EDUCATION

  • Ph.D. in Mathematics (August 1997), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York. Research areas: Perturbation Theory, Inverse Problems. Advisor: Prof. Joyce R. McLaughlin. Thesis title: Stable Perturbations of Spectral Data for Rectangular Membranes
  • M.Sc in Mathematics (May 1994), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
  • B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics (June 1992), Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Mexico City, Mexico

EXPERIENCE

  • Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (July 2006 to date)
  • Interim Associate Chair of the Department of Mathematics, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (March  2006 to November 2006)
  • Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (July 2001 to June 2006)
  • Associate Chair of the Department of Mathematics, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (August 2000 to May 2002)
  • Visiting Assistant Professor, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Mexico City, Mexico (August 1998 to December 1998)
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (August 1997 to June 2001)
  • Teaching and Research Assistant, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York (August 1992 to July 1997)
  • Minor Faculty Member, Instituto Tecnólogico Autónomo de México, Mexico City, Mexico (June 1990 to May 1992)

INTERESTS

  • Inverse problems
  • Mathematical modeling
  • Mathematical Olympiads and the search for mathematical talent

HONORS

  • Dedication of the Olimpiadas Estatales de Matemáticas del DEPR, celebrated at UPR-Cayey, for outstanding work, commitment and effort towards the development of mathematical talent in pre-university students in Puerto Rico (April 16, 2004)
  • Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), Scholarship to attend Tapia Symposium 2001 for self and student (October 18-21, 2001)
  • ITAM, México, Minor Faculty Member (June 1990 – June 1992)

SKILLS

  • Language: Fluent in English and Spanish

GRADUATE STUDENTS

  • M.Sc. Pure Mathematics: Moises Delgado Olortegui, Control de las oscilaciones de un pendulo variando la longitud de su cuerda (graduated in June of 2005)
  • M.Sc. Applied Mathematics: Gerardo Hernández Correa, Identificación de sistemas lineales. (graduated in June of 2005), Ph.D. candidate in Applied Mathematics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
  • M.Sc. Applied Mathematics: Carlos Beltán Sampayo, Estudio del comportamiento de una burbuja en el proceso de producción de biodiesel mediante mezclado ultrasónico (graduated in July of 2004), Ph.D. student in Mathematics at UPRRP
  • M.Sc. Scientific Computation: Luis Fernando de la Torre Quintana,  Modelo de simulación y visualización del proceso de mezclado ultrasónico para la producción de biodiesel (graduated in July of 2004), Ph.D. student in CISE at UPRM

PUBLICATIONS

  • Problems and Solutions: Mathematical Olympiads in Puerto Rico: 2006-2007 with Jonathan Ho and Luis Cáceres, AFAMaC publications, 2007
  • Problems and Solutions: Mathematical Olympiads in Puerto Rico: 2005-2006 with Jonathan Ho and Luis Cáceres, AFAMaC publications, 2006
  • How do the components and structure of a curriculum affect the content knowledge of mathematics teachers? Proceedings, New ICMI Study Series 11, Springer-Verlag (2007)
  • Problemas y Soluciones: Olimpiadas Matemáticas de Puerto Rico, 2001-2004, Publicaciones IFEM, Serie META, (2004), with Luis F. Cáceres, Moisés Delgado, Stanislaw Dziobiak, Gerardo Hernández
  • 33 Problemas Matemáticos: Una Guía con Explicaciones, Publicaciones IFEM, Serie META, (2004).
  • Una Transición del Cálculo al Análisis, Guiada por Ejemplos Notables, Publicaciones CRAIM, On-line course, (2004)
  • Las matemáticas y la música: ¿Porqué la escala musical occidental tiene 12 notas?, Publicaciones CRAIM, Tesoros de la Matemática, (2002)
  • El infinito y las matemáticas., Publicaciones CRAIM, Tesoros de la Matemática, (2002)
  • Medida, dimensión y fractales., Publicaciones CRAIM, Tesoros de la Matemática, (2002)
  • Demonstrations, experiments and supplementary notes to motivate students in differential equations courses, Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on the Teaching of Mathematics (ICTM2), John Wiley & Sons (2002)
  • Perturbing a rectangular membrane with a restorative force: effects on eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, with Joyce R. McLaughlin, Communications in Partial Differential Equations, Vol. 23, No.’s 1&2 (1998), pp. 243-286
  • Perturbation expansions for eigenvalues and eigenvectors for a rectangular membrane subject to a restorative force, with Joyce R. McLaughlin, Electronic Research Announcements of the AMS, 3 (1997), pp. 72-77
  • Stable Perturbations of Spectral Data for Rectangular Membranes, Ph.D. Thesis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (1997)

