Speakers
Technical Director, Department of Defense
Bio
Dr. Carla Cotwright-Williams is a Ph.D. Mathematician with over 18 years of technical accomplishments and knowledge across academia, the U.S. Congress, industry and government. She serves as a Technical Director within the Department of Defense (DoD) and is the chair of Policy and Advocacy and a member-at-large for the Executive Committee of the Association of Women in Mathematics (AWM). In 2019, Dr. Carla Cotwright-Williams wrote autobiographical paper entitled 'Mathematicians Journey to Public Service' which was published by Springer. She has been an invited speaker and panelist across the U.S. speaking to audiences about her research, career transitions, and mentoring.
Links
Research Mathematician, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Bio
Zerotti Woods is a native of Atlanta Georgia. He did his undergraduate studies at Morehouse College, and did his graduate work at the University of Georgia. His research interest is in regularization techniques for deep neural networks. He is currently a mathematician at The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Links
https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/zerotti-woods/
Mathematician, Writer, Feminist
Bio
Yen Duong is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. She attended a public STEM magnet high school and concurrently took math courses at California State University, Fullerton. She majored in mathematics and philosophy at Yale and took part in the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics study abroad program, and was also a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow for underrepresented minorities in academia. After graduating, she took part in the Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) program for women in math. She started a Ph.D. program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, then transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago and started her blog. After attaining her Ph.D. in 2017, she won an AMS-sponsored media fellowship and spent summer 2018 at the Raleigh News & Observer writing science articles. She now freelances full time and has written for the Simons Foundation, the American Statistical Association, AMS, Duke University, and others. She has three children: one born in Chicago, one born in Austin, TX where she spent the last two years of her Ph.D., and one born last year in Charlotte.
Links
Software Engineer, Facebook
Bio
Anthony Simpson is a Software Engineer at Facebook working on eventual consistency for globally distributed databases and distributed log storage systems. Before joining Facebook, he was a summer research intern at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems. He graduated from Williams College in 2019. While there, he studied computer science and mathematics and in research focused on combinatorial representation theory. In his free time, he follows some mathy facebook groups, writes stories, and plays video games.
Links
https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Anthony-Simpson-2133758801
Data Scientist, Stripe
Bio
Dr. Gwen Spencer is a Data Scientist embedded with the Operations Team at Stripe. Stripe is a large private fintech company whose mission is to grow the GDP of the internet. After an undergrad mathematics major at Harvey Mudd College, Dr. Spencer earned her MS and PhD in Operations Research from Cornell with a focus on optimization in networks and approximation algorithms (a proof-based area of theoretical computer science). As a postdoc at Dartmouth College, and during her early career as a mathematics faculty member at Smith College, Dr. Spencer became increasingly interested in interdisciplinary research, simulation, and computational modeling. Since moving to industry, Dr. Spencer has worked at two fast-growing private tech companies (Convoy and Stripe), both officially as an “Operations Research Scientist” and under the more general title of “Data Scientist.” Dr. Spencer’s favorite parts of being an industry scientist are working on open-ended technical problems as a full-time job, and getting to stress-test her ideas against the complex and messy adversary that is the real world.
Links
Operations Research Analyst, RaceTrac
Bio
Ira Wheaton Jr. is currently an Operations Research Analyst at RaceTrac Petroleum. Ira is formerly a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech and an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Morehouse College. He received his B.S. in Mathematical Sciences from Florida A&M University in 2011, his M.S. in Financial Mathematics and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Florida State University in 2013 and 2017, respectively. He is a recipient of the Florida Education Fund's McKnight Doctoral Fellowship.
Ira has a passion for learning, teaching, and mentoring. He encourages underrepresented students to pursue activities in STEM fields and has led information sessions that expose students to research and career opportunities in Industrial Engineering. Moreover, he has been a featured panel speaker where he inspired students to obtain scholarships and reach their academic goals.
Ira is also a consultant and owner of Wheaton Analytics & Consulting (WAC), LLC. WAC helps small businesses save time, money, and resources by using the latest techniques in the field of Operations Research.
Ira enjoys spending time with friends and family, his wife, Rika, five-year-old daughter, Mahalia, and four-month-old son, Ira III. His hobbies include playing the piano, playing basketball, and weight training.
Links
https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/ira-wheaton-jr/
Postdoctoral Researcher, The Ohio State University
Bio
Ranthony (Ran-Thuh-Knee) Ashley Clark Edmonds is a Postdoctoral Researcher at The Ohio State University where her postdoctoral mentor is Professor Jim Cogdell.
