Joel Kilty 
Ph.D. 2009, Analysis
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor,
Centre College, Danville, KY

The five years that I spent as a graduate student at the University of Kentucky were both challenging and rewarding.  I learned how to become an effective teacher, how to do research in mathematics, and how to balance the different responsibilities of a faculty member.  Most importantly, my time at UK prepared me for my tenure-track position at Centre College.

Graduate students in the mathematics department at UK are given the opportunity to teach a wide variety of classes while in school.  It is not uncommon for a student to teach a different course, whether as a TA or a primary instructor, most every semester.  In addition to being a teaching assistant for Calculus level classes, and a primary instructor in introductory algebra courses, I was given the opportunity to teach several 200 and 300 level courses throughout my time at UK.  Being able to teach such a wide variety of courses at several different levels really helped prepare me to be an effective teacher when I left UK.  Additionally, we even took a course as a graduate student to help prepare us to be excellent instructors. 

The idea of researching in mathematics was somewhat of a foreign concept to me when I began graduate school, and the idea of completing a dissertation that contained new mathematics was extremely intimidating to me.   As my coursework came to an end and it was time to begin my research, I found that the transition was quite natural.  I completed my dissertation under Dr. Zhongwei Shen and had a fantastic experience.  As I look back over the process of completing my dissertation I see how Dr. Shen helped me develop independence as a mathematician, always pushing me to new levels.  He encouraged me to publish my work and to travel to mathematical conferences to share my work with others.  I now feel confident in my abilities to research on my own and pursue my mathematical interests.

During my final year at UK I conducted a successful job search and I am now in a tenure-track position at Centre College, my top choice in schools.   I feel that my experiences at UK made me an appealing job candidate to hiring committees, as well as prepared me for the new challenges and responsibilities that have come my way.  I love my new position, and I am very thankful to the University of Kentucky for preparing me so well for this new chapter in my life.

Sonja Petrovic
Ph.D. 2008, Algebra
Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics
Illinois Institute of Technology

At the end of every big chapter of our lives, we are faced with tough choices. As I was applying for graduate schools, I was overwhelmed by the opportunities that awaited... somehow in the jungle of choices, everyone finds one that seems most appropriate at the moment, chooses it, and hopes that it proves to be a good one for the future. These choices define us in some way. In case of graduate school, this choice defines us as mathematicians. In this sense, I have chosen the perfect Department.

First of all, I came to graduate school torn between a few areas of mathematics and wasn't quite sure how to choose one. So I took classes in all of these areas during the first two years, and have had a chance to meet faculty that were happy to discuss research problems in each area. I was very happy with the choices I had! Also, during these first years I had a chance to read recent papers and work on projects for various graduate courses. These opportunities helped me decide what I want to do and whom to choose as an advisor.

Then, I learned how to teach, and how to balance research/studying with full-time teahing load. It was quite challenging at times, but also very fun. This year I am realizing that one more thing I learned while in graduate school is what a professor's typical workday looks like; and I must say I feel quite prepared for the challenge!

I also had a very special arrangement for a semester or more where I didn't have to teach, thanks to some faculty grants that allowed me to do smaller teaching-related projects, but spend most of the time on research. I am more then grateful for these opportunitites, for these were the first months when my reserach got productive. I was very fortunate to already find a collaborator in grad school: a friend of mine, who started graduate school at the same time at UK. We have already published one paper and are working on another.

And, in terms of research, I had tremendous support not only from my advisor, but also another faculty member from my committee. I always felt like somebody was looking out for me. I always had someone to go to if I had questions about recent papers, where to get references, if I needed someone to proofread my papers, or various research-related statements. In addition, I became really good friends with students a year or two ahead of me in the program, they were wonderful mentors and full of really good advice!

Finally, one of the most important aspect of the last couple of years that I spent at UK was travel. Yes! Travel. To conferences, meetings, various seminars. The University had some funds, but also the Department was very generous with travel support to meetings where I was invited to speak. Of course, these things do not happen overnight; it took a lot of hard work and sacrifice, and also several (in fact, three!) dedicated and understanding Directors of Graduate Studies.

Five years ago, I could not have dreamed what the graduate school experience was really going to be like... but it was everything it could have ever been for me.

Alina Iacob
Ph.D. 2005, Algebra
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia

Deciding to go to graduate school at the University of Kentucky was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. The faculty is wonderful and the environment is both challenging and supportive. The years I spent in graduate school provided valuable experience in doing research; graduate school was also an excellent teaching experience for me.

My advisor, Dr. Edgar Enochs, introduced me to homological algebra. I became particularly interested in the branch that is called Gorenstein homological algebra and its connections with Tate cohomology. My dissertation was about a generalization of Tate cohomology. I am very grateful to Dr. Enochs for his endless patience, and for encouraging me to publish. I think having a few publications was a plus when I was on the job market. I am very happy for the opportunity to work with Dr. Enochs while I was in graduate school and also after I graduated.

There are active research groups at the University of Kentucky and students are always encouraged to participate in these groups. Giving talks (both seminar and conference talks) is something that I learned in graduate school and which I found very helpful when preparing for interviews.

The Mathematics Department at the University of Kentucky gives its graduate students the opportunity to teach a wide variety of classes at several levels. I taught (as a primary instructor) College Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus II and III, Linear Algebra, Geometry for middle school teachers, and I was a workshop leader in MathExcel. This experience was a significant advantage in finding a good job in academia and it has proved to be very useful experience ever since I become an Assistant Professor.

My entire graduate experience at the University of Kentucky was a happy and very rewarding one. I could not have asked for a better one.

Alina Iacob, July 2007

Carl Lutzer
Ph.D. 2000, Partial Differential Equations
Professor of Mathematics and Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs
Rochester Institute of Technology

When I was looking for graduate schools, I knew I was interested in combinatorics and graph theory and that I tended to do well under high expectations in a supportive environment. That's what I found when I visited the University of Kentucky. I wasn't just a number, or one of a thousand students. I was a person, a professional mathematician in training, and the faculty wanted me to succeed.

When I began classes, even though I had been well prepared by my undergraduate education at Michigan State University, I found that the cooperative, collaborative atmosphere of UK was important to my success. Forming study groups was easy, and wandering down the hall to talk with another graduate student or a professor about a problem was expected. Professors' doors were always open (literally) and, if they couldn't talk at the moment, they would always schedule an appointment to see me later.

After a year (or was it two?) at UK, I realized that I was interested in the fields of mathematics that are classically associated with physics, and that led me to partial differential equations. Professors were eager to speak with me about their areas of research, and possible research problems that I might find interesting and challenging. As I worked further and further into my dissertation, Dr. Peter Hislop (my advisor) was a great help to me, as were Drs. Peter Perry, Russell Brown, Ted Suffridge, Chi-Sing Man and Ronald Gariepy. Each taught me something different, and I came away with a wonderful breadth of knowledge.

I was afforded the opportunity to teach many different courses during my time at UK, including College Algebra, Business Calculus, Calculus, Differential Equations, and Matrix Theory. This wealth of teaching experience was very important when I was on the job market, because I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in academia at an institution where I would both continue research and be involved in teaching. Moreover, I was able to bring my experience with the MathExcel (a collaborative learning initiative that targets first year calculus students) to RIT and help restructure how calculus is taught.

I came out of UK with experience in research and teaching, with ideas for research and teaching, and with energy for research and teaching.

Carl Lutzer