COMMITTEE WORK

  • Member of the Departmental Personnel Committee (April 2008 to date) 
  • President of the Committee in charge of selecting a text for MATE4009 (Ordinary Differential Equations) (8/2005 to 5/2006) 
  • Member of the Departmental Graduate Committee (May 2000 to May 2003)
  • Member of the Articulated Transfer with UPR Arecibo Committee (September 2003 to February 2004)
  • Member of the Summer Course Assignment Taskforce (September 2003 to December 2003)
  • Member of the Precalculus textbook selection (August 2003 to  December 2003)
  • Member of the Applied Mathematics Committee (September 2002 to date)
  • Member of the Departmental Curriculum Committee (October 2001 to August 2002)
  • President of the Departmental Planning and Development Committee (October 2001 to March 2003)
  • Member of the Departmental Open House Committee (June 2002 to May 2003)
  • Member of the Departmental Academic Orientation Committee (July 2000 to date)
  • President of the Departmental Open House Committee (July 2001 to May 2002)
  • Member of the Orientation and Registration Departmental Committee (August 2000 to May 2002)
  • Departmental Representative to the Institutional Graduate Committee (June 2001 to May 2003)
  • Member of the Diagnostic Examination Committee (July 1999 to May 2000)
  • Member of the Departmental Library Committee (July 1999 to November 2001)
  • XV SIDIM Editorial and Scientific Committees (June 1999 to February 2001)
  • President of the Differential Equations Textbook and Syllabus Committee (March 1999 to June 2000)
  • Member of the Departmental Activities Committee (July 1999 to November 2001)

TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS

  • Invited Worksession: How do the components and structure of a curriculum affect the content knowledge of mathematics teachers?, 15th ICMI (International Commission on Mathematical Instruction) Study, Aguas de Lindoia, Brazil (May 15-21, 2005)
  • AFAMaC: Un Proyecto educativo Abarcador – Logros y Desafios, Trigésima Octava Convención Annual APMM, San Juan, PR (April 22, 2005)
  • Workshop: Olimpiadas Matemáticas. Encuentro IFEM, UPRM (November 6, 2004)
  • Moderator of the debate “Del Mejoramiento Profesional al Salón de Clases”, Encuentro IFEM, UPRM (November 6, 2004)
  • Invited Speaker: Anécdotas Matemáticas, Open House of the Departament of Mathematics at UPRM (November 5, 2004)
  • Invited Speaker: Matemáticas y Música, Summer Program for Talented High-School Students, Dr. García Rinaldi Foundation, UPR Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (June 24, 2004)
  • Optimización del proceso de producción de biodiesel usando mezclado ultrasónico, SIDIM XIX, UPR Cayey, Puerto Rico (February 28, 2004)
  • Estudio del comportamiento de una burbuja dentro del proceso de producción de biodiesel usando mezclado ultrasónico, con Carlos Beltrán, SIDIM XIX, UPR Cayey (February 28, 2004)
  • Modelo de simulación y visualización del proceso de producción de biodiesel usando mezclado ultrasónico, con Luis de la Torre, SIDIM XIX, UPR Cayey (February 28, 2004)
  • Poster: Simulación del proceso de mezclado ultrasónico para la producción de biodiesel, con Luis de la Torre y Carlos Beltrán, SIDIM XIX, UPR Cayey (February 28, 2004)
  • Two Mathematical Anecdotes, Invited Lecturer, Department of Mathematics Open House (November 7 2003)
  • Applied Mathematics: Challenges and Opportunities. Department of Mathematics Colloquium Series (October 21 2003)
  • Matemática Integrada I y II, Teacher Workshops Series, DEPR (Septiember-Noviember 2003) 
  • Eclipses and Mathematics Connections, Invited lecturer, Master Teacher Leadership Program Workshop, NASA, San Juan, Puerto Rico (July 4, 2003) 
  • Instituto para el Fortalecimiento en la Enseñaza de las Matemáticas, Reunión Anual de la APMM, UPRH, Puerto Rico (April 25, 2003)
  • Cálculo Fraccional, Operadores de Convolución e Identificación de Sistemas, Chemical Engineering Seminar Series, Chemical Engineering Department, UPRM (April 10, 2003).
  • Poster presentation: Controlling the simple pendulum by variations in its length, with Samuel Medina. SIGMA XI POSTER DAY UPRM, Puerto Rico (April 3, 2003) 
  • Instituto para el Fortalecimiento en la Enseñaza de las Matemáticas, Encuentro de Iniciativas de Enseñanza Aprendizaje en el Colegio de Artes y Ciencias, Parador Perichis, Joyuda, Puerto Rico (March 14th 2003)
  • Panel sobre proyectos de investigación a nivel de escuela superior para maestros, SIDIM XVIII, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico, Ponce (22 de febrero de 2003)
