon Crook is the Associate Director for Graduate Programs for the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on using data science and computational models to understand the dynamical behaviors of neurons and networks, and she contributes to projects that focus on model sharing and model validation against experimental data. 

Dr. Thomas Gilsdorf, Central Michigan University, USA earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics at the University of Minnesota, a master's degree in mathematics & computer science from Mankato State University, and a PhD in mathematics from Washington State University. He spends about half of his research time on topological vector spaces and the other half on cultural mathematics (also called ethnomathematics). His work in cultural mathematics has included studies of cultures in places like Mexico, Peru, India, and Taiwan. He is fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Beata Randrianantoanina is a Professor of Mathematics at Miami University in Ohio. She did her MS at the Warsaw University in Poland and Ph.D. at the University of Missouri. Her research is in geometric functional analysis. She regularly travels to research conferences around the world and she held visiting positions at the University of Texas, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Berkeley, California, and the Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté (UBFC) in Besançon, France. Currently she serves as the Director of Graduate Studies at the Department of Mathematics at Miami University in Ohio.

Slides from the graduate school panelists describing their programs: