Kristen Amman is an assistant professor of mathematics in her second year on the committee. She studies student perceptions of their learning experiences across the undergraduate mathematics curriculum. Her current work investigates student experiences relearning content they have seen before in contexts such as retaken Calculus courses or mathematics content courses for future teachers. She earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers University and has participated in several women-led mentorship events at the annual Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (RUME) conference. Kristen greatly looks forward to learning more about participants' research and welcomes any and all questions from those interested in mathematics education research.
Mike Bergland-Riese joined the Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education in 2022, after working for the past 10 years with Nebraska Extension. In his new role, Mike is an Events and Outreach Specialist with the CSMCE, providing leadership and expertise in planning and delivering STEM-focused events. Mike received his Bachelor of Science in hospitality, restaurant, and tourism management and Master of Arts in marketing, communications studies and advertising from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. This is his second year on the committee.
Huijing Du has been on the NCUWM Organizing Committee since 2016. She got her Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame, and then she was a postdoctoral scholar at University of California, Irvine. Her research is in the area of computational and mathematical biology, in particular using multiscale modeling tools to investigate complex multicellular biological systems.
Erin Ingram recently joined the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education in August 2024 as their associate director. She has formal training as an educator (B.S. in elementary education), scientist (M.S. in entomology), and discipline-based education researcher (Ph.D. in entomology) as well as eight years of experience with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ (IANR) Science Literacy initiative as a STEM curriculum development specialist (2016-2019) and community engagement coordinator (2020-2024). This is her first year on the committee.
Ishan has been a postdoctoral faculty at UNL since Fall 2023. Before joining UNL, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of California, Riverside. He graduated with his Ph.D. in mathematics from the Vanderbilt University in 2022. His research is in the field of von Neumann algebras and its connections to group theory and ergodic theory. This is his first year on the organizing committee.
Chris Schafhauser graduated with his Ph.D. in mathematics from UNL in 2015 and joined the UNL faculty in 2019 as an established leader in operator algebras. He previously completed postdocs at the University of Waterloo and York University in Toronto. As a York Science Fellow, he was supported by the Simons Foundation, and he also ran a seminar course on the classification theory of C*-algebras at the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences. Schafhauser’s work is in a branch of functional analysis that deals with the structure and classification theory of C*-algebras and operator K-theory. This is his first year on the organizing committee.
Alex Zupan is in his eighth year on the NCUWM Organizing Committee and is currently co-chair. His research is in geometry and topology. In particular, he studies 3- and 4-dimensional manifolds and the theory of knots in these dimensions. Before arriving at UNL, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and held an NSF Postdoc position at the University of Texas at Austin. He has supervised a number of undergraduate research projects at both UNL and UT.
Sabrina Fowler is a fourth-year graduate student at UNL. She received her B.S. in applied mathematics and her M.S. in mathematics from Missouri State University. Her research interests are in commutative algebra. She attended NCUWM as an undergraduate and is looking forward to helping create a wonderful experience for others. This is her second year on the committee.
Juliann Geraci is a fifth-year graduate student in mathematics at the University of Nebraska, advised by Dr. Alexandra Seceleanu. Her interests are in commutative algebra and its applications, as well as mathematical neuroscience. She received BA in mathematics from the State University of New York at Oswego in 2020 and her MS in mathematics from UNL in 2021. She attended NCUWM twice as an undergraduate student and has volunteered at the conference as a graduate student since coming to UNL. This is her first year on the NCUWM Organizing Committee.
Sam Macdonald is a fourth-year NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He is primarily interested in prison education and is advised by Yvonne Lai. Sam graduated from Willamette University in 2020 and from Highland Park Elementary in 2009 with a few other events scattered in-between. This is his second year on the NCUWM Organizing Committee.
Sara Mueller is a fourth-year graduate student interested in commutative algebra. She graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in mathematics and a minor in environmental science and her M.S. in mathematics from UNL. Sara spends her non-math time crafting, watching women’s sports, and hiking with her dog Bucky. This is her first year on the NCUWM committee.
Kirsten Morris is a fourth year graduate student researching coding theory and pursuing a minor in electrical engineering under the advisement of Dr. Christine Kelley and Dr. Tefjol Pllaha. She earned a B.S. in mathematics from Georgia College & State University and an M.A. in mathematics from the University of Georgia. Originally from Savannah, GA, Kirsten loves traveling, learning about new cultures, and textile arts. This is her second year on the NCUWM Organizing Committee.