Student Recognitions

2023 ~ 2024

Summer Science Institute*

  • Catherine Nguyen and Tori Mueller (2nd place winner for the poster presentation) under Dr. Lee
  • Christopher Hudert and Miranda Herd under Dr. Esunge

* You can find more details here.

2022 ~ 2023

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Kayla Kippes

Honors Theses

  • Kayla Kippes – Using a Distributive Approach to Model Insurance Loss (under Dr. Denhere)

2021 ~ 2022

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Caitlin Holt

Undergraduate Publications

  • Amy Creel, Analytical Solution of the T, T^*, V_I, V_{NI} Model for HIV-1 Dynamics, SIAM Undergraduate Research Online Journal, Vol. 14, pp 567 – 584, 2021 (under Dr. Lee)

Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Conference at James Madison University (December 4, 2021)

Paper Presentation

  • Caitlin Holt – A Numerical Study of the SEIQR Model for COVID-19 (under Dr. Lee)

Honors Theses

  • Rory Black – Adjusting Environmental Performance Index Scores to Account for Gross National Income (under Dr. Hydorn)
  • Timothy Corbett – Einstein’s Equation, Lagrangians for General Relativity, and the ADM Formalism (under Dr. Chiang)
  • Caitlin Holt – A Numerical Study of the SEIQR Model for COVID-19 (under Dr. Lee)
  • Lynn Sherman – ElGamal Encryption in the General Linear Groups (under Dr. Helmstutler)

2020 ~ 2021

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Paige Beidelman

Colgate W. Darden Award (given to the graduating senior(s) with the highest GPA)

  • Margaret Gregory and Katherine Safian

Honors Theses

  • Paige Beidelman – Game Chromatic Number on Segmented Caterpillars (under Dr. Collins)
  • Makayla Ferrell – Simulations of an Attack on RSA (under Dr. Helmstutler)
  • Brandon Williams – Parameter Estimation in Nonlinear Regression: Exploring Confidence Intervals for Estimated Coefficients (under Dr. Hydorn)

2019 ~ 2020

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Amy Creel

Colgate W. Darden Award (given to the graduating senior(s) with the highest GPA)

  • Hannah Frederick

Undergraduate Publications

  • Emily MacIndoe, Analytical Solutions of the Susceptible-Infected-Virus (SIV) Model, SIAM Undergraduate Research Online Journal, Vol. 12, pp 154 – 166, 2019 (under Dr. Lee)

Honors Theses

  • Abigail Bernhardt  – Markov Chain Model for the Spread of an Epidemic (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Amy Creel – The T, T^*, V_I, V_{NI} Model for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Dynamics (under Dr. Lee)
  • Hannah Frederick – Conjugation by Circulant Matrices in Non-commutative Cryptography (under Dr. Helmstutler)
  • Ashley Scurlock – Anticommutative Associative Algebras and the Binomial Theorem (under Dr. Collins)
  • Stephen Tivenan – Exploration of Solvable Quintic Polynomials (under Dr. Lehman)

2018 ~ 2019

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Emily MacIndoe

Colgate W. Darden Award (given to the graduating senior(s) with the highest GPA)

  • Emily MacIndoe
  • Hollis Pultz

Undergraduate Publications

  • Ray Dambrose, Algorithms to Approximate Solutions of Poisson’s Equation in Three Dimensions, Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal, Vol. 20, Iss. 1, Article 2, 2019 (under Dr. Lee)

Honors Theses

  • Riley Anderson  – Improving Bertini 2.0: Classifying Singular Polynomials with Machine Learning (under Dr. Collins)
  • Makenzie Clower – Predicting Parameters for Bertini Using Neural Networks (under Dr. Collins)
  • Emily MacIndoe – Analysis of Deterministic and Stochastic HIV Models (under Dr. Lee)

Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Conference at James Madison University (October 13, 2018)

Paper Presentation

  • Riley Anderson – Implementing Machine Learning to Improve Bertini 2.0 (under Dr. Collins)

Poster Presentation

  • Makenzie Clower – Predicting Parameters for Bertini Using Neural Networks (under Dr. Collins)
  • Amy Creel – A Numerical Analysis of the SIV Model for HIV Infection (under Dr. Lee)

2017 ~ 2018

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Shannon Haley

Honors Theses

  • Henry Darron – An Analysis of Performance Measures of the Schooner Zodiac (under Dr. Chiang)
  • Shannon Haley – Non-commutative Massey-Omura Encryption with Symmetric Groups (under Dr. Helmstutler)
  • Bailey Stewart – Non-commutative Zero-Knowledge protocols (under Dr. Helmstutler)

