My name is Jason Archer. I have studied at UNM for three years, and I will be starting my fourth year here this coming August. Since I am studying a double major in Math and Physics (with each major concentrated on applied science), I may not graduate immediately.

I haven't decided on a graduate school yet, but my advisors tell me my options are still wide open. I look forward to participating in MCTP and working and learning with everyone.
 

My name is Martha Byrne, and I graduated from Knox College in 2002 with my BA in Math. I was accepted to UNM in the spring of 2007, but deferred my enrollment in the PhD program for a year while my husband and I tied up our lives in Massachusetts and got ready to make the move.

As I write this, I am about halfway through the week-long moving road trip. We're staying with friends and observing the flood damage in Iowa City tonight, but will be making our way through Omaha and Denver to land in Albuquerque on Monday, June 30. I grew up in Albuquerque, graduated from Alb. High, and since leaving Knox, I've been involved in several things, but most prominently taught math for grades 9-12 in a Waldorf High School in Western Massachusetts.

I'm really looking forward to starting school and am very grateful for this program to help get my brain back in gear before the semester begins.

Hi all.  My name is Rebecca and I am studying Pure Mathematics with a minor in management at UNM. Currently, I am in Durham, NC at a family reunion. 

Yesterday, I got to see my cousins, some of whom I haven't seen in seven years! I spent last week moving my sister from Spartanburg, SC to Pittsburgh, PA.  Thrilling to be in an east coast city for a while - I grew up in rural NJ, near the ocean, and Philadelphia was an hour away.

Here's a photo that I used to draw a self portrait in my art class, apologies, it's all I have on my jump drives, everything else is at home. Can't wait to meet you all and to do some math!

My name's Dom and I'm looking forward to starting things off next week. But I'm also looking forward to the 4th because I love to cook and I'm manning the barbecue this Friday (chicken and ribs).

I'm a stovetop chef and not a baker like Mical. I'm a Philadelphia native who came out to UNM in 2002. I'm a double-major super-senior pursuing archaeology and mathematics- a combination I gather is not so common but I have various interests. 

Within the next few years I would like to attend culinary school, for instance.  In the meantime, I've been enjoying the low humidity and I've been sharpening my poker skills. 

It's a great summer so far and we seem to be a diverse group which I believe will make the next several weeks very productive and interesting! 

 My name is Kristina and I am a senior at UNM studying applied
mathematics. I am currently spending my vacation time in my hometown of Denver, Colorado visiting family and enjoying the great weather.

I'll be traveling to Albuquerque late next week, just in time for my birthday which happens to be July 6th! I only have 2 courses left to fill my math requirements, PDE's and Advanced Matrix Theories.

Some of my favorite classes so far have been Advanced Calc I & II. I plan on starting graduate school for my masters in Applied Math immediately after I graduate and would eventually like to become a math professor.

I came to UNM as a transfer student from a small community college in Denver so I enjoy exploring New Mexico and I REALLY enjoy the winters here, no snow! Looking forward to meeting you all.

Hello, my name is Taylor Hines. I am currently an undergrad mathematics student at Arizona State, and I plan on graduating this spring. I currently have a few projects in the works; I have been researching the deformation of brain tissue due to tumor growth using the finite element method.

Also, I am writing a paper with one of my combinatorics professors. As far as school goes, I have recently been studying mostly Algebra, and I plan on keeping in that direction. To pay the rent I work as a math tutor.

For fun I have a netflix account that I use to rent David Lynch movies. I also enjoy listening to Creedence and I have dreams of one day finding a box of money.

Hi everyone, my name's Kendra, and I will be starting up with graduate school this fall at UNM.  

I graduated from McGill University in 2006 with an undergraduate degree in math, and then took some time off to have fun and work random jobs.

I spent most of the time in Vermont, where I am originally from, and then moved out to Albuquerque almost a year ago to get away from evil Vermont winters!  

I can't wait to get back into school mode and to meet everyone next week.

