Karoline Pershell

Department of Mathematics Rice University 6100 Main Street Houston, Texas 77005

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EDUCATION
	Ph.D. Mathematics, Rice University, Curvature of a group presentation indicates solvability of the word problem, Thesis advisor: John Hempel, May 2008 M.A. Mathematics, Rice University, 2007 B.S. Mathematics, University of Tennessee at Martin, Mersenne Primes in Imaginary Quadratic Number Fields, Advisor: Chris Caldwell, 2003

EMPLOYMENT
	Graduate Student, Rice University, Houston, Texas. August 2003--May 2008. Duties: Teaching Assistant, Instructor Researcher, National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland. May--August, 2005. Duties: Designed experiments to look for patterns within a large data set, implemented them in PERL code, and wrote classified white papers for internal publication. Mathematics Instructor, MD Innovations, Houston, Texas. March--May 2006. Duties: Developed Curriculum, Taught probability and statistics in the context of the national actuarial EXAM I

RESEARCH INTERESTS
	Geometric and Combinatorial Group Theory, Small Cancellation Theory

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
	Instructor, Single Variable Calculus, Rice University, Spring 2007 Teaching Assistant, Rice University, 2003--2007 Training, Graduate Teaching Seminar, Rice University, 2003--2007 Training, Rice University School Mathematics Project, Learning Plan: Arc Length and Rotational Surface Area, June 2007 Instructor, Single Variable Calculus, Rice University, Summer 2006 Instructor, Actuary Preparation Course: Probability and Statistics, MD Innovations, Houston, Texas, May 2006 Training, ``Methods of Teaching Mathematics," Rice University, Fall 2006 Training, Certificate Teaching Workshop, Rice University, Fall 2004--Present

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
	Member, Baker Institute Student Forum Research Committee, Rice University, 2007-2008 Member, Provost's Search Committee for Dean of Natural Sciences, Rice University, Fall 2007 Assistant Organizer, Negotiating the Ideal Faculty Position Conference, Rice University, October 2007 Math Representative, Graduate Student Association, January 2007--Present Board Member, Rice University Honor Court, 2004-2005 Judge, River Oaks Baptist Science Fair, Houston, Texas, November 2006 Organizer, Mathematics Student-Faculty Bi-weekly Dinners, Rice University, August 2004--May 2007

PRESENTATIONS
	An Introduction to Contact Manifolds, Current Mathematics Seminar, Rice University, October 2006 Grad School 101: Answering the questions you did not even know to ask, University Mathematics Club, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, October 2006 Using Cayley graphs to understand the word problem, Mathematics Club Colloquia, University of Arkansas (Fayetteville), October 2006 Rohlin's invariant and gauge theory, Current Mathematics Seminar, Rice University, October 2005 Utility Theory (poster), joint work with Kalatu Davies and Landon Jennings, Rice University VIGRE Open House, Fall 2005 Presented the Graduate Mathematics Program's summer accomplishments to the Director of the National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland, August 2005 An introduction to p-adic number theory, Current Mathematics Seminar, Rice University, February 2005 Mersenne primes in imaginary quadratic number fields, Current Mathematics Seminar, Rice University, March 2004 A wavelet approach to segmenting handwriting (with Joanna Papakonstantinou), Park City Mathematics Institute, July 2003 Dust Extinction and the Internal Structure of Globule 2 in the Coalsack (poster), joint work with Lionel Crews and Tracy Huard Annual American Astrophysics Society Meeting, Nashville, May 2003 Examining the contraction speed of Vorticella (research from REU at Florida State University), University of Tennessee at Martin Journal Club, August 2002 Mersenne Primes in Imaginary Quadratic Number Fields, Institute for Advanced Studies Undergraduate Women in Mathematics Conference, Princeton, May 2002

CONFERENCES ATTENDED
	AMS/MAA Joint Meetings, San Diego, January 2008 NCTM Regional Conference and EXPO, Houston, November 2007 Faculty Horizons Workshop, University of Maryland Baltimore County, June 2007 Cornell Topology Festival, Cornell University, May 2007 Texas Geometry and Topology Conference, Rice University, October 2006 Mini-Courses and Conference on Geometric Group Theory, Centre De Recherches Mathematiques, Montreal, July 2006 Combinatorial and Geometric Group Theory Conference, Vanderbilt University, May 2006 31st Annual University of Arkansas Spring Lecture Series in Geometric Group Theory with Martin Bridson, Pricipal Speaker, University of Arkansas, April 2006 AMS/MAA Joint Meetings, Phoenix, January 2004 Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education Continuing Success In Graduate School, Atlanta, June 2004 Park City Mathematics Institute (Partial Differential Equations), Park City, Utah, July 2003 Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education, Pomona College, June 2003 Institute for Advanced Studies Undergraduate Women in Mathematics Conference, An introduction to Fourier Analysis and Wavelets, with some applications, taught by Dr. Ingrid Daubechies, May 2002

HONORS AND AWARDS
	Outstanding Student Award, Rice University School Mathematics Project, June 2007 President's Fellowship, Rice University, 2003--2007 Graduate Fellowship, Rice University, 2003--2007 Summer Research Assistantship, Rice University, 2003--2007 Dean of Natural Sciences Travel Award, Rice University, 2004, 2006, 2007 Tennessee State Finalist, Rhodes Scholarship, November 2002 Louis Knifely Mathematics Scholarship Award, University of Tennessee at Martin, May 2002

REFERENCES
	Research: John Hempel, Rice University Department of Mathematics. hempel@rice.edu, 713.348.5126 Research: Bob Hardt, Rice University Department of Mathematics. hardt@rice.edu, 713.348.3280 Teaching: Anne Papakonstantinou, Rice University School Mathematics Program. apapa@rice.edu, 713.348.6076 Teaching: Lissa Heckelman, Rice University Department of Education. heckel@rice.edu, 713.348.4727

Rice Univeristy Department of Mathematics

Karoline Pershell