We are excited to announce that Dr. Matthew Cavallo from Harvard University - an alumnus of our MA program! - will be joining us to kick off our department's Homecoming activities! Please join us at 1 pm on Friday (10/28) in Walker 103A to welcome him back and to listen to a great talk!
Title: An Ode to App: Tales From Alum and an Introductory Math Beyond Calculus
Abstract: In this celebratory Homecoming colloquium, I will recount the many special experiences offered by the Department of Mathematical Sciences and how my time at Appalachian State University set me up for future success in teaching, research, and service. I will then detail my dissertation work on the replacement problem, a classic problem in geometric topology and the study of stratified spaces. Stratified spaces are spaces that are not themselves manifolds, but are comprised of individual pieces (called strata) that are. Loosely, the replacement problem asks when one can "replace" the bottom stratum of a stratified space with a stratum of another stratified space. A natural extension of this problem is flip it and ask when can one replace strata above the bottom. An outline of currently known solutions will be discussed, including my thesis work.
I will then detail my current work on developing curriculum that empowers students to use mathematics to advocate for themselves and their communities in an increasingly data-driven world.
Matthew Cavallo is a Preceptor in the Department of Mathematics at Harvard University. He holds a BA from Queens University of Charlotte, a MA from Appalachian State University, and a PhD. from Howard University. Now in his 9th year of college teaching, he has taught a wide variety of undergraduate mathematics courses to diverse student populations across three institutions of higher learning. Dr. Cavallo has also taught and developed mathematics and interdisciplinary curriculum for the Institute for College Preparation at Georgetown University, an academic enrichment program for potential first-generation college students from Washington, D.C. In addition, he has served in multiple leadership positions in the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® program, a national literacy and child advocacy program rooted in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Dr. Cavallo is currently researching ways in which mathematics can be used to cultivate an informed and active democratic citizenry and is developing curricula that empowers students to use mathematics to advocate for themselves and their communities in an increasingly data-driven world.