This Is Auburn Masamu

 

Throughout the course of the Masamu Program, participants have received many degrees, awards, appointments, promotions, and other accomplishments. A sampling of such accomplishments by both students and faculty members is given below.

 

2014-15:

  • Dr. Ash Abebe, Co-PI of the program, was promoted to full professor at Auburn University.
  • Hannah Correia, a member of the 2014 Statistics research group from Auburn University, was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
  • Mayla Boguslav, a previous MASI participant, was selected as a Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training Fellow with ICAP at Columbia University.
  • Ryan Matzke, a previous MASI participant, was accepted to the Mathematics PhD program at the University of Minnesota, where he will begin studies in Fall 2015.
  • Nathanial Burch, a previous MASI participant, was awarded a Center for Teaching and Advising travel grant from Gonzaga University.

 

2015-16:

  • Ryan Matzke, a graduate student participant in Graph Theory, was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
  • Christina Edholm, a graduate student participant in Mathematical Biology, was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the University of Tennessee beginning Fall 2016.
  • Edna Jones, an undergraduate student participant in Graph Theory, received the Clarence P. Sousley Award from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, given to a graduating senior mathematics major who has demonstrated exceptional performance in the field.
  • Dr. Abdul-Aziz Yakubu, faculty group leader in Mathematical Biology, was the 2016-17 National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) Postdoctoral Fellows Invited Distinguished Visitor.

 

2016-17:

  • Dr. Suzanne Lenhart of the University of Tennessee, a Masamu research faculty mentor and steering committee member, received the prestigious 2017 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Faculty Achievement Award for her outstanding record in teaching and scholarship. Professor Lenhart is also well known for her passionate advocacy for women and other underrepresented groups in STEM fields.
  • The Mathematical Sciences cluster at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, hosted a general lecture on curriculum transformation with Dr. Overtoun Jenda of Auburn University (PI) as guest speaker on March 20, 2017. The title of the lecture was Towards STEM Curriculum Transformation in African Universities.
  • Kat Perry, a 2016 SAMSA and MASI participant in Graph Theory, has successfully completed her PhD in Mathematics at Auburn University and has accepted a post-doc position at the University of Denver. Her doctoral research focused on two problems, the first involving the existence of many edge-disjoint rainbow spanning trees in edge-colored complete graphs, and the second, creating a balanced sampling plan for a two-dimensional array, excluding contiguous units.
  • Dr. Ash Abebe of Auburn University (Co-PI) is serving as visiting professor at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST). He is collaborating with BIUST faculty and graduate students on research projects and grant proposals.  Moreover, he is assisting the Department of Mathematics and Statistical Sciences with curriculum reviews to strengthen BIUST’s statistics program.
  • Hannah Correia, a MASI graduate student participant from Auburn University, has received US National Science Foundation GROW funding to engage in research collaboration with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research in Tromsø, Norway, from August 2017 – Feb 2018. She will be conducting research on Arctic animal population dynamics with Prof. Nigel G. Yoccoz, Prof. Audun Stien, and Prof. Torkild Tveraa.
  • Danielle Burton, a 2016 SAMSA and MASI participant in Epidemiological Modeling, has advanced to PhD candidacy at the University of Tennessee. Her candidacy was obtained partially based on the research work she has conducted on African elephant populations with the CRN Epidemiological Modeling research group.
  • Claire Zhang, a 2016 SAMSA and MASI participant in Graph Theory, received her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Auburn University in May 2017, as well as receiving the Andrew C. Connor Memorial Award, the Comer Medal in Physical Science, and the Undergraduate Dean's Research Award.
  • Dr. Cadavious Jones, a junior faculty member of the Masamu Graph Theory research group, was promoted to associate professor of mathematics at Alabama State University.
  • Adam Laclair, a 2016 SAMSA and MASI participant in Algebra, received the award for Best Master's of Science Presentation at the 2016 SAMSA Annual Conference. He was also admitted to the mathematics PhD program at Purdue University.
  • Dr. Christina Edholm, a postdoc researcher in the Epidemiological Modeling group, gave several presentations at regional and national mathematics conferences, including the Howard University Mathematics Colloquium; 2016 SIAM Conference on Mathematics of Planet Earth; MAA Southeastern Section Ninety-Sixth Annual Meeting; and the Joint Mathematics Meetings AMS Contributed Paper Session on Mathematical Biology

 

2017-18:

  • Amber Holmes, a 2017 graduate student participant in Graph Theory, received her PhD in Mathematics from Auburn University and has accepted a lecturer position in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Kentucky.
  • Bradley Fain, a multi-year graduate student participant in Graph Theory, received a second Master of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Deleware.
  • Janet Osaye, a graduate student participant in Graph Theory, was selected as the first African participant at the Rocky Mountains Great Plain Graduate Research Workshop at Iowa State University, due to her involvement with the Masamu program.
  • Dr. Suzanne Lenhart, senior faculty member and group leader of the Mathematical Biology research group, was selected as a fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics in the inaugural class and also received the James R. Cox Professorship at the University of Tennesssee.
  • Dr. Cadavious Jones, faculty member of the Graph Theory research group, was awarded tenure as an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Alabama State University.