Mathematical Sciences
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Department News
Data Science Ph.D. Program Thrives
One year after its full launch, the department's first Ph.D. program is off to a great start, with new courses, 43 students (including 12 part-time students and 11 Research Assistants), and several related grants that help support the students. For more information, visit the program's webpage.
Grants Obtained by Faculty from 2022
American Mathematical Society meeting held on campus
The AMS (American Mathematical Society) held its first-ever meeting on our campus with the Fall Central Sectional Meeting on September 17-18, 2022. The meeting’s approximately 300 attendees from multiple states and countries included many UTEP faculty who gave presentations and/or organized sessions as well as 11 UTEP students who gave research presentations.
Dr. Nancy Marcus Celebrates 42 Years of Service
Dr. Nancy Marcus was honored at a May 11, 2022 retirement re- ception hosted by the College of Science honoring her 42 years of service. In addition to being one of the longest-serving mem- bers in department history, she also showed great leadership for the College of Science, serving as its Associate Dean for Aca- demic Programs and Student Success since 2004.
Dr. Lesser Wins Award at Sigma Xi 2022 STEM Art and Film Festival
Dr. Lesser placed second in the Performing Arts and Film categories of the 2022 STEM Art and Film Festival held by Sigma Xi as part of its International Forum on Research Excellence. The latter entry showcased his recent NSF grant on interactive statistics songs.
UTEP Collaborates in Consortium to Train Students in Public Health Informatics and Technology
UTEP is part of the Gaining Equity in Training for Public Health Informatics and Technology (GET PHIT) Consortium, which plans to train undergraduate students from underrepresented groups. More information and application materials are found at the GET PHIT website.
UTEP Data Science Undergraduate Concentration and Minor Recently Approved
A Data Science concentration for Math majors and an undergraduate minor have been recently approved at UTEP. These options will be available to students starting in fall 2022.
Dr. Khamsi Noted for Highly-Cited Research
The Fall 2022 Edition of Maxima is now Online
Interdisciplinary Team Works with Dr. Wagler in Modeling Food Insecurity
Dr. Lesser Wins Career Award
UTEP Distinguished Teaching Professor Dr. Larry Lesser is the 2021 winner of the Waller Distinguished Teaching Career Award, given by the American Statistical Association (ASA), the world’s largest community of statisticians and the nation’s second-oldest continuously operating professional association of any field.
UTEP American Mathematical Society Graduate Student Chapter recently approved
The UTEP AMS Graduate Student Chapter was recently approved by the AMS and UTEP, with graduate student Diego Siera as its founding president, and Dr. Michael Pokojovy as faculty advisor. Graduate and undergraduate students interested in Mathematics and related fields are welcome to join the Chapter, and follow their activities on the UTEP AMSGC minetracker page.
Speaker Series Connects Math and Religion
Dr. Larry Lesser and Rabbi Ben Zeidman are the co-organizers of a 2021 funded international speaker series titled “Higher Meanings: Exploring Connections Between Religion and Mathematics.” This online (Zoom) series of six talks targets a worldwide general audience seeking nuanced appreciation for the two domains and how they may overlap. Dr. Lesser kicked off the series with a March 18 talk on infinity attended by 131 people. The series has generated coverage from TV (e.g., ABC-affiliate KVIA), radio (e.g., NPR station KTEP-FM), print media (e.g., Jewish Herald-Voice) and podcasts (Sacred Science). All talks now offer posted video recordings, transcripts, and speaker readings. An article on the series appears in Journal of Humanistic Mathematics.
New PhD program in Data Science Approved by THECB!
The PhD program in Data Science has received approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Pending approval by SACSCOC, the program is set to begin as early as spring 2021. It will become UTEP’s 23rd doctoral program and the first one housed completely in the Mathematical Sciences Department. The PhD in Data Science will prepare and train individuals who can immediately obtain positions in business and industry that use data to guide decision-making. This program also involves applied training that will allow graduates to collaborate with others to drive innovation. Recent surveys suggest that there is currently a deficit of people with this type of training; in fact, over 40% of companies report not being able to find personnel for positions that require expertise in processing and modeling data to make decisions. The establishment of this program at UTEP will create a pipeline of data science professionals in the region and will be a unique and valuable contribution to data science education, both regionally and nationally.
Student interested in pursuing a PhD in Data Science at UTEP may find more information at the program's page on this website.
American Mathematical Society Sectional Meeting to be held online
The AMS fall central sectional meeting that was scheduled to take place at UTEP on September 2020 will be held virtually. It is the first time that the AMS hosts a virtual meeting, so the AMS and UTEP will be making history together. The AMS has also approved the department's request for rescheduling the on-campus AMS sectional meeting to September 2022.
MARCS Tutoring Center offers online tutoring.
Tutors are available online to help students with Math and Stat questions.