Name: Tony Se
Pronouns: he/him/his
Institution: Florida A&M University
Department: Mathematics
Biography:
I received my doctorate degree in Mathematics at the University of Kansas in 2016. I held postdoctoral positions at the University of Mississippi and West Virginia University before accepting a tenure-track position in the Department of Mathematics at Florida A&M University in 2021. My research area is in Commutative Algebra and I am directing an undergraduate research project in the same area. The project involves one student whom I am recommending for the SRP program. Even though my research is in pure mathematics, I have taught courses such as Introduction to Cryptography and Applied Modern Algebra and am eager to see how my knowledge can be used in applied areas of research. I will certainly be learning more about research in DOE labs this academic year because I am the contact person for the Computational Research Leadership Council (CRLC) seminar series at our institution.
Academic Status: Assistant Professor
Research Area/Department: Mathematics
Other, specify:
Degrees Earned: PhD Mathematics 2016 MA Mathematics 2013 BSc Mathematics 2003
Please describe your research/academic interests:
My current research area is in Commutative Algebra. Most of my work is in pure mathematics, but I have used computational tools such as Macaulay2 and MATLAB in my research. I am also happy to work on computational topics; see Research Synergy below.
Computational and Data Science Areas:
Applied Mathematics; Computer Science; National Security; Machine Learning and AI; Quantum Computing and Information Science
Keywords:
Commutative ring theory; linear algebra; homological algebra
Research Synergy:
Even though my research is not exactly in computational mathematics, I sometimes carry out computations using Macaulay2, a software system in my research area. Macaulay2 computes algebraic objects such as free resolutions, Betti numbers, homology (or cohomology), etc. In addition, at my previous institution, I taught courses such as Applied Modern Algebra, which included coding theory, and Introduction to Cryptography, which included topics such as cryptosystems and digital signatures. After I came to my current institution, I also took some Kaggle courses in Machine Learning. Hence, I believe that I can start to work on computational topics quickly if given the opportunity.
Motivation:
I have become more aware of the work of Sandia National Laboratories through their recent outreach efforts to our institution. Because of their outreach, I am now the contact person for the Computational Research Leadership Council (CRLC) seminar series at our institution. To become a more informed contact person, I should probably have first-hand experience with DOE labs! In particular, I hope that starting with the SRP program, I can establish long-term research partnerships with DOE labs. In addition to broadening my research interests, research partnerships may help to attract students to our department. The Department of Mathematics is planning to increase enrollment and graduation rates by developing an undergraduate track in computational mathematics and by proposing a Masters program in statistics and computational mathematics. Having research projects with DOE labs may attract students to these programs. Any students that faculty members can help to attract and graduate will not only increase minority participation in the STEM workforce, but also contribute to the survival of the mathematics program at our institution. If our department does not increase our graduation rate of mathematics majors soon, our undergraduate program could quite likely be eliminated.
Plan for working with your student team:
I have been meeting with my student, most of the time in person, on our current undergraduate research project. I would ask him to do computations and make observations and conjectures, and I would fill in the theoretical parts. My plan would be the same for our summer research experience. I will also make sure that my student receives his paychecks on time.
Past experience you have working with the students, and any other factors in your decision to include these students on your team:
Edwin and I have been working together for a long time. He has been taking some of my upper-level courses in Mathematics: Foundations of Mathematics, Abstract Algebra, and Elementary Number Theory. My observation is that Edwin is motivated and disciplined in his learning, remains at or near the top of his peers, and has the aptitude to think like a mathematician, although he needs to grow quite a bit more in his thinking to work at the graduate level in mathematics. Edwin has also been my research assistant since this summer. He enjoys both his research and talking to others about his research. This semester, he is also a learning assistant in my Trigonometry course. Edwin is becoming very involved in my professional life, and I am excited to show him further opportunities in mathematics that could start his career.
Lightning Talk Title:
Computations in Algebra
Student Information: Edwin Washington