My name's Ben Munyan, and I'm a senior at ASU studying math/economics as well! I'm also interested in math/finance, though I'm looking more for a graduate degree in Finance or Economics (PhD, not MBA). I'm interested in a career studying and advancing market theory and the implementation of more efficient and stable financial systems.

I have been a part of the ASU CSUMS summer research program, working on a math/finance modeling project for my honors thesis. I'm interested in this program as a way to gain more skills and techniques for approaching and modeling problems, as well as meet students with common interests--Josh, looks like we'll have lots to talk about!

Outside of school I sit on the board of directors of Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization providing access to capital for companies in underprivileged areas of the easter Phoenix metro area to either start or expand their business--I have a strong passion for nonprofit work, and see my career aspiration as a reflection of that! :)

I really look forward to meeting everyone in person and learning as much as I can absorb!

It’s been terrific to read these introductions and notice the diverse interests in mathematics this group has. There’s so much to look forward to: meeting each one of you, having great conversations, and of course, exploring new ideas in our summer workshop.

I certainly never dreamt of working in math when I was younger. My interests lay mainly in science, and in particular, cellular biology. While completing my B.S., I found math to be a therapeutic tonic, a way to relax from other courses.

Like many people, however; I was unaware of the career options available to math students. Only later, while working for a statistician and considering graduate school, did I get a glimpse that math could be a versatile tool to help understand nature.

I’ve never enjoyed my studies more. I expected a reserved atmosphere, and found enthusiastic and supportive professors and students in its place. In the fall, I’m looking forward to courses in mathematical biology and PDEs. Also, I’d love to learn more about pure math.

To those new to UNM ( and not so new ) may I say welcome on behalf of us all.

My name is Bobby Sena.  I'm an undergraduate here at UNM majoring in math.  I will be starting my third year in the fall, so I'll graduate at the end of my fourth year.  I haven't really found my favorite math topic yet, but so far I have liked learning about all of them.

I would like to get my graduate degree in math, and become a math professor.  Starting to like more applied math stuff now, and beginning to see its utility and practicality, although I have found the pure topics most appealing.

Hobbies include caffeine, riding scooter, and hacky sack (when people are willing to play).  Sometimes play soccer for fun with my friends, we're not very good yet but we're learning.  

My name is Mical Sharp (pronounced "Michael"), and I have just begun my graduate studies in Education at UNM this summer. My plan is to teach math to the unwashed masses (i.e. highschoolers) and can't wait to get at it.

Though my background is not, in fact, in math, I have immersed myself in the subject this past year and have rediscovered it's epic awesomeness, so I am way stoked to dive in again this summer.

Just a little extra info on me: My husband and I live here in Albuquerque, but are originally from Oregon (go Beavs!). Also, as Michael Nakamaye will attest, I love to cook/bake (so Ben, feel free to send any birthday cake/dessert requests my way).

I look forward to meeting you all next week.  

My name is Bryan White. I just finished my first year of grad school here at UNM. I grew up in Sacramento, CA and I got my bachelors at UC Davis in Math of course and a minor in Linguistics. I did a tiny bit of research in a VIGRE project at UC Davis in geometric group theory.

I personally worked on something involving Cayley graphs but I didn't end up proving anything of consequence. Right now I'm studying for the Algebra qualifying exam.

For fun, I like to drink, play video games, and bowl.
 

My name is Bea Yu and just finished my first year as a graduate student in the UNM math department.  Like Martha, I am from Albuquerque and graduated from Albuquerque High (although very likely much earlier!). 

I have a bachelors in philosophy from UT Austin, a masters in chemistry from UNM, and took all the classes required for an applied math degree from UNM, but didn't fill-out the paper work for the degree.  I started with a light schedule last year since I have two kids and hadn't taken any math courses for a while. 

This year, I intend to pick-up the pace by taking nine hours per semester. So...  I think this program will be a great opportunity for me to get reacquainted with stuff I haven't seen for years as well as learn new material. 

I look forward to meeting everyone next week!