2016 ~ 2017

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Rachelle Dambrose

Colgate W. Darden Award (given to the graduating senior(s) with the highest GPA)

  • Rachelle Dambrose

Honors Theses

  • Rachelle Dambrose – Algorithms to Approximate Solutions of Poisson’s Equation in Two and Three Dimensions (under Dr. Lee)
  • Nicholas Gabriel – Maxwell’s Equations, Gauge Fields, and Yang-Mills Theory (under Dr. Chiang)

Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Conference at James Madison University (September 24, 2016)

Paper Presentation

  • Nora Benedetto – Cluster Analysis of Course Evaluation Response Rates (under Dr. Denhere)
  • Rachelle Dambrose – Numerical Approximation of Poisson’s Equation (under Dr. Lee)

Poster Presentation

  • Kelley Swenson – Predicting Enrollment using Time Series Models (under Dr. Denhere)
  • Aaron Thomas – Mathematical Solution to Poisson’s Equation (under Dr. Lee)

*SSI 2016 (July 20, 2016)

Paper Presentation

  • Nora Benedetto – Cluster Analysis of Course Evaluation Response Rates (under Dr. Denhere)
  • Rachelle Dambrose – Numerical Approximation of Poisson’s Equation (under Dr. Lee)
    (1st place winner for the oral presentation)

Poster Presentation

  • Kelley Swenson – Predicting Enrollment using Time Series Models (under Dr. Denhere)
    (1st place winner for the poster presentation)
  • Aaron Thomas – Mathematical Solution to Poisson’s Equation (under Dr. Lee)

* More information about SSI can be found in the following link: http://cas.umw.edu/math/student-opportunities/summer-science-institute/.

2015 ~ 2016

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Chris Lloyd

Colgate W. Darden Award (given to the graduating senior(s) with the highest GPA)

  • Chris Lloyd

Honors Theses

  • Chris Lloyd – The Ko-Lee Key Exchange Protocol with Generalized Dihedral Groups (under Dr. Helmstutler)
  • Victoria Moore – Simultaneous Estimation of Multiple Time Series (under Dr. Hydorn)
  • Pengcheng Zhang – Homogeneous, Isotropic Cosmology, Schwarzschild Solution and Applications (under Dr. Chiang)

Undergraduate Publications

  • Morgan M. Brown (’14), Identifying a Coefficient Matrix for Numerical Approximations to the Wave Equation in Two Dimensions, Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Math Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, pp 152 – 166, 2015 (under Dr. Lee)

2014 ~ 2015

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Kimberly Hildebrand

Honors Theses

  • Michelle Craft – Eigenvectors of Interpoint Distance Matrices (under Dr. Hydorn)
  • Kimberly Hildebrand – Using Independent Bernoulli Random Variables to Model Gender Hiring Practices (under Dr. Hydorn)

Scholarships

  • Christopher Taitt – Fall 2014 Dodson Scholarship
  • Lauren Turner – Spring 2015 Dodson Scholarship
  • Kimberly Hildebrand – Loughran Scholarship
  • Christopher Hunt – Robertson Scholarship
  • Rachel Youmans – Talley Scholarship

2013 ~ 2014

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Morgan Brown

Honors Theses

  • Kyle Genovese – Application of Multiple Regression: A Two Case Study (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Casey Howren – Computational Analysis of the SIR Epidemic model (under Dr. Lee)
  • Chris Hunt – Surface Theory, Minimal surfaces, and Weierstrass Representations (under Dr. Chiang)
  • Dane Lawhorne – Analogies Between the Real and Digital Lines and Circles (under Dr. Helmstutler)

Joint Mathematics Meetings in Baltimore, MD (January 2014)

Paper Presentation

  • Casey Howren – A Numerical Analysis of the SIR Model for Modeling Epidemics (under Dr. Lee)
  • Kimberly Hildebrand – Using Independent Bernoulli Random Variables to Model Gender Hiring Practices (under Dr. Hydorn)
  • Dane Lawhorne – The Fundamental Groups of the Digital Line and Circles (under Dr. Helmstutler)
    (Dane became an outstanding presentation winner of the 2014 MAA Undergraduate Poster Session.)

