(From left) Hideo Nagahashi, associate professor of mathematics; JaeYong Choi, assistant professor of mathematics; mathematics major Robert Babac; Hyunju Oh, associate professor of mathematics at UOG; and mathematics major Vince Campo at the Joint Mathematics Meeting in Baltimore.

As a first for the University of Guam, two mathematics majors and a faculty member presented their research projects at the largest mathematics conference in the world, the Joint Mathematics Meeting 2019, which this year hosted nearly 6,000 people from Jan. 16–19 in Baltimore.

Student Robert Babac received the “Outstanding Poster” award among 500 other competitors for his poster presentation, “Analyzing Rotavirus Using Game Theory.” Vince Campo presented an oral presentation titled “Dog Vaccination and Quarantine: A Mathematical Approach on Rabies.” And UOG Associate Professor of Mathematics Hideo Nagahashi delivered a presentation on his research, “Magic Card Tricks on Hamming Codes over Finite Fields.”

Both Babac and Campo were able to conduct their research projects under a Mathematical Association of America grant program for which they were both selected based on their academic performance and professionalism. The grant, the National Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, is an intensive seven-week summer research program meant to strengthen minority achievements in mathematics. It introduced students to topics in game theory, such as probability, modeling using differential equations, and computational techniques and software. Babac and Campo were two of five students from UOG selected, along with Jason Morales, Jacob Aquingoc, and John Palacios.

Babac and Campo found the conference experience edifying to their academic growth and future careers.

"... We, as mathematicians, can really do anything and that meetings like the JMM can inspire collaboration and connections that may help us in the future."

“It was refreshing to be around people with a similar interest,” Campo said. “The key takeaway from the conference was that we, as mathematicians, can really do anything and that meetings like the JMM can inspire collaboration and connections that may help us in the future. The JMM created a space for math to flourish and a way to help one another improve and shine.”

Campo's travel to the conference was possible through a Travel Award from the Research Corporation of the University of Guam.

The two students were introduced to the research experience program and conference by UOG Associate Professor of Mathematics Hyunju Oh, who then mentored their research along with Nagahashi and Assistant Professor JaeYong Choi.

“I, as a research mentor, strongly recommend students attend the conference — not only to present, but also for many opportunities and events of interest to students, such as the graduate fair,” Oh said.

“I am so proud of them. They did a great job representing UOG,” she added. “The University gains recognition after having faculty and students present at well-known conferences like this one [and is also more likely] to receive grants.”

Oh said UOG’s Division of Mathematics & Computer Science received two grants from the Mathematical Association of America in 2018 to provide students opportunities to excel in their studies and prepare for programs and conferences such as the Joint Mathematics Meeting.

Both Campo and Babac said the conference was beneficial in considering their next steps after graduation.

“If it were not for my involvement with the program, I would not have known that there are other jobs besides teaching,” Babac said. “I also feel more confident in gaining a job dealing with the industry side of mathematics.”

Campo is now considering graduate school as a result of attending the conference and meeting representatives from some of the top schools in mathematics.

"At first I thought I wanted to go straight into the workforce, but this conference changed my views on graduate schools and research," he said.

They also were able to network with Michael Dorff, the president of the Mathematical Association of America; Rebecca Garcia, a CHamoru Algebraic topologist and professor of mathematics at Sam Houston State University; and UOG mathematics alumni.

(From left) Rebecca Garcia, a CHamoru Algebraic topologist and professor of mathematics at Sam Houston State University and Guam native; UOG mathematics majors Vince Campo and Robert Babac; Michael Dorff, president of the Mathematical Association of America; and Hyunju Oh, associate professor of mathematics at UOG.