• introduction
• research
• teaching
• personal page

Introduction

I graduated from Bates College with a B.S. in mathematics and then came to the University of Maryland for graduate work in the Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computation program. There the extensive interdisciplinary collaborations exposed me to interesting problems at the interface of mathematics and physics. I studied smooth dynamical systems and data assimilation methods in the context of numerical weather prediction, but more recently I have focused on problems in surface physics, specifically the PDEs describing epitaxial phenomena in crystals, and numerical schemes for solving them efficiently.

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Research

My CV in PDF format

Current activities

• Modeling the behavior of crystal surfaces with BCF-type step systems (with advisor D. Margetis)
• Solving nonlinear boundary value problems numerically, with the goal of comparing against lab results and analytical predictions (with D. Margetis, R. Nochetto, and A. Bonito)

Papers

• J. Quah and D. Margetis, ``Anisotropic diffusion in continuum relaxation of stepped crystal surfaces'', Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, Vol. 41, art. 235004, pp. 1--18.

Less recent work

• Improving regional weather forecasts with data assimilation methods (with E. Kalnay and other collaborators at ESSIC)
• Computing special Jordan pencils that arise in the study of composite materials (with E. Blew, Y. Grabovsky, M. Jacobs, and M. Macauley)

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Teaching

To learn, read.
To know, write.
To master, teach.

Current courses

MATH 141 (Calculus 2), Spring Semester 2008

• lectures by Dr. F. Gulick MWF10:00–10:50 in ARM0135
• discussion section 0213 TR8:00–9:20 in MTH0102
• discussion section 0231 TR11:00–12:20 in MTH0304
• TA office hours MW15:30-17:00 in CSS4364

Previous courses

MATH 220 (Calculus 1), Fall Semester 2005

MATH 246 (Differential Equations for Scientists and Engineers), Fall Semester 2007

Given AC = 3\sqrt{2}, AB = 15\sqrt{2}, and BC = 24, determine OB, the radius of the circumscribed circle.

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Gateway to my personal page

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here...