Catherine Micek

Assistant Professor

Education

Publications

  • M. E. Rognes, M.-C. Calderer, and C. A. Micek, “Modelling of and mixed finite element methods for gels in biomedical applications,” SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, 70 (2009), pp. 1305-1329. Link to abstract.
  • Y. Yang and C. Micek, ``Generalized Pascal functional matrix and its applications," Linear Algebra and its Applications, 423 (2007), pp. 230 – 245. Link to abstract.

Professional Interests

In addition to my interest in teaching undergraduate mathematics, I am interested in the following topics:

  • Industrial Mathematics

    As an applied mathematician, I am interested in industrial applications of mathematics. During August of 2009, I participated in the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications Mathematical Modeling in Industry Workshop. I spent 10 days working with 5 other mathematicians and a physicist, Dr. Douglas Allan, from Corning, Inc. to analyze stress-induced birefringence in glass. The presentation I gave on our results can be found here, and here is our final team report. (The incorrect temperature distribution in the presentation is corrected in our final manuscript.)


  • Public Interest in Science

    As a mathematics educator, I believe it is important to cultivate public interest in science. I first became interested in this topic when I participated in NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Summer Institute on Atmospheric, Hydrospheric, and Terrestrial Sciences (program details here and 2003 participants pictured here). I worked in the Atmospheric Experiments Lab in the Solar System Exploration Division with a chemist, Dr. John Haberman. My project was to design and build (from scratch) an informative, user-friendly website for the public about the science behind the Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer aboard the Cassini-Huygens probe. Click here to see my original website and here to see the updated version.


  • Mentoring Women in Mathematics

    As a female mathematician, I am interested in mentoring young women to pursue careers in mathematics. I served as the Women in Math Graduate Coordinator for the School of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota as a graduate student. Check out the Association for Women in Mathematics here for links and resources on the topic.