Faculty Research

Todd Basil, MS
Dr. Basil’s research interests include mathematics education, reading apprenticeship practices, and  tactile and musical approaches to learning mathematics. He has experience in piloting an Early Warning Program through the First Year Experience office.

Hannah Callender Highlander, PhD
Dr. Callender’s research lies primarily in the field of mathematical biology.  In particular, she is interested in development and analysis of mathematical models, typically in the form of differential equation models or Agent-Based models, to better understand certain biological processes.  She has a passion for mentoring undergraduate students in research.  Therefore, the bulk of her research stems from topics of interest to her students. Topics include modeling cellular signaling and motility, infectious diseases on contact networks, violence prevention on college campuses, blood glucose control, and most recently, developing a model of the spread of Zika.  She also conducts research in mathematical biology education, with a focus on improving the quantitative education of life science majors.

Eli Goldwyn, PhD
Mathematical modeling with applications to the spread of infectious diseases, the opioid-epidemic, and population ecology.

Christopher Hallstrom, PhD
Dr. Hallstrom's research interests include applied analysis, fluid dynamics, differential equations, dynamical systems, probability, and sports analytics. 

Greg Hill, PhD, Emeritus
Dr. Hill's research looks broadly at applications of mathematics to environmental and sustainability issues. He is an investigator in a National Science Foundation funded study of the use of computer-based tools for decision making in the effort to restore endangered salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin. His work in resilience theory has applications including: developing ways to predict the vulnerability of an ecosystem to cascading extinctions; incorporating climate change and other environmental factors into the renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty; and designing forest-based climate change mitigation and adaptation projects.

Carolyn James, PhD
Dr. James research interests include math education. Specifically, she has focused on the use of technology in the classroom and student argumentation and justification. Her current work focuses on mechanisms that influence STEM instructional reform.

Rev. Charles McCoy, CSC, PhD
Mathematical logic, particularly computability theory and computable model/structure theory, computable algebra, linear orderings and Boolean algebras, randomness.

Matt J. McQuesten, MA
Research background in university student retention, political ideology and social-cognitive motives, hepatitis C and substance use disorder comorbidities, and the role of personal uncertainty in academic performance.

Hans Nordstrom, PhD
Noncommutative algebra and geometry, quantum groups, and combinatorial game theory.

Valerie Peterson, PhD
Algebraic topology, metric and combinatorial geometry, geometric group theory, and the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Stephanie Salomone, PhD
STEM Education and Outreach, Inquiry-based learning in mathematics, STEM teacher professional development and professional preparation.

Aaron Wootton, PhD
Complex Algebraic Geometry: Defining equations for Riemann Surfaces, Quasiplatonic Surfaces and Dessins D'Enfants, Automorphism Groups of Compact Riemann Surfaces; Group Theory: Finite Groups (Group Actions and Structure Theory), Finitely Presented Groups; Geometric Group Theory: Discrete Groups (Fuchsian Groups and Fundamental Groups), Mapping Class Groups of Compact Connected Surfaces.