  • Short communication: Convolution operators and the identification of an electrochemical system, ICM2002, Beijing, China (August 20-28 2002)
  • Poster presentation: Convolution operators and the identification of an electrochemical system, XIV EPSCoR Annual Meeting, Hyatt Regency Cerromar, Dorado, Puerto Rico (May 17-19 2002) 
  • Convolution operators and the identification of an electrochemical system, First Symposium of Seed Money Grants, School of Arts and Sciences, UPRM (May 2, 2002) 
  • Las Matemáticas y la Música: ¿Porqué la escala occidental tiene 12 notas?, Invited lecturer, “1era Semana Nacional de las Ciencias”, UIS, Bucaramanga, Colombia (April 22-26, 2002) 
  • Las Matemáticas Desde Diferentes Perspectivas, Phi Delta Kappa Chapter 1229 invited lecturer, UPR Mayagüez (March 15, 2002) 
  • Longitud, área, volumen, el concepto de dimensión y fractales, CAAMCit-NASA invited lecturer, UPR Mayagüez (February 16, 2002) 
  • Las Matemáticas y la Música: ¿Porqué la escala occidental tiene 12 notas?, Colloquium, Department of Mathematics, UPR Mayagüez. (February 14, 2002) 
  • Tortugas, conejos, zanahorias, moscas, bicicletas, gusanos y sumas infinitas, CAAMCit-NASA invited lecturer, UPR Mayagüez (February 9, 2002) 
  • Las Matemáticas y la Música, CAAMCit-NASA invited lecturer, UPR Mayagüez (January 19 and 26, 2002) 
  • Mitos y realidades sobre el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes de nuevo ingreso, The College Board 7th  Annual Conference, San Juan Marriot Resort, Puerto Rico (November 1, 2001)
  • Poster presentation: Optimization of Membrane Humidification in PEM Fuel Cells, SIGMA XI Day 2001, UPR Mayagüez (April 27, 2001)
  • Poster presentation: Optimization of Membrane Humidification in PEM Fuel Cells, 13th AAAS & EPSCoR Annual Meeting, Hyatt Regency Cerromar, Dorado, PR (April 20-22, 2001)
  • Cambios Curriculares en la Enseñanza de las Matemáticas, un Panel de Discusión, UPR Cayey (April 19, 2001)
  • Identification of the Dynamics of Systems Modeled with Fractional Integro-Differential Operators, XVI SIDIM, UPR Humacao (February 24, 2001)
  • Natural Modes and Frequencies for Rectangular Membranes Subject to Restorative Forces: a Perturbation Approach, XIII SIDIM, UPR Humacao (February 1998)
  • Explicit Asymptotic Formulas for Eigenvalues and Eigenfunctions for One and Two Dimensional Problems, with Joyce R. McLaughlin, Eigenvalue Problems for Differential Equations Special Session, AMS Central Section Meeting, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (October 1997)
  • Stable Perturbations of Spectral Data for Rectangular Membranes, Colloquium Presentation, UPR Mayagüez (October 9, 1997)
  • Perturbing a Rectangular Membrane with a Restorative Force: Effects on Eigenvalues and Eigenfunctions, AMS Southeastern Regional Meeting, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga (October 1996)

