Mentoring
Below are some of the mentored projects with undergraduate students
(both current student and notable alumni), since the start of my appointment
at SUNY New Paltz. For each student, details are given on the project (including
funding, publications and presentations) and on the person's current academic
position (for alumni).
Current students
MICHAEL ANDERSON is a Mathematics senior at SUNY New Paltz. Together, we have been working on a theoretical model
investigating the role on synchronization of special clustering of gap junctions in the reticular thalamic nucleus.
Our work is being prepared for publication. This coming Fall, we will continue with broader problems in network science and neural dynamics.
Alumni projects
JASMIN NUNUVERO, ANGIE SANTIAGO, AMIRA GBAGBA, SOFIA ITURBIDES were part of the summer 2023 REU project, supported by
the MAA NREUP. The project aim to model, by both formal and data-driven analyses, the interplay between epidemics and social
behavior and social behavior. Our work is being prepared for publication.
YAN LOK KO got a double undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering, in 2021. She trained in computational
neurosicence as a Student Assistant (supported via the mentor's RPCA award), and worked on modeling recurring activity generation
in a brain circuit (with AYURE support for Fall 2021). She is now a Ph.D. student in the Mathematics Department at University at
Albany.
DANAE EVANS graduate with a double degree in Physics and Astronomy and Applied Mathematics at New Paltz. Over the summer of
2021, she won a Robert Kyncl '95 and Luz Avila Kyncl '96 STEM Scholarship, which she used to train in dynamics on networks, and on
computational aspects. In fall 2021, she worked (with AYURE support) on a project on universality of synchronization properties in
dynamic networks. She is now a graduate student at University of St Andrews. Our join work is under review for publication.
MATTHEW KLEITZ graduate with a Computer Science major at New Paltz. We worked together on a course development project.
It consisted of creating a computation platform that solves a few types of partial differential equations both symbolically,
and numerically, compared methods and approximation schemes.Matthew is now a graduate student at Hunter College.
MONIKA MORASSE graduated as an Honors Mathematics Major in spring 2021, with a thesis on climate modeling under
my supervision. Project and support: The thesis focused around predictions of how water contamination may impact climate
patterns in conjunction with the greenhouse effect. Publication: The results are included in a
manuscript currently under
review at Climate Dynamics.
ABE LONGBOTHAM graduate from New Paltz in spring 2020, with a degree in Physics. Project and support: In fall 2019,
we initiated a project aimed at studying Julia sets in mutated iterations (supported by AYURE). Publications: A preprint
of this work is on the math arxiv.
Presentation: Dynamics Days annual meeting, Hartford (2020).
JOHANNA SANCHEZ, NORMAN REID, TATIANA ALONSO are students in the summer 2021 AC2 program, whose work was
been part of our emergency response to the COVID 19 epidemic. The project studies correlations between people's social mobility and the epidemic size throughout the state of
New York. Publication: a
preprint with our results was placed on MedRx.
REED WILLIAMS Reed worked on a computational neuroscience model of geometry in astrocytes, both as a Student Assistant
(in Spring 2017, supported by the mentor's Research and Creative Projects Award) and via Mathematics Research credits in Fall 2018
(supported by AYURE, which covered the student's travel). In Summer 2018, her research was supported by an NIH grant
from the collaborating laboratory at University of Albany. As part of a SURE program in summer 2020, Reed
worked jointly on a predictive model of the COVID 19 epidemic. Publications: The modeling work on COVID 19 was published in
Nature Scientific Reports, and has received since then close to 100 citations.
The work on astrocyte modeling is currently under review at
PLoS Computational Biology.
Presentations: WIMIN 2018, Center for Women
in Mathematics, Smith College (2018); Northeastern Analysis Meeting, SUNY New Paltz (2018); Joint Mathematics Meetings,
Baltimore (2019); Northeast Regional Conference on Complex Systems, SUNY Binghamton (2019); New Paltz Student Research
Symposium (2019); Joint Mathematics Meetings (2021). Reed continued to ger a masters in Computer Science at SUNY New Paltz in 202,
with a thesis on "Mapping gender to a spectrum under biological and societal lenses" under my supervision.
KIERAN CAVANAGH graduated with a degree in Mathematics in May 2021, and is now a graduate student in the mathematics
Ph.D. program at Penn State University. We started working together in Fall 2019, on a complex dynamics problem describing
the behavior of Misiurewicz points for equi-M sets. He also worked jointly with me and with Williams on a predictive model
of the COVID 19 epidemic. Publications: The modeling work on COVID 19 was published in
Nature Scientific Reports, and has received since then close to 100 citations.
