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Brian Katz
Office: RLM 11.106 Office hours: MW 2:00-3:00 Email: bkatz(at)math.utexas.edu |
Models, and Proof with Dr. Mike Starbird and Adriana Salerno. You can read my teaching philosophy. I was awarded a
Frank Gerth III Graduate Excellence award in the fall of 2004 and a Frank Gerth III Teaching Award in the fall of 2005, so
you're in good hands. Previous semesters: M325K: Honors Discrete Mathematics
M398T: Teaching and Learning
M325K: Honors Discrete Mathematics
M305G: Elementary Functions and Coordinate Geometry
M340L: Matrices and Matrix Calculations
M408C: Differential and Integral Calculus Algebraic Geometry My research is in tropical algebraic geometry under the direction of Eric Katz. We're attempting to define synthetically
a tropical analogue of Hurwitz spaces and compute Hurwitz numbers. You can read my research statement. I also have
some ideas for research projects. Mathematics Education In addition to pure math research, I am interested in education research and writing math for various audiences. Here
is a draft of the book I'm writing with Mike Starbird Introduction to Abstract Mathematics through Inquiry. The first
two chapters are more complete than the others. Me I grew up in Greensboro, NC, home of such historic events as the Woolworth's Sit-In and the battle of Guilford
Courthouse. Don't worry, no one else has heard of them either. In more recent events, Krispy Kreme was born
a few miles away, and Greensboro is one of the best cities in which to have a heart attack. As for my education, the short summary is simple: I've been haunted by lame mascots. I went to Greensboro Grimsley
Senior High, where our mascot was a whirlie (a gust of air). At the ripe old age of 18 I packed my bags and headed
north for college, landing in bucolic Williamstown, MA, where I attended Williams College and earned a BA in
mathematics, music, and chemistry. While there, I sang with several choral and a cappella groups, including the
Springstreeters and dove as part of the swimming and diving team. Our mascot was a purple cow (with horns),
called an eph (pronounced "eef"). I'm now a sixth year graduate student at UT-Austin, where we weep with pride
over Bevo, the longhorn mascot.