SERVICE

  • Presenter for the Acceso Pa'l Exito Summer Camp, 2 hour workshop (Recreational Mathematics), June 2008 
  • Member of the FIFE-BEAMS initiative Precalculus mega-section to increase efficiency and student retention, with Rima Brusi (February 2008 to date)
  • Judge for the Puerto Rico Department of Education Science Fair, Chemistry Building, UPRM, Mayagüez (March 5 , 2008)
  • Judge for the Science Fair at W.A.L.K.S., Mayagüez (January 16 , 2008)
  • Co-director of the annual cycle of Mathematical Olympiad activities in Puerto Rico (2002-to date)
  • Mentor for the W.A.L.K.S. Mathcounts team, Mayaguez PR (2008, 2007, 2006)
  • Tutor for the Puerto Rico Olympic Delegation to the International Mathematical Olympiad, Hanoi, Vietnam (July 21-30, 2007)
  • Tutor for the Puerto Rico Olympic Delegation to the Ibero-American Mathematical Olympiad, Guayaquil, Ecuador (september 23-30, 2006)
  • Tutor for the Puerto Rico Olympic Delegation to the Central-American Mathematical Olympiad, Panama City, Panama (July 29 - August 5, 2006)
  • Member of the Organizing Committee CIMPA School on Wave Propagation, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico (January 16-27, 2006)
  • Tutor for the Puerto Rico Olympic Delegation to the Ibero-American Mathematical Olympiad, Cartagena, Colombia (September 24 - October 1, 2005)
  • Simultaneous translator for the SEMI (English-Spanish), Cartagena, Colombia (September 22-24, 2005)
  • Two-hour workshop for the Fundación Garcia Rinaldi, Las Matemáticas y la Música, (June 23, 2005)
  • Tutor for the Puerto Rico Olympic Delegation to the International Mathematical Olympiad, Mérida, Mexico, (July 8-19, 2005)
  • Judge for the PR Department of Education Mathematics Fair at CABA, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (March 3, 2005)
  • Judge for the Science Fair at W.A.L.K.S., Mayagüez (April 2005)
  • Tutor for the Puerto Rico Olympic Delegation to the Ibero-American Mathematical Olympiad, Castellón, Spain (September 17-26, 2004)
  • Tutor for the Puerto Rico Olympic Delegation to the Central-American Mathematical Olympiad, Managua, Nicaragua (June 7-11, 2004)
  • Judge for the State Math Olympiads, DEPR, UPR-Cayey (April 16, 2004)
  • Judge for the XVII Math Fair, DEPR, CABA, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (March 11, 2004)
  • Mentor for 14 CROEM students preparing mathematical fair projects (November 2003-March 2004)
  • Tutor for the Puerto Rico Olympic Delegation to the Ibero-American Mathematical Olympiad, Mar del Plata, Argentina, (September 15-19, 2003)
  • Judge for the PR Department of Education Scientific Fair at CABA, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (March 13, 2003)
  • Judge for the First Mathematics Competition at the Inmaculada Concepción High-School (February 27, 2003)
  • Mentor for 5 CROEM students preparing mathematical fair projects (November 2002-March 2003)
  • Representative of the Graduate School, M.Sc. thesis defense: Ernesto E. Borrero Quintana, Chemical Engineering Department, UPR Mayagüez (December 4th 2002)
  • Expert for the 2002 PR-CETP Olympiads (November 23, 2002)
  • Invited presentation: Las Matemáticas y la Música. Open house for incoming freshmen, Department of Mathematics, UPRM  (November 2002)
  • Tutor for the Puerto Rico Olympic Delegation to the Ibero-American Mathematical Olympiad, San Salvador, El Salvador (September 30 - October 5, 2002)
  • Coordinator for MATE 3032 Calculus II for the period 2002-2003
  • Invited presentation: Las Matemáticas y el Infinito. Open house for incoming freshmen, Department of Mathematics, UPRM, July 2002
  • Invited speaker, Academia de la Inmaculada Concepción, Mayaguez, PR. Discussed mathematics as a career opportunity (April 2002)
  • Visited the UIS in Bucaramanga, Colombia to serve as a consultant to the mathematics graduate committee in designing the M.Sc. program, and to establish a student/professor exchange agreement between the Department of Mathematics at UPRM and the School of Mathematics at UIS (April 2002)
  • Coordinator for MATE 4009 Differential Equations for the period 2000-2002
  • Representative of the Graduate School, M.Sc. thesis defense: Jorge I. Valenzuela Valenzuela, Electrical Engineering Department, UPR Mayagüez (December 10, 2001)
  • Invited presentation: Two mathematical anecdotes, 4th  and 5th grade, W.A.L.K.S., Mayagüez (December 3, 2001)
  • Invited presentation: What is Mathematics?, CROEM, Mayaguez (October 15, 2001)
  • Workshop for the Puerto Rico Mathematical Olympics Team, (August 30, 2001)
  • Invited presentation: Mathematics Is Not Only About Numbers, English Department, UPR Mayagüez (June 10th 2001)
  • Early Education Week: Enrichment Mathematics Workshop, 4th grade, W.A.L.K.S., Mayagüez. (April 5, 2001)
  • The Internet in the Classroom: Workshop for Elementary, Middle and High-school teachers, UPR Mayagüez (April 24, 2001)
  • Judge for the XIV Mathematical Fair:Western Educational Region, Department of Education, UPR Mayagüez (March 20, 2001)
  • Mentor of UPRM’s team to the 25th Calculus Competition, UPR Cayey (April 19, 2001)
  • Radio interview: Los Problemas del Millón y las Matemáticas en la UPRM, WKQ San Juan (February 2, 2001)
  • Representative of the Graduate School, M.Sc. thesis defense: Brenda L. Calderon Osorio, Chemistry Department, UPR Mayagüez, (December 8, 2000)
  • Representative of the Graduate School, M.Eng. thesis defense: Yen Edward Cardenas Gomez, Chemical Engineering Department, UPR Mayagüez (May 10, 2001)
  • Judge for the 2002, 2001, 2000, 1998 Eugene A. Francis Cup, UPR Mayagüez (March 2002, 2001, 2000, 1998)
  • Judge for the 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 UPRM Calculus Competition, UPR Mayagüez (April 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999)

