Dr. Susan Cooper
Department of Mathematics
North Dakota State University
I joined the Department of Mathematics at North Dakota State University as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2014. My research is motivated by the links between Commutative Algebra, Algebraic Geometry, and Combinatorics. My work has involved topics such as the Eisenbud-Green-Harris Conjecture, determinantal schemes and enumerating semidualizing modules. I am especially interested in obtaining geometric information about a scheme in projective n-space using tools which encode algebraic invariants associated to the homogeneous ideal defining the scheme. Recently I have also been studying fat point schemes and symbolic powers of monomial ideals. Examples of applications come from areas such as coding theory, graph theory, combinatorial commutative algebra, and computational commutative algebra. So far at NDSU, I have taught the undergraduate courses Math 165: Calculus I, Math 270: Introduction to Abstract Mathematics, and Math 473/673: Cryptology. In addition, I have taught the graduate courses Math 720: Algebra I, Math 721: Algebra II, and facilitated the graduate reading course Math 793: Combinatorial Commutative Algebra. This academic year (2016-2017), I am teaching Math 824: Topics in Commutative Algebra with focus topic The Power of Monomial Ideals and Math 491: Senior Capstone Seminar.
Prior to joining NDSU, I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Central Michigan University as an Assistant Professor (July 2011 — August 2015). While at CMU I taught MTH 132: Calculus I, MTH 341: College Geometry, MTH 521: Theory of Numbers, MTH523: Modern Algebra I, and the graduate courses MTH 623: The Theory of Groups & MTH 625: Theory of Associative Rings. I also mentored Cleland Loszewski (Spring 2012) and Linda Anderson (Fall 2013) for Internships in the teaching of MTH 223: Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory. Moreover, I advised 3 Plan B Papers for the Master's degree (please see my CV for details). Service included organizing the Graduate Student Seminar and chairing the Colloquium Committee for the Department of Mathematics.
I received my Ph.D. from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Queen's University. My Ph.D. supervisors are A.V. Geramita and L. G. Roberts. After being awarded my Ph.D. in 2005, I spent a year in the Department of Mathematics at Syracuse University as a Post-Doctoral Fellow working under the guidance of Steven Diaz. During the 2006 — 2007 and 2007— 2008 academic years I was an Assistant Professor in the Mathematics Department at California Polytechnic State University. In Fall 2008 I took a professional leave of absence from Cal Poly and accepted a position as the Marilyn M. Hitz Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Nebraska — Lincoln. During this time I work with my research mentor Brian Harbourne.
During my first year at the University of Nebraska — Lincoln, I was given the opportunity to work with middle-school teachers in the unique program Math in the Middle. This experience was incredibly rewarding and tapped into my deep passion for K — 12 Mathematics Education. It was natural that I accepted a position joint between the University of Nebraska — Lincoln's Department of Mathematics and the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education for the 2010 — 2011 academic year. In this position I taught undergraduate and graduate mathematics courses and was involved in numerous projects in Mathematics Education funded through the NSF Math in the Middle Math Science Partnership, the University of Nebraska Math and Science Teachers for the the 21st Century Program of Excellence, and NebraskaMath.