Dr. Edmonds research interests include commutative ring theory, where she specialize in factorization theory. She is particularly interested in questions involving the preservation of factorization properties in extensions of commutative rings. Her doctoral thesis focused on factorization in polynomial rings with zero divisors. More recently, Dr. Edmonds has focused on factorization in numerical semigroup algebras and factorization in monoid rings with zero divisors. Beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year, Dr. Edmonds has worked with the Topology Geometry and Data Analysis group at The Ohio State University supported by NSF RTG grant Topology and its Applications #1547357.
In addition to research in pure mathematics, Dr. Edmonds is also deeply invested in issues rooted in access to mathematics for those from underrepresented background. In 2019, Dr. Edmonds developed a new service learning course for The Ohio State University entitled Intersections of Mathematics and Society: Hidden Figures. The course aims to use an intersectional lens to study the role of mathematics as a tool for the advancement of society and to study diversity and inclusion in mathematical communities. She was the PI for two grants supporting the development and implementation of this course, the first from the OSU Department of Service Learning, and the second from The College of Arts and Sciences (ASC) Curriculum Committee.
Prior to working at The Ohio State University, Dr. Ranthony Edmonds earned a PhD in Mathematics in 2018 from the University of Iowa, a MS in Mathematics in 2015 also from the University of Iowa, a MS in Mathematical Sciences from Eastern Kentucky University, and a BS in Mathematics and a BA in English from the University of Kentucky. She also holds two graduate certificates from the University of Iowa, one in College Teaching, and another in Online Teaching.
Links
http://www.ranthonyedmonds.com/
https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/ranthony-a-c-edmonds/
Director, inSTEM
Bio
Dr. Mayowa Awe (née Olawoyin) is currently the Director of inSTEM, an auxiliary mentorship program for undergraduate STEM students from underrepresented communities, at the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation (NSTMF). Prior to joining the NSTMF, Dr. Awe was a Senior Data Analyst at Lockheed Martin Corporation. She received an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in May 2015, followed by a PhD in Mathematics from UTA in May 2019. As an undergraduate student, she participated in research projects through the National Science Foundation sponsored Undergraduate Training in Theoretical and Ecological Research Program and McNair Scholars Summer Research Institute. During her graduate studies, she worked under the supervision of Christopher Kribs on projects related to the mathematical modeling of infectious diseases and elementary mathematics education.
Dr. Awe is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, LSAMP Bridge to Doctorate Fellowship, and Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Scholarship. She is also a published author with research articles in notable journals. Dr. Awe has been recognized for her academic presentations, with awards from conferences such as the Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM and UTA Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students Symposium.
Dr. Awe is involved in the National Society of Black Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Previously, she was secretary for the UTA chapter of the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, student chapters committee member for the national Association of Women in Mathematics, and as a member of the executive leadership, assisted in chartering the American Mathematical Society Graduate chapter at UTA and UTA’s College of Science Black Graduate Student Association.
Dr. Awe enjoys teaching, public speaking, and mentoring. She is a Center for the Integration of Teaching and Learning Associate and tutors students of all grade levels in mathematics. Through speaking engagements, Dr. Awe seeks to encourage the next generation of STEM scholars and expose people to the versatility of mathematics. She has been a keynote speaker at several events including the Ajilla Foundation Girls Leadership Development Program and UTA Honors College Senior Dinner. Dr. Awe makes it a priority to mentor students, sharing her experiences and helping them reach their goals.
Links
Professor, Harvey Mudd College
Bio
Francis Su is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and a former president of the Mathematical Association of America. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. His research is in geometric combinatorics and applications to the social sciences and he has co-authored numerous papers with undergraduates. He also has a passion for teaching and popularizing mathematics. From the Mathematical Association of America, he received the 2013 Haimo Award for distinguished teaching and the 2018 Halmos-Ford Award for his writing. His work has been featured in Quanta Magazine, Wired, and The New York Times. His book "Mathematics for Human Flourishing", winner of the 2021 Euler Book Prize, is an inclusive vision of what math is, who it’s for, and why anyone should learn it.
Links
Assistant Professor, Georgia Gwinnett College
Co-founder/CEO, Mathematics Enrichment for Diversity and Learning (MEDAL)
Bio
Aris Winger is a native of Washington D.C. and a proud graduate of Howard University and Carnegie Mellon University. His current areas of work include investigating equity and belonging in the mathematics classroom, culturally relevant pedagogy, and social justice mathematics. One of his latest books, co-authored with Dr. Pamela E. Harris, is called Asked and Answered: Advocating for Students of Color in Mathematics.