Our manuscript on non-autonomous dynamics is currently being completed for publication.
KAITLYN GONZALEZ, SHELAH BALLARD, JOHNATHAN LINTON were all premed students (at SUNY New Paltz and Orage County
Community College) in 2020, when they were supported by the AC2 program to work under my supervision. Our six week summer project
contributed to the scientific community's emergency response to the COVID 19 epidemic. The project analyzed correlations between
people's social mobility and the epidemic size throughout the state of New York. Publications: The work was published in
PLos One
. Presentations: Our results were presented to a large outreach audience via the AC2 Zoom symposium, and were featured
in the local press.
HAYLEY COLUCCIO was an Astronomy major, with minors in Physics and Mathematics. She graduated in May 2020, and is now
preparing graduate school applications. She worked on a plane geometry project, as a Student Assistant, in fall 2019.
The results are currently being prepared for submission to a journal.
KELSEY BUTERA graduate SUNY New Paltz with a degree in Mahematics in May 2019. Project and support Kelsey
worked on a random dynamics problem, both as a Student Assistant (in Spring and Summer 2017, supported by the mentor's
Research and Creative Projects Award) and via Mathematics Research credits in Fall 2017 (supported by AYURE,
which covered the student's travel). Publication: The work was published in the
Journal of Nonlinear Science (with B. Williams).
Presentations: WIMIN 2017, Center for Women in Mathematics,
Smith College (2017); Joint Mathematics Meetings, San Diego (2018); SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference, SUNY Oneonta (2018).
TUCKER LUNDGREN graduated SUNY New Paltz in May 2019, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Project and support: Tucker worked on a mathematical model of lead pharmacokinetcs, both as a Student Assistant
(in Spring 2018, supported by the mentor's Sustainability Fellow seed grant) and via Mathematics Research credits in Fall 2018
(supported by AYURE, which covered the student's travel). We are currently collaborating on a model of crime and poverty
interactions in urban areas. Publication: The results were published in
Nature Scientific Reports. Presentations:
Northeastern Analysis Meeting, SUNY New Paltz (2018); Dynamics Days, Northwestern University (2019); Northeast Regional
Conference on Complex Systems, SUNY Binghamton (2019); Student Research Symposium, SUNY New Paltz (2019); Society for Industrial
and Applied Mathematics Meeting, Snowbird (2019).
SIMONE EVANS graduated SUNY New Paltz in May 2019, with a double degree in Biochemistry and Mathematics, and an
honors thesis under joint mentorship of Radulescu (Mathematics) and StJohn (Chemistry). She is currently in the Clinical
Neuroscience Ph.D. program at Dartmouth College. Project and support: Simone has been working on mentored research
in complex dynamics and applications to computational neural networks, both as a Student Assistant (in Spring and Summer
2017, supported by the mentor's Research and Creative Projects Award) and via Mathematics Research credits (in 2018 and 2019).
In Summer 2018, her research was supported by a STEM Experiential Learning Fund, and in Fall 2018 by an AYURE award from the
RSCA, which covered her conference travel. Publications: Our work on complex networks was published in
the Journal of Complex Networks. We are currently
collaborating on two new manuscripts. Presentations: WIMIN 2017, Center for Women in Mathematics, Smith College (2017);
Joint Mathematics Meetings, San Diego (2018); SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference, SUNY Oneonta (2018); Student Research
Symposium, SUNY New Paltz (2018); WIMIN 2018, Center for Women in Mathematics, Smith College (2018); Northeastern Analysis
Meeting, New Paltz (2018); Joint Mathematics Meetings, Baltimore (2019); Northeast Regional Conference on Complex Systems,
SUNY Binghamton (2019, won Best Paper Award); Student Research Symposium, New Paltz (2019).
RACHEL MARRA graduated from SUNY New Paltz with an undergraduate degree in Astrophysics, in Spring 2016. She is now a
graduate assistant in the Astronomy Ph.D. program at New Mexico State University. Project and support: Rachel performed
mentored research on mathematical modeling in neuroscience, via Mathematics Research credits in Fall 2015. She received AYURE
support from the RSCA, which funded her conference travel. Publication: The model analysis was publiched in the
Journal of Theoretical Biology.
Presentations: Dynamics Days (2016); SUNY Undergraduate Research Posters at the Capitol (2016); New Paltz Symposium (2016).
ARIEL PIGNATELLI graduated from SUNY New Paltz in Spring 2017, with an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Projects and support: Ariel performed mentored research in nonautonomous dynamical systems and several complex dynamics,
both via Mathematics Research credits, as well as a Student Assistant (funded by the mentor's Provost Challenge Grant) throughout
2015 and 2016. In Fall 2016, she received AYURE support from the New Paltz RSCA, funding her conference travel.
