July 2015 – Samantha Furman is a mathematics major going into her third year, a MARC U*STAR trainee, and a Meyerhoff Scholar.
In summer of 2014, having just completed her freshman year, she participated in the eight weeks long Leadership Alliance program at the University of Chicago where she worked with Dr. Benson Farb in the Mathematics and Statistics Department on investigating the Dirichlet problem on an ellipse with polynomial boundary values.
With a math background consisting of only the calculus series, linear algebra, and ordinary differential equations, this was quite a challenging but rewarding experience. While there, she read papers and books on the subject, and learned how to organize and write mathematical proofs. As she puts it: “The hardest part of my research was being confident in my work because completing a theoretical project with no theoretical background was challenging. By the end of the program I felt as though I knew what I was doing and loved the project that I had done that summer. I presented this project at the Chicago Research Symposium, the Leadership Alliance National Symposium, and at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS).”
On an entirely different front, Samantha has been working with Dr. Brad Peercy at our department on a mathematical biology project on skeletal muscle atrophy, and integrating insulin into the FOXO1 model. This research involves differential equations, non-dimensional analysis, parameter optimization, dynamical systems, and computational simulation primarily on Matlab.
Samantha notes that “Having a research experience has helped me to never give up in my courses because with research, you just have to keep trying until something works, there is no definite answer. My advice to other students getting involved in research would be that no matter your age, what classes you have taken, you can do it. You will learn on your feet if you stay focused and motivated. You will never succeed until you try.”
In her spare time, Samantha is the Vice President of Programming of Delta Phi Epsilon international social sorority, Vice President of the math council/honors society and treasurer of the women’s club volleyball team. Her future plans includes pursuing a Ph.D. in mathematics and then continuing research either in academia or industry.
Best wishes to you, Samantha!