Links
https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/aris-benjamin-winger/
https://www.mathvalues.org/masterblog/a-need-a-voice-and-our-fight-against-white-approval
Assistant Professor, Southwestern University
Co-founder, Black in Math Week
Bio
Noelle Sawyer is a Bahamian mathematician and an assistant professor at Southwestern University. Her main areas of research are dynamics and geometry. She earned her PhD in Math from Wesleyan University and her BA in Math and History from Vassar College. She is the co-founder of Black in Math Week and plans to continue finding community and making connections. When she’s not working on math and teaching, she’s probably baking, drinking tea, or doing crossword puzzles.
Links
https://blackgirlmathgic.com/noelle-sawyer/
https://blogs.ams.org/inclusionexclusion/2021/06/21/who-will-celebrate-you/
https://www.mathvalues.org/masterblog/the-first-annual-blackinmathweek-twitter-event
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow and Hale Assistant Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology
Fall 2022: Tenure-track Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Bio
Marissa Kawehi Loving is an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Math at Georgia Tech. In the Fall of 2022, she will begin at University of Wisconsin–Madison as Assistant Professor on track for tenure. She graduated with her PhD in mathematics in August 2019 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she was supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and an Illinois Graduate College Distinguished Fellowship. Marissa was born and raised in Hawai'i where she completed her B.S. in Computer Science and B.A. in Mathematics at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo. She is the first Native Hawaiian woman to earn a PhD in mathematics. She is also Black, Puerto Rican, and Japanese.
Links
Assistant Professor, California State University, East Bay
Bio
Dr. Andrea Arauza Rivera is a proud queer Chicana mathematician, born in Guadalajara Mexico and raised in the US. Andrea began her academic journey at Modesto Junior College before transferring to CSU Stanislaus and then pursuing a PhD. She earned a PhD in Mathematics from the University of California, Riverside in 2018. Her research is in the areas of functional analysis and fractal geometry. Andrea is now an Assistant Professor at Cal State East Bay where she shares the joy and power of mathematics with her students and reminds them que ¡Si se puede!
Links
https://www.lathisms.org/calendar-2020/andrea-arauza-rivera
https://blogs.ams.org/mathgradblog/2021/10/29/a-conversation-with-dr-andrea-arauza-rivera/
Associate Professor, Harvey Mudd College
Professor | Author | Speaker | TV Host
Bio
Statistician Talithia Williams is an innovative, award-winning college professor, a co-host of the
PBS NOVA series NOVA Wonders and a speaker whose popular TED Talk, “Own Your Body’s
Data”, extols the value of statistics in quantifying personal health information. She demystifies
the mathematical process in amusing and insightful ways to excite students, parents, educators
and the larger community about STEM education and its possibilities. In 2015, she won the
Mathematical Association of America’s Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a
Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member, which honors faculty members
whose teaching is effective and extraordinary, and extends its influence beyond the
classroom. It is this excellence that attracted the attention of online educational company The
Great Courses, which selected Williams to produce “Learning Statistics: Concepts and
Applications in R,” a series of lectures in which she provides tools to evaluate statistical data
and determine if it’s used appropriately. She is the author of “Power in Numbers: The Rebel
Women of Mathematics”, a full-color book highlighting the influence of women in the
mathematical sciences in the last two millennia and has narrated several science documentary
films including; Hindenburg: The New Evidence, Our Beautiful Planet, Secrets in our DNA, and
the joint BBC and NOVA 5-part series, The Universe Revealed.
Williams is a proud graduate of Spelman College (B.A., mathematics), Howard University (M.S.,
mathematics) and Rice University (M.A., Ph.D., statistics). Her research involves developing
statistical models that emphasize the spatial and temporal structure of data and applying them
to problems in the environment. She’s worked at NASA, National Security Agency and the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory and has partnered with the World Health Organization on research
regarding cataract surgical rates in African countries. Faith and family round out a busy life that
she shares with her husband and three amazing boys. Through her research and work in the
community at large, she is helping change the collective mindset regarding STEM in general and
math in particular, rebranding the field of mathematics as anything but dry, technical or male-
dominated but, instead, a logical, productive career path that is crucial to the future of the
country.
Links
https://www.talithiawilliams.com/
https://www.ted.com/talks/talithia_williams_own_your_body_s_data