FUNDING

  • Travel grant to the IBERO 2008 in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, Chancellor's office UPRM, $3,000 (September 2008)
  • Travel grant to the IMO 2008 in Madrid, Spain, Dean of Arts and Sciences UPRM, $3,000 (July 2008)
  • Megasección Magistral de Precálculo, Proyecto FIFE-BEAMS (with Rima Brusi), Chancellor's office, $5,800 (April 2008) 
  • Alianza para el Fortalecimiento del Aprendizaje de las Matemáticas y las Ciencias AFAMaC III (with Luis Cáceres and José. R. López), Puerto Rico Department of Education, $2,000,000 (July 2007-May 2008) 
  • Alianza para el Fortalecimiento del Aprendizaje de las Matemáticas y las Ciencias AFAMaC II (with Luis Cáceres y José. R. López), Puerto Rico Department de Education, $3,000,000 (Agosto 2005-Julio 2006)
  • Hacia una cultura de matemáticos HACUMA II (with Luis Cáceres), Puerto Rico Department of Education, $50,000 (September 2005-December 2005) 
  • Instituto para el Fortalecimiento de la Enseñanza de las Matemáticas IFEM III (with Luis Cáceres), Puerto Rico Department of Education, $92,620 (January 2005-July 2005) 
  • Mathematical Reconceptions ReMa (with Luis Cáceres), Puerto Rico Department of Education, $530,250 (August 2004-July 2005) 
  • Alianza para el Fortalecimiento del Aprendizaje de las Matemáticas y las Ciencias AFAMaC I (with Luis Cáceres y José. R. López), Puerto Rico Department of Education, $1,974,357 (August 2004-July 2005)
  • Hacia una cultura de matemáticos HACUMA I (with Luis Cáceres), Puerto Rico Department of Education, $173,000 (November 2003-September 2004) 
  • Instituto para el Fortalecimiento de la Enseñanza de las Matemáticas IFEM II (with Luis Cáceres), Puerto Rico Department of Education, $126,000 (January 2004-November 2004)
  • Undergraduate Research Program of Puerto Rico AMP, $1,000 Student: Samuel Medina Vega, Mechanical Engineering (August-December 2003) 
  • Travel to the conference New Challenges in Applied Mathematics, Castro Urdiales, Spain, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, UPR Mayagüez, $1,000, and a scholarship that covers conference cost and lodging awarded by the organizers (September 1-5 2003)
  • Undergraduate Research Program of Puerto Rico AMP, $1,000. Student: Samuel Medina Vega, Mechanical Engineering (January-May 2003)
  • Activities for Talented Mathematics Students (with Luis Cáceres), Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico, $30,000 (February-May 2003) 
  • Instituto para el Fortalecimiento de la Enseñanza de las Matemáticas IFEM I (with Luis Cáceres), Puerto Rico Department of Education, $96,000 (October 2002-July 2003)
  • Undergraduate Research Program of Puerto Rico AMP, $1,000. Student: Gerardo Hernández Correa, Physics (September-December 2002)
  • Travel to the International Congress of Mathematicians ICM2002 in Beijing, China, $1,940
  • Undergraduate Research Program of Puerto Rico AMP, $1,000. Student: Gerardo Hernández Correa, Physics (June-July 2002) 
  • Cohemis-funded UIS visit, Bucaramanga, Colombia, $1000. (April 21-25 2002)
  • Undergraduate Research Program of Puerto Rico AMP, $1,000. Student: Gerardo Hernández Correa, Physics (January-May 2002) 
  • Incorporating technology in the course MATE 3048, Industrial Biotechnology Program, $1,954 (December 14, 2001)
  • NSF/CBMS Regional Conference in the Mathematical Sciences, Using Spectral Data to Solve Inverse Problems, The University of Texas – Pan American, $1,080 (December 14-18, 2001)
  • Scholarship to attend the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Symposium 2001, in Houston, TX, for self and student (Reyes Matiel Ortiz), $1,200 (October 18-21, 2001)
  • Grease Bio-diesel for Puerto Rico (with José Colucci and Lionel Orama), Department of Energy (DOE) $224,000 (Fall 2000-Spring 2002)
  • Used Cooking Oil (with José Colucci and Lionel Orama), Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) $190,000 (Fall 2000-Spring 2002)
  • Sponsorship of the 5th UPRM Calculus Competition by Texas Instruments and Precision Instruments Technology, one TI-89 and two TI-86, $400 (March 2001)
  • System Identification of a PEM Fuel Cell Using Fractional Calculus, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Seed Money, UPR Mayagüez, $3,861 (July 2001 to February 2002)
  • Travel to the Prospective School of Applied Mathematics at the University of Cantabria at Laredo, Spain, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, UPR Mayagüez, $1,000 (September 3-7, 2001)