Publications: Both our work on templates
and in networks
was published in Nonlinear Dynamics.
Presentations: Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics (2015); National Conference of Undergraduate
Research (2015); New Paltz Research Symposium (2015); SUNY Undergraduate Research Posters at the Capitol (2016); New Paltz
Research Symposium (2016); SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (2016).
JOANNA HERRON graduated from SUNY New Paltz in Spring 2017, with an undergraduate degree in Mathematics.
Project and support: Joanna performed mentored research on an epidemic model of the Ebola virus via Mathematics Research
credits in Spring 2015, and on an interdisciplinary model of obsessive compulsive disorder as a Student Assistant in Fall 2015
(in collaboration with Caitlin Kennedy, and with a neuroscience lab at University of Albany, and supported by a Provost Challenge Grant).
Publications: The modeling work in neuroscience was published in
Nature Scientific Reports; the epidemic model was published in
the American Journal of Undergraduate Research
Presentations. Spuyten Duyvil Undergraduate Math Conference (2015); Joint Mathematics Meetings (2016); Spuyten Duyvil
Undergraduate Math Conference (2016); New Paltz Research Symposium (2016).
CAITLIN KENNEDY graduated from SUNY New Paltz in Spring 2017, with an undergraduate degree in Mathematics.
Project and support: Caitlin performed mentored research on neural network modeling via Mathematics Research credits in
Spring 2015, and on an interdisciplinary model of obsessive compulsive disorder as a Student Assistant in Fall 2015 (in
collaboration with Johanna Herron, and with a neuroscience lab at University of Albany, and supported by a Provost
Challenge Grant). Publication: The modeling work in neuroscience was published in
Nature Scientific Reports. Presentations: Joint Mathematics Meetings (2016); Spuyten Duyvil
Undergraduate Math Conference (2016); New Paltz Research Symposium (2016).
BRANDEE WILLIAMS: Graduated from SUNY New Paltz in Spring 2016, with an undergraduate degree in Mathematics. Brandee is a
Mathematics Instructor and Mathematics Resourse Lab Coordinator at SUNY Orange. Brandee performed mentored research in random
dynamics in Summer 2016, supported by the New Paltz SURE program. Publication: The modeling work in neuroscience was
published in
Journal of Nonlinear Science (with K. Butera). Presentations: WIMIN 2016 (Center for
Women in Mathematics, Smith College, September 2016); SURE Poster Symposium (New Paltz, September 2016).
TARA FITZGERALD: Graduated from SUNY New Paltz in Spring 2017, with a double degree in Mathematics and Biology. She is
currently attending the graduate program in midwifery at Philadelphia University. She performed mentored research on a dynamical
systems problem in Spring 2017, and attended mathematical biology conferences and workshops with her mentor.
SAMANTHA WYLER: Graduated SUNY New Paltz in Spring 2017, with a degree in Mathematics. Has completed the Masters program
at SUNY Binghamton, and will be starting a Mathematics Ph.D. program at Kent State University in Fall 2019. Sam performed mentored
research on a circuit analysis in Summer 2017, as a Student Assistant supported by the mentor's Research and Creative Projects
Award.
LUCAS BENNEY: Graduated SUNY New Paltz with a degree in Physics in Spring 2016. Luke completed his senior thesis project under
the mentorship of Anca Radulescu, on constructing and analyzing a mathematical model of climate change.
Publication: The model was published in
Mathematics Exchange. Presentations: Spuyten Duyvil Undergraduate Math Conference (Manhattan College,
April 2015).
MATTHEW CHASON: Graduated SUNY New Paltz in Spring 2017, with a degree in Psychology. He then joined the graduate program
in Psychology at SUNY New Paltz. He performed mentored research on lead contamination data analysis using mathematical and
statistical methods.
SAMIR BAH, WARREN WILSON performed research on fractals in mathematics and nature, as part of the AC2 six week
summer project in 2017. Their work was presented to a large community audience at the end of the program.
EMILY HANNON: Graduated from CU Boulder in Spring 2015, with an undergraduate degree in Biology. She is currently in the
MD/Ph.D. program at Case Western University. Emily performed mentored research under the Undergraduate Research Opportunity
program at CU. Her project focused on developing mathematical methods for analysis of functional imaging data, and computational
modeling of brain connectomics. She graduated with a honors thesis in parasitology, on which the nominee was the external
committee member. Publications: Our results were published in
Neurocase.