I grew up in Guilderland, NY, about 20 minutes from RPI. From a young age, I always loved math and knew that it was what I wanted to pursue after high school. I was familiar with RPI from living in the area; I knew it was a great school and that it was just what I was looking for to further my mathematics education. Upon arriving at RPI, I knew I had made the right choice. I loved my classes, not to say they weren’t hard. I was definitely more challenged than I ever was in high school, but it motivated me to work even harder, and it definitely paid off.

In the beginning of my sophomore year, I received an email inviting me to apply to the Accelerated B.S./Ph.D. Program. I had known for a while that I didn’t want my study of mathematics to end when I got my bachelor’s degree, but I hadn’t given much thought to where or what I would do for graduate school. Reading the email, I realized that this program was the perfect opportunity. It would give me the chance to get much more involved in mathematics, even starting research as an undergraduate, and I could graduate with my Ph.D. in just seven years!

One of the main reasons I wanted to get involved with research was that it has definite real-world applications. I can’t even count how many times, after inquiring what my major was, people would ask me “Why? What do you DO with math? Teach?” For a while, I didn’t really know the answer to this question either. I knew there were many ways to apply math in the real world, I just didn’t know what they were yet.

By being given the opportunity to begin research, I have answered these questions. I chose to start off my research by working with Professor Margaret Cheney in the field of radar imaging and radar tomography. This summer I am working with Professor Cheney at the Air Force Research Lab in Rome, NY, in their sensors department. We’re working on developing algorithms for more efficient radar systems, and implementing them through Matlab. We then hope to use these programs on actual data received from the radar chambers at the lab.

I plan to graduate with my bachelor’s degree next spring, after only three years as an undergraduate. I’ll graduate with a major in Applied Mathematics and minors in Music and Economics. I will then begin working toward my Ph.D. and continue my research. I am very grateful for the opportunities the Accelerated B.S./Ph.D. Program has presented me with.

Although a good portion of my time at RPI is devoted to math, I am also involved in other things on campus. I play viola in the Rensselaer Orchestra and in a Chamber Music Ensemble as well. I am vice president of RPI’s chapter of the National Math Honor Society, Pi Mu Epsilon. In my spare time I enjoy reading, shopping, watching movies, and hanging out with my friends.