College Algebra

Kelsey Houston-Edwards is a freelance writer and mathematician who presents math as a constantly evolving field, rather than a dead art studying past discoveries. She earned her Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) in Philosophy and Mathematics from Reed College, and her Ph.D. in Mathematics from Cornell University. Her dissertation research in the field of probability theory developed estimates for the discrete heat kernel on various graph domains.

During her Ph.D., Kelsey developed a passion for science engagement and communication, working with groups like elementary school students and incarcerated adults among others. As a 2016 AMS-AAAS Mass Media Fellow, she served as a science journalist at the digital magazine NOVA Next, which publishes daily articles from the forefront of science and technology. Kelsey is also a former writer and host of PBS Infinite Series. Over the course of a year, she helped create 44 episodes of this YouTube show exploring the pervasiveness of complex math concepts in our universe.

Her writing covers topics such as “An Infinite Universe of Number Systems,” “How Mathematicians Use Homology to Make Sense of Topology,” and “Is the Mathematical World Real?” at the intersection of math and philosophy.

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Po-Shen Loh is a social entrepreneur, working in the fields of mathematics, education, and healthcare. He founded expii.com, a free personalized learning platform that gives the middle school math curriculum a focus on creative thinking. His educational outreach through public talks and events resonates with thousands every year and he has helped create YouTube videos with over 10 million views in total. Upon COVID-19’s initial outbreak, he created NOVID, the world's first app to introduce the fundamentally different network radar paradigm for pandemic control. Po-Shen earned his Bachelors of Science (B.S.) in Mathematics from Caltech, his Master of Advanced Study (MASt) in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge, and his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Princeton before becoming a math professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Under his revolutionary coaching, the Carnegie Mellon University’s math team achieved its first-ever #1 rank among North American universities. He is also the national coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad team, leading the USA Math Olympiad team to #1 ranking in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. In 2019, he received the prestigious United States Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. His scientific research intersects combinatorics, probability theory, and computer science.

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