Summary
Jennifer McLoud-Mann is an American[1][2][3] mathematician known for her 2015 discovery, with Casey Mann and undergraduate student David Von Derau, of the 15th and last class of convex pentagons to tile the plane.[2][4][5][6][7] She is a professor of mathematics at the University of Washington Bothell, where she is currently the Vice Dean of Curriculum & Instruction of the School of STEM. Beyond tiling, her research interests include knot theory and combinatorics.[8]
Jennifer McLoud-Mann | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | East Central University (B.S., 1997); University of Arkansas (M.S., 1998); University of Arkansas (PhD, 2002) |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | On a Certain Family of Determinantal-Like Ideals |
| Doctoral advisor | Mark Ray Johnson |
| Website | https://faculty.washington.edu/jmcloud/ |
Education edit
McLoud-Mann is a 1997 graduate of East Central University in Oklahoma with a B.S. degree in Mathematics. She then completed a M.S. in Mathematics at the University of Arkansas in 1998.[9]
McLoud-Mann completed her Ph.D. in 2002 from the University of Arkansas. Her dissertation in commutative algebra, supervised by Mark Ray Johnson, was titled On a Certain Family of Determinantal-Like Ideals.[9][10]
Career edit
Upon completing her doctorate, McLoud-Mann joined the University of Texas at Tyler faculty. In addition, she was associate dean of arts and sciences from 2009 to 2013.
In 2013, she moved to the University of Washington Bothell where she chaired the School of STEM's Engineering & Mathematics division for three years. In September 2020, she became the Associate Dean of Curriculum & Instruction for the School of STEM.[8]
After two years of research, McLoud-Mann and research co-director Casey Mann found the 15th kind of pentagon that can tile a plane.[11][12] This discovery was facilitated by undergraduate researcher David Von Derau, who automated an algorithm developed by McLoud-Mann and Mann.[11] It was the first tile discovery in 30 years.[13]
Awards edit
McLoud-Mann won the Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member of the Mathematical Association of America in 2008.[14] In 2016, she was the recipient of the Distinguished Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity award, which recognizes scholarly or creative achievement exemplifying the research-intensive education environment of the University of Washington Bothell.[15]
Personal life edit
Mcloud-Mann identifies as Cherokee.[3] She was the first in her family to obtain a college degree.[1][2]
References edit
- ^ a b "Dr. Jennifer McLoud-Mann, Professor", Faculty Mentor Biographies, UWB Math REU Program, University of Washington Bothell, December 11, 2014, retrieved June 8, 2018
- ^ a b c Mulcahy, Colm (October 28, 2015), Martin Gardner at 101 ("It's as not-so-easy as 3, 4, 5"), Scientific American
- ^ a b Native Americans in STEM Disciplines (PDF), The Oklahoma Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, Oklahoma State University, retrieved June 8, 2018
- ^ Siegel, Robert; Rehmeyer, Julie (August 14, 2015), Scientists Discover 15th Convex Pentagon Able To Tile A Plane, NPR
- ^ "Attack on the pentagon results in discovery of new mathematical tile", Mathematics: Alex Bellos's Adventures in Numberland, The Guardian, August 11, 2015
- ^ Freeman, David (August 19, 2015), "Historic 'Tile' Discovery Gives Math World A Big Jolt: It's the first such find in 30 years", Huffington Post
- ^ Honner, Patrick (December 11, 2017), "The (Math) Problem With Pentagons", Quanta Magazine
- ^ a b Jennifer McLoud-Mann, Associate Dean; Professor, University of Washington Bothell, retrieved June 8, 2018
- ^ a b Curriculum vitae (PDF), retrieved June 8, 2018
- ^ Jennifer McLoud-Mann at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
- ^ a b "UW Bothell team makes discovery that rocks the math world". Bothell-Kenmore Reporter. August 19, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ "With Discovery, 3 Scientists Chip Away At An Unsolvable Math Problem". NPR.org. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ "Mathematicians Discover 15th Pentagon That Can Tile the Plane". Science, Space and Robots. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ Henry L. Alder Award, Mathematical Association of America, retrieved June 8, 2018
- ^ "Distinguished research award to McLoud-Mann". University of Washington Bothell. April 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
External links edit
- Home page
- Convex pentagons that admit i-block transitive tilings
- Pent Up: Using Pentagons to Tile a Plane