Students and faculty at the Elon Mathematics Department attended and presented at the Joint Mathematics Meetings on January 4-7, 2026, in Washington DC.
Elon University’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics had a strong showing this January at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, one of the largest international mathematics conferences, in Washington, DC.
At this conference, three Elon students and two faculty attended and presented.
Student Accomplishments:
- Kelly Donovan ’26, a double major in applied mathematics and statistics, a Lumen Scholar and College Fellow, presented her Lumen project titled “Novel Deep-Sea Coral Imputation Technique: Filling in Missing Data to Further Coral Conservation” in a poster session. Her research is mentored by Assistant Professor of Statistics Nic Bussberg.
- Lisa Kranec ’28, a double major in engineering and applied mathematics, presented her recent project in a poster session titled, “ Mathematical Modeling of Cardiac Macrophages in COVID-19.” Her research team is mentored by Associate Professor Hwayeon Ryu and their work has been supported by the National Science Foundation (under Ryu).
- Pagnapech Ngoun ’26, an engineering major, presented her collaborative research in an oral session titled, “ Mathematical Modeling of COVID-19 Reveals Immune Cell Dysfunction.” Her research represents recent findings based on a new mathematical model that accounts for the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and the human immune system. Her research team is mentored by Associate Professor Hwayeon Ryu and their work has been supported by the National Science Foundation (under Ryu).
Faculty Accomplishments:
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Keta Henderson gave an invited talk on her collaborative work titled “Analysis of trade-off between dispersal and patch intrinsic growth for a landscape ecological model” in a session “Women in Mathematical Biology”. Henderson also served as a moderator and co-organizer for the Association of Women in Mathematics Panel: “Shattering the Myths—Hiring Women in Mathematics.” In addition, she participated in a professional development session focused on teaching multivariable calculus using CalcPlot3D and 3D printing. She plans to incorporate these strategies into her MTH 2520 Multivariable Calculus and Analytic Geometry in Spring 2026.
- Associate Professor of Mathematics Hwayeon Ryu co-organized a special session titled “Women in Mathematical Biology,” in which a total of 16 invited speakers presented a variety of life science questions through the lens of mathematical modeling to understand complex system dynamics. The goal was to highlight the new developments or advancements along with the diverse group of researchers who drive innovation. In this session, Ryu presented her recently published paper, “Bistable dynamics arising from macrophage–tumor interactions in the tumor microenvironment,” partially supported by Elon University Faculty Research & Development Full-Year, Full-Pay Sabbatical Award with Financial Assistance.
“I had a very fulfilling time while at JMM. Althe l presentations I was able to attend, all conversations I had with professors from different programs, and all pieces of feedback I received on my poster were very enriching. I’m very grateful I was able to attend the conference and I’m excited to hopefully attend in the future,” said Donovan ’26.