MATHEMATICS

Alumni Highlights

Bailey Hall ‘24 double majored in Mathematics and Data Analytics at Westmont. Her favorite memories in the department include attending the Women in Tech events, volunteering during the annual Mathematics Field Day, and the hours spent studying and chatting in the Math/CS lounge with other students and faculty in the department.

Currently, Bailey is at the University of Washington as a Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow through the Accelerated AI Algorithms for Data-Driven Discovery (A3D3) Institute. The research project she is involved in finds ways to implement variational recurrent neural networks (vRNNs) into FPGA systems for a real-time closed-loop Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) design, focusing on how Latent Factor Analysis via Dynamical Systems (LFADS) can interpret and predict neural activity data.

Looking forward, Bailey plans to build upon her foundation in Mathematics, Data Analytics, and research by pursuing a doctorate in Biostatistics.

Kyle Bechler ’06 works as a data scientist with CBRE in Santa Barbara. In 2015, Kyle completed his Ph.D. in statistics from UC Santa Barbara. His areas of expertise include predictive modeling, machine learning, leveraged credit, and financial modeling.

Kristin Kidd Demmert ’06 received her nursing degree at Johns Hopkins University and works at an infertility clinic in Denver, Colo. She is earning a master’s degree in nursing. She fondly remembers hours of reviewing concepts in the math office at the chalkboard, all of the dinners together, and learning math in such a tight-knit group.

Patsy Calderon Lloyd ’01 earned a master’s degree in biostatistics at Harvard School of Public Health and works as a statistician at International Partnership for Microbicides, helping run clinical trials for HIV microbicides for women. She’s also working on a doctorate in epidemiology. She writes, “I appreciate the dedication of my professors, who were genuinely concerned that I not only learned the material they taught, but that I understood the process of learning itself. That process is usually uncomfortable; trying to stay up all night to cram new material into your brain before homework is due is usually not the way to go. My all-time favorite quote from Dr. Rosentrater: ‘Patsy, you need sleep.’”

Mike Petty ’06 worked for an internet communications provider and a software developer for manufacturing after finishing his degree in mathematics. He joined the staff of Youth with a Mission and works in Romania.  Mike says, “I was a little blown away when I was first introduced to non-Euclidean geometry.  But once I was given the tools and theorems to explore, it became much more exciting to wander around this place I’d never been before.”