Count Me In

Welcome to Count Me In with Della and Deanna. Today we feature an exciting conversation with Susan D”Agostino, a writer and mathematician who recently authored How to Free Your Inner Mathematician:Notes on Mathematics and Life and who currently serves as the technology reporter for Inside Higher Ed.. Susan earned her undergraduate degree in anthropology from Bard College, a masters in science writing from Johns Hopkins University, and a PhD in mathematics from Dartmouth College.  In this conversation, you will hear about the preschool experience that taught her to stand up for herself, her unusual path to mathematics, her book that has only curiosity as a prerequisite, her secret for taking on the next challenge, and why every mathematical proof is a story.  So, please join us as we talk with Susan.

Welcome to Count Me In with Della and Deanna. Today we feature a thoughtful conversation with Dr. Edray Goins, Professor of mathematics at Pomona, College. Edray grew up in South Los Angeles and earned his undergraduate degrees in mathematics and physics at the California Institute of Technology and his PhD in mathematics from Stanford. He has held appointments at the National Security Agency, the Institute for Advanced Study, and the Max Planck Institute, among others.  He invests most of his summers advancing underrepresented groups in mathematics. In this conversation, you will learn about how the confluence of extraordinary professors and forward thinking administrators can shape a student, how leadership opportunities in middle school can segue to leadership later and throughout life, and how Edray’s personal experiences inspire some very helpful advice for college students.  . So, please join us as we talk with Edray.

Welcome to Count Me In with Della and Deanna. Today we feature an energizing conversation with Tara Holm, Professor and chair of mathematics at Cornell University. Tara grew up in Pennsylvania and earned her undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College and her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her work in symplectic geometry and its connections with other fields has taken her to the Clay Mathematics Institute as a Liftoff Mathematician, to the University of California Berkely as an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow and Visting Asst Prof, to Oxford University as a Simons Fellow, and to the Institute for Advanced Study as a von Neumann Fellow.  In this conversation, you will hear about her encouraging and heroic high school teacher who created opportunities for her to learn Calc II and multi-variable calculus, her work on the Boards and Councils of various organizations in mathematics, her tips for sustaining a research program while serving as chair of a vibrant department, and her observation that “someone, somewhere in the world is doing something interesting in mathematics in their classroom.” Tara’s energy for mathematics is infectious and you will leave the podcast ready to take your next step in the discipline, no matter where you are in your journey. So, please join us as we talk with Tara.

Welcome to Count Me In with Della and Deanna. Today we feature an energizing and vibrant conversation with Dr. Kobi Abayomi, Head of Science at Gumbel Demand Acceleration.Kobi grew up in NYC, in a 6th-floor walkup in Manhattan. He earned his undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech and his PhD in Probability and Statistics from Columbia University. He held postdoctoral positions at Duke and Stanford Universities and academic positions at various institutions including Georgia Tech and Binghamton University before he segued to industry where he has worked at Dunn & Bradstreet, Barnes & Noble Education, Warner Media Group, and, most recently as, Senior VP of Data Science at Warner Music Group. In March of 2023, he launched his own company, Gumbel Demand Acceleration, a Software as a Service company, along with two music labels: Betaside Records and Short Hills Music. In this conversation, you will hear how Kobi evaluates a Toyota Corolla as a beautiful human enterprise rather than a vehicle that moves us from one point to another. You will also learn about the evolving role of music in his life and in society as a whole, the role of his mother in cultivating his interest in mathematics, the surprising way lighting can help us see people differently, and tips for bringing people together.  Drawing from his work experience, Kobi also talks about how to contribute to and lead a group of data scientists. Kobi’s joy for mathematics and people is everywhere evident in this podcast. It will put a spring in your step and give a boost to your spirit. So, please join us as we talk with Kobi.

Welcome to Count Me In with Della and Deanna. Today we feature an exciting conversation with Dr. Ranthony Edmonds, an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematics at The Ohio State University. Ranthony earned her undergraduate degrees in mathematics and English from the University of Kentucky, her masters degree in mathematics from Eastern Kentucky university, and her PhD in mathematics   from the University of Iowa in 2018. Her broad research interests include commutative ring theory, applied algebraic topology, data science, and math education.  After earning her PhD, Ranthony joined the faculty at Ohio State University as a Ross Assistant Professor, she then segued to a Postdoctoral Research position, and, most recently she was awarded an NSF Postroctoral research appointment. She helps lead the “Hidden Figures Revealed” project which explores the black mathematicians who graduated from the Ohio State University.  She also currently serves as an Associate Editor at the American Mathematical Monthly. In this vibrant conversation, you will learn about the importance of the environments where we learn mathematics, the challenges of being “the only one” in a particular space, the importance of meetings and conferences, , the value of seeing people who look like you, and the significance of a single moment. Ranthony’s love for mathematics and her ongoing commitment to making it available to any one, will inspire and encourage you. So, please join us as we talk with Ranthony.

