Dr. Ryan Moruzzi, Jr
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics
California State University, Northridge
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics
California State University, Northridge
About me:
I'm a husband, dad, sports enthusiast, and mathematician. I enjoy spending time with my family, being outdoors, playing and watching sports, and exploring new ideas in mathematics.
I earned my B.S. in Mathematics from Cal Poly Pomona in 2010 and later completed my Ph.D. at the University of California, Riverside, specializing in Representation Theory. Before joining California State University, Northridge as an assistant professor, I was an assistant professor at CSU East Bay and a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow at Ithaca College.
My research interests lie broadly in combinatorics, discrete mathematics, and their connections to linear algebra. In particular, I study the inverse eigenvalue problem of a graph, zero forcing and its variations, throttling, and propagation time on graphs.
As an educator, I am committed to fostering equity, inclusion, and anti-racism within our academic community. My experiences in both K-12 and higher education have shown me how inequities sustain systems of hierarchy and racism in classrooms and beyond. I strive to act with intention, working to dismantle both visible and invisible barriers in education.
I welcome conversations on my research or educational topics, please feel free to reach out. For more about my journey, see “More About Me” below.
I am first generation college graduate born and raised in Rialto in Southern California. I attended schools in the Rialto Unified School district which include Bemis Elementary, Jehue Middle School, and Rialto High School. While at Jehue Middle School and Rialto High School, I was in the GEAR-UP program (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), which is a "grant program of the U.S. Department of Education that increases the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education" by offering "support services to high-poverty, middle and high schools." This program helped me visit college campuses, along with making me aware that going to college is possible.
While at Cal Poly Pomona, I was part of GEAR-UP as a mentor, going to La Puente High school in the Hacienda Heights-La Puente school district, located about 20 miles east of Los Angeles. I valued my time as a mentor, spending the days inside the classroom working with students, as well as in the after school program aiding students with their work along with providing them with insights I learned from going to college.
Also while at Cal Poly Pomona, I also worked at a Sylvan Learning center in Rialto, CA teaching K-5 students from schools receiving funds from the NLCB (No Child Left Behind) Act. I worked with students who were below grade level in reading and mathematics, helping them become proficient in the subjects. More so, I would help them realize they can do well in school despite previously struggling, and closing opportunity gaps amongst students.
Through all my experiences, I am aware of various privileges that are afforded in education. This influences my choices and impacts how I approach aspects of my teaching and research. I always enjoy conversing with others about both, just reach out!
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