UW-Milwaukee Mathematical Sciences

Join us next Friday, June 26th from 2:00pm-3:30pm in EMS W109, for Liam Jemison's PhD Dissertation Defense!

Title:
A Nonlocal Size Modified Poisson-Boltzmann Ion Channel Model and Parallel Finite Element Solver

Abstract:
We introduce the first nonlocal Poisson–-Boltzmann Ion Channel (NPBIC) model and corresponding finite element solver for three-dimensional ion channel–membrane systems in solvents with multiple ionic species. Although the NPBIC model presents numerical challenges caused by strong nonlinearities, nonlocal convolution terms, discontinuous interface conditions, and solution singularities induced by atomic point charges, we develop a novel decomposition technique for solving the model. We present a parallel NPBIC finite element solver package, and a host of numerical experiments and validation.

Mastered it! 🎓

Here are a few photos from the award ceremony!
Photo cred: Hayley Nathan & Samuel Straubmuller

Morris & Miriam Marden Award
[pictured from left to right]
Lilly Carillo, Kayla Picasso, Joakim Jakovleski, Harrison Piehowski, Matt McClinton, Jonathan Walker-Moses, Kushlam Srivastava, Melissa Beerbower

Mathematical Sciences Graduate Teaching Award
[pictured from left to right]
Dr. Lei Wang (award committee member), John Museus, Olivia Bouthot, Rexford Cudjoe

Teply Award
[pictured from left to right]
Dr. Dexuan Xie (award committee member), Megan Whitehead, Matt McClinton, Kushlam Srivastava

Bruce & Janice Mielke Math Scholarship
[pictured from left to right]
Kayla Picasso, Dr. Gabriella Pinter

Congratulations to all of our Mathematical Sciences Spring 2026 Scholarship recipients! These awards are evidence of your hard work and commitment!

Melissa Beerbower attended the Great Plains Combinatorics Conference at University of Kansas, and presented their poster: “Counting ℓ-Interval Fubini Rankings."
Way to go, Melissa!

Congratulations to Katie Scharenbroch, a student in Math 175/176/275, on being awarded the 2026 Sister Mary Petronia Van Straten Scholarship. This honor was presented by the Wisconsin Mathematics Council in recognition of her outstanding potential and dedication to the field of mathematics education.

From her own high-level mathematics work to her incredible impact as a UWM tutor for Math 175 and 176, Katie defines excellence. But what truly sets her apart isn't just her sharp problem-solving skills—it’s her heart for teaching.

Her fellow students say it best: "Katie is the reason I have learned to love math and finally feel comfortable expressing my ideas."
"She is extremely present... and will adjust her teaching if we ever need something explained differently."

Whether she's greeting students with a smile or baking fresh cookies for exam review sessions, Katie goes above and beyond to build confidence in others. We are so proud of the leader, tutor, and future educator you are, Katie! You are a true rising star in education!

Join us next Friday, May 15th, at 2:00pm in EMS E495 for Jerianne Bonaguidi's MS Thesis Defense!

Title:
Proving a Softball Pitch Can Rise Under 60mph Through Mathematical Modeling

Abstract:
Many softball coaches claim that a pitcher cannot actually throw a rise ball under 60mph; they claim it is just a “high fastball.” This project tests that theory with a live pitcher, calculus, and physics equations. The major claim is that if a pitcher has a high enough spin rate, the ball can still rise throughout its whole entire trajectory, even if thrown under 60mph.

We’re proud to recognize two outstanding PhD students in Mathematical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee who have been selected for the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute (NMDSI) Student Scholars Program!

The NMDSI Student Scholars program supports and accelerates student engagement in data science and interdisciplinary research, helping bridge the gap between theory and real-world applications across diverse fields.

Congratulations to Pamela Martey for her project: “Evaluating Fine-Tuned Sequence-to-Sequence Models for Named Entity Recognition in Facts On File Library Of World History: Encyclopedia Of World History (7 Volumes)”

And congratulations to Comfort Iroko for her project: “Robust Impulse Control Under Uncertainty: Applications in Quantitative Finance and Reinforcement Learning”

We look forward to seeing the incredible impact of their work. Congratulations again, Pamela and Comfort!

Today’s featured student is Liv Bouthot, who recently presented at Art Speaks: A Graduate Symposium Across Disciplines.

Here’s how Liv described their experience:
"I presented on Chaos Theory and Cerberus, focusing on the visual connections between them. I started with a definition of a chaotic system, using an animation of the double pendulum to illustrate this for the audience. I then briefly explained the history of Chaos Theory's discovery (1961), and how this happened closely to the creation of Cerberus (1960). From here, I showed the connection between chaos and fractals and described the visual connection between the depiction of many fractals and this artwork. I finished with my version of Cerberus, completely made with the mathematical concepts I described.

This event was a rewarding and challenging opportunity to present mathematics in an accessible and entertaining way. I am so grateful to the Graduate School and Art Department for this opportunity, which pushed me outside of my comfort zone, and gave me the chance to share about two things I truly love- math and art. I also was able to form connections and friendships with the other graduate students who presented, who are a truly fabulous bunch of people!"

Congratulations, Liv!

Join us this Friday, May 8th, at 10:00am in EMS E416 for Hasif Ahmed's MS Thesis Defense!

Title:
Space Debris Oddity: Modeling a Crowded Sky with PDEs

Abstract:
Space debris in low Earth orbit is growing faster than it decays, making accurate prediction essential for satellite safety. In this thesis, we adapt the diffusion PDE framework of Jurkiewicz and Hinow (2023), which has the same mathematical structure underlying heat flow and population dynamics, to model debris density across orbital altitudes from 2016 to 2024. Using annual density snapshots from ESA’s DRAMA environment, which capture a richer debris population than publicly tracked objects alone, we estimate altitude-dependent diffusivity from Two-Line Element orbital data and incorporate solar-activity-driven atmospheric decay. Fitting the model to annual ESA snapshots yields one-year forecast improvements of 48%, 56%, and 64% over a naive baseline for small, medium, and large debris, respectively. Through PDE-based modeling, altitude-dependent parameterization, and optimization against observational density surfaces, the framework identifies where and when debris accumulates, separating episodic fragmentation signatures from steady altitude-specific growth driven by large constellation deployments.