Welcome to Count Me In with Della and Deanna. Today we feature a lively conversation with Dr. Edward Burger, President and CEO of St. David’s Foundation in Austin, Texas. Ed earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics at Connecticut College and his PhD in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin. He held a postdoctoral position at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He spent 23 years on the faculty at Williams College where he received a number of awards for his teaching, including the Deborah and Franklin Haimo Award for Distinguished Teaching from the Mathematical Assocaition of America, the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching from Baylor University, and a Global Hero in Education Designation from Microsoft Corporation, among many others. His mathematical research focuses on Number Theory.   In 2013, he became the 15th president of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. In Januray, 2020, he assumed the role of President and CEO of St. David’s Foundation in Austin, Texas. In this conversation, you will learn about Ed’s successful strategy for making friends in college (spoiler alert: it involves standing in line), a single moment that changed the trajectory of his life, how he links finding vocation with finding yourself, about life as a college president, and about how the skills of mathematics transfer to many professions. Ed’s love for mathematics and its potential for our lives will inspire and encourage you. So, please join us as we talk with Ed.

Welcome to Season III of Count Me In with Della and Deanna. We’re excited for you to join us as we explore the lives of mathematicians to reveal the humanity of our discipline and broaden our understanding of what it means to be a mathematician.We’ll talk to delightful mathematicians with fascinating stories, about family and home life, and about the places they enjoy.We will learn tips from a mathematician who became a college president, and a mathematician who devoted his life to advancing the next generation. We will gain insights about the exciting work of colleagues. We will learn about the usual and unusual items mathematicians keep on their desks.And of course we’ll hear about their thoughts on mathematics.We’ll talk about starring in elementary school plays, glassblowing lessons, deejaying, walking through airports, square dancing, and a collection of plants that have names. Please join us for these conversations with colleagues that will inspire you as you learn about shared experiences of challenge and support, of doubt and devotion, and of isolation and community. Listen to Count Me In with Della and Deanna on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or mathvalues.org. New episodes are released every Monday, beginning in September.

Today we feature a thoughtful conversation with Cindy Wyels, Professor of Mathematics at California State Channel Islands and Secretary of the Mathematical Association of America. Cindy grew up in southern California with a small interlude in Australia, she attended Pomona College where she was a student-athlete majoring in math and she earned her PhD at the University of California Santa Barbara. She cares deeply about providing access to a quality education and has co-authored two 5-year, $6m Hispanic-Serving Institution STEM grants to provide academic support for undergraduates studying STEM and pedagogical renewal for faculty. This conversation highlights the importance of saying “yes” to what is most meaningful, of amplifying the voices of students and colleagues, of building intentional networks, and of making exercise, especially in the ocean, a part of every day.

Today we feature an exciting conversation with Dr. Mary Gray, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at American University in Washington DC. Dr. Gray earned her PHD in mathematics from the University of Kansas and her JD from the Washington College of Law at American University. As a statistician and lawyer, Dr. Gray’s areas of research focus on applications of statistics to human rights, economic equity and education. She is the founder of the Association for Women in Mathematics, a fellow of the American Statistical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Engineering and Mathematics Mentoring. She has authored two books and over eighty articles. In this conversation, you will learn about the power of an effective undergraduate advisor, about recognizing and caring for critical issues long before they gain national attention, about working with others to effect change, and about how a gift of gratitude from a student led to an extensive collection of owls.

Today we feature a broad, thoughtful conversation with Dr. Ron Buckmire, Professor of Mathematics and Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Califronia. Ron was born in Grenada, grew up in the States, and earned his undergraduate, masters and PhD degrees from Renssalear Polytehnic Institute in Troy, New York. He studied applied mathematics and recently published Improving Applied Mathematics Education with Jessica Libertini in 2021. He has served as a Program Director in the NSF’s Division of Undergraduate Education in the Washington, DC area . In this conversation Ron talks about “leaving the campground cleaner than you found it,” the role of immigration in a professional life, the importance of funding, and expanding people through education and understanding.