Scholarships

  • Benjamin Tuxbury – Dodson Scholarship
  • Ashley Buxton – Loughran Scholarship
  • Christopher Hunt – Robertson Scholarship
  • William Etcho – Talley Scholarship

2012 ~ 2013

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Kathryn Dillinger

Honors Theses

  • Kelly Brown – Mathematical Models of Honey Bee Populations: Rapid Population Decline (under Dr. Sumner)
  • Morgan Brown – Numerical Approximations to the One- and Two-Dimensional Wave Equations (under Dr. Lee)
  • Katie Dillinger – Analysis of the Heat Equation with a Heat Source Term (under Dr. Lee)
  • Peter Slattery – Analytical Approaches to the Wave Equation (under Dr. Lee)

Scholarships

  • Benjamin Tuxbury – Dodson Scholarship
  • Kelly M. Brown – Loughran Scholarship
  • Darren Getts – Robertson Scholarship
  • Joseph Nguyen – Talley Scholarship

Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Conference at James Madison University (September 29, 2012)

Paper Presentation

  • Morgan Brown – How to Win Every Time (under Dr. Lee)

Poster Presentation

  • Peter Slattery – The Wave Equation in One Dimension (under Dr. Lee)

2011 ~ 2012

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Kelly Scott

Honors Theses

  • Hannah Baumgardner – The Gauss-Bonnet Theorem and its Applications on Manifolds (under Dr. Chiang)
  • Marianne Dubinsky – Methods for Solving the Basel Problem (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Alan Liddel – Generalized Functions of Schwartz Type (under Dr. Collier)
  • Catherin O’Doherty – Explorations of Stable Distributions (under Dr. Esugne)
  • Rebecca Presor – Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model: Analysis, Approximations, and Applications (under Dr. Lee)
  • Kelly Scott – Anti-Blocking Sets (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Teresa Yao – The Diffusion of a Chemical Pollutant Modeled by a Fourier Series (under Dr. Lee)

Scholarships

  • Rima Amin – Dodson Scholarship
  • Aaron Kalman – Loughran Scholarship
  • Erin Burdwood – Robertson Scholarship
  • Alan Liddell – Talley Scholarship

Joint Mathematics Meetings in Boston, MA (January 2012)

Paper Presentation

  • Marianne Dubinsky – Revisiting the Basel Problem (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Catherine O’Doherty – Exploration of Stable Distribution (under Dr. Esunge)

Poster Presentation

  • Kathryn Dillinger and Rebecca Presor – Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model: Analysis, Approximations, and Applications (under Dr. Lee)
  • Ryan Vaughn – On the Contractibility of Finite coH-Space (under Dr. Helmstutler)

 

MD-DC-VA Section Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America at Christopher Newport University (November 2011)

Paper Presentation

  • Catherine O’Doherty – Explanation of the Matrix Exponential (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Ryan Vaughn – On the Contractibility of Finite coH-Spaces (under Dr. Helmstutler)
  • Kelly Scott – Anti-Blocking Sets (under Dr. Mellinger)

Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Conference at James Madison University (October 22, 2011)

Paper Presentation

  • Catherine O’Doherty – Linear Recursions and the Laplace Transform (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Rebecca Presor – Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model: Analysis, Approximations, and Applications (under Dr. Lee)

Poster Presentation

  • Kathryn Dillinger – Profiting with Options Using the Black-Scholes Equation (under Dr. Lee)
    (Katie won second place for her poster presentation at the SUMS conference held at JMU.)

MathFest 2011 in Lexington, KY (August 2011)

Paper Presentation

  • Marianne Dubinsky – Explorations of the Laplace Transform (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Catherine O’Doherty – Applications of the Laplace Transform (under Dr. Esunge)

Catherine O’Doherty and Marianne Dubinsky

2010 ~ 2011

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Kelsie Snyder

Scholarships

  • Rima Amin – Dodson Scholarship
  • Alan Liddell – Loughran Scholarship
  • Erin Burdwood – Robertson Scholarship
  • Karissa Herrick – Talley Scholarship

Honors Theses

  • Kathryn Christian Mathematical and Numerical Solutions for a Heat Conduction Model (under Dr. Lee)
  • Kevin DoubledayApplication of Markov Chains to Stock Trends (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Geoff DriskellA Comparison of Two Derivations of the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Kelsie Snyderc-Dominating Sets for Families of Graphs (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Andrew Snyder-Beattie Dissecting Two Approaches to Energy Prices (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Erin StangeComputational Models of the Diffusion Equation (under Dr. Lee)

MD-DC-VA Section Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America at Randolph-Macon College (April 2011)

Paper Presentation

  • Kathryn ChristionMathematical and Numerical Solutions for a Heat Conduction Model (under Dr. Lee)
  • Kevin DoubledayApplication of Markov Chains to Stock Trends (under Dr. Esunge)
    (Kevin was awarded “Best Student Presentation” at the meeting.)
  • Geoffrey DriskellA Comparison of Two Derivations of the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Kelsie Snyderc-Dominating Sets for Families of Graphs (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Andrew Snyder-BeattieDissecting Two Approaches to Energy Prices (under Dr. Esunge)
Kathryn Andrew
Kelsie, Geoffrey, and Kathryn UMW presenters at the meeting

