Organizing Committee

The success of the Underrepresented Students in Topology and Algebra Research Symposium (USTARS) depends on the dedication and teamwork of the organizers who volunteer to run the event.  The conference organizing committee is remarkably diverse in gender, ethnicity, and educational background, and hence is well-positioned to encourage participation by women and minorities. 

Robyn Brooks

   

Dr. Robyn Brooks is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the College of Science at the University of Utah.  She graduated with a BA in Mathematics from Trinity University in 2009, and earned her Ph.D. in Mathematics from Tulane University in 2020.  Her research interests include Knot Theory and Computational Topology.  She is also a founding organizer of the Math For All in New Orleans conference.

tY fRAZIER

 

Ty Frazier is a data scientist at Disney. In addition to that, he is a 6th year PhD student in the math department at the University of Minnesota.  He graduated with his Master's in Applied and Computational Mathematics from East Tennessee State University in 2017. He graduated with a Bachelor's in Applied and Computational Mathematics.  His research interests include machine learning, celestial mechanics, climate modeling, molecular dynamics, and various mathematical applications.

Paige Helms

 

Paige Helms is a graduate student at the University of Washington, working with Jayadev Athreya in geometry and dynamics. She is particularly interested in math for social justice, and is an avid rock climber.

Ryan Moruzzi Jr

  

Dr. Ryan Moruzzi Jr (www.ryanmoruzzi.com) is an assistant professor at California State University, East Bay. He received his BS from Cal Poly Pomona, MA from Eastern Michigan University, and PhD from the University of California, Riverside. His current research is in the field of Representation theory and is also active in forwarding our mathematical community through actions of equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

Anisah Nu'Man

  

Dr. Anisah Nu'Man is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Spelman College. Originally from Atlanta, GA, Dr. Nu'Man obtained her Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests are in geometric group theory and anti-Ramsey theory. Dr. Nu'Man serves as a director for the MSRI-ADJOINT program and a contributor for the NAM-MAA Math Values Blog and the AMS Living Proof Blog.

Christopher O'Neill

 

Dr. Christopher O'Neill is an Associate Professor in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at San Diego State University. His research lies in the intersection of commutative algebra, discrete optimization, and semigroup theory, using methods from algebraic and enumerative combinatorics. He has been involved in several summer REU programs, and frequently mentors undergraduate research projects.

Javier Ronquillo Rivera

   

Dr. Javier Ronquillo Rivera works as the Math and Pedagogy Lead at Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM). He obtained his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Ohio University in 2018. His research interest are in the area of topological groups and math education.

Sheri Tamagawa

  

Dr. Sheri Tamagawa is a data scientist at Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance. She earned her Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2019 with a dissertation on low-dimensional topology, and her B.A. in Mathematics from Scripps College. Her proudest accomplishments in graduate school were teaching part time at Scripps and being selected as a USTARS DGS in 2019.