 

Joint Mathematics Meetings in New Orleans, LA (January 2011)

Poster Presentation

  • Kathryn ChristianPolynomial Approximations of a Heat Conduction Model (under Dr. Lee)
  • Andrew Snyder-BeattieMean Reversion Processes and Non-Competitive Markets: A Case Study of Oil Prices Since 1986 (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Erin Strange and Teresa YaoChemical Pollutant Diffusion Model: Analysis and Approximations (under Dr. Lee)
Teresa Yao and Erin Strange Kathryn Christian
Andrew Snyder-Beattie Andrew, Kathryn, Erin, and Teresa



Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Conference at James Madison University (October 23, 2010)

Paper Presentation

  • Andrew Snyder-BeattieThe S&P 500, Reality vs. the Black Scholes Model (under Dr. Esunge)
  • Teresa YaoDiffusion of a Chemical Pollutant Modeled by a Fourier Series (under Dr. Lee)

Poster Presentation

  • Erin StrangeOn Numerical Models of Chemical Pollutant Diffusion (under Dr. Lee)

Erin, Teresa, and Andrew at James Madison University

MathFest 2010 in Pittsburgh, PA (August 2010)

Paper Presentation

  • Andrew Snyder-Beattie and Kevin GroatGeometric Brownian motion: A safe assumption? (under Dr. Esunge)
    (They were awarded “Best Student Presentation” at MathFest.)

2009 ~ 2010

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Barbara Brown

Honors Theses

  • Sarah BallEvaluating Mean Willingness to Pay for the Success of the Blue Crab in the Chesapeake Bay (under Dr. Hydorn)
  • Elizabeth BernatAnalysis of Temperature Change Using a Mathematical Model (under Dr. Lee)
  • Barbara BrownGeneralized Dihedral Groups of Small Order (under Dr. Helmstutler)
  • Katie HunsburgerThe Weight Enumerator for a Class of LDPC Codes Generated by Hyperovals (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Thomas Wolfe Statistical Analysis of Genetic Mutations in SMS Patients and Resulting Phenotypes (under Dr. Hydorn)

Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Conference at James Madison University (October 3, 2009)

Paper Presentation

  • Elizabeth Bernat – Numerical Estimates of Temperature Changes Using the Finite Difference Method (under Dr. Lee)
  • Barbara BrownGeneralized Dihedral Groups and Geometry (under Dr. Helmstutler)

Poster Presentation

  • Kathryn ChristianSolutions to Laplace’s Equation in Modeling Heat Conduction (under Dr. Lee)

Liz at JMU

 

MathFest 2009 in Portland, OR (August 2009)

Paper Presentation

  • Elizabeth Bernat and Kathryn ChristianLaplace’s Equation: A Mathematical and Computational Analysis (under Dr. Lee)

Liz and Kathryn in MathFest

2008 ~ 2009

Oscar T. Schultz Award (given to the outstanding junior or senior mathematics major who best demonstrates “the desire and potential to master the art of mathematics.”)

  • Jonathan Stallings

Scholarships

  • Thomas Wolfe – Loughran Scholarship
  • Allison Hufford – Talley Scholarship
  • Katie Hunsberger – Robertson Scholarship

Honors Theses

  • William EllaRetracts in Category Theory (under Dr. Helmstutler)
  • Christine ExleyCryptography Based on Determining Sets (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Jacob FarinholtDesigning Codes to Fit Your Needs: a closer look at BCH codes (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Jonathan Stallings Improved Covariance Eigenvalue Estimates and Line Estimation (under Dr. Hydorn)
  • Christopher TriolaSpecial Orthogonal Groups and Rotations (under Dr. Helmstutler)

MD-DC-VA Section Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America at the University of Mary Washington (April 2009)

Paper Presentation

  • William EllaRetracts in Category Theory (under Dr. Helmstutler)
  • Jacob FarinholtDesigning Codes to Fit Your Needs: An Investigation Into the Construction of BCH Codes (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Katie HunsbergerThe weight enumerator for a class of LDPC codes defined by hyperovals (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Jonathan StallingsImproved Covariance Eigenvalue Estimates and Line Estimation (under Dr. Hydorn)

UMW student speakers at the MAA meeting, Arpil 2009

 

Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, DC (January 2009)

Paper Presentation

  • William Ella

Poster Presentation

  • Catherine Castleberry (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Jacob Farinholt (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Katie Hunsberger (under Dr. Mellinger)
  • Jonathan Stallings (under Dr. Hydorn)
  • Christopher Triola (under Dr. Lehman)
  • Thomas Wolfe (under Dr. Hydorn)