Melanie Pivarski

About Me

Dr. Melanie Pivarski is an associate professor of mathematics and chair of the Department of Mathematics and Actuarial Science at Roosevelt University. Her research interests are at the intersection of probability and analysis where she studies heat kernels and their applications in metric measure spaces.  She also publishes in the scholarship of teaching and learning mathematics, writing about engaging mathematics students in active project work in venues such as the book  Mathematics for Social Justice: Resources for the College Classroom and Science Education and Civic Engagement: An International Journal. Recently, she has been collaborating with biologists from the Field Museum of Chicago, leading her students in data analysis projects based on community science datasets; this has lead to a joint publication with students, alumni, and scientists in the open access journal RIO.  She earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University and worked as a visiting professor at Texas A&M University.  She is a National Project NExT Fellow, a PI on the NOYCE grant which supports development of highly qualified math and science teachers for high-needs schools, and is a member of the Chicago Symposium Series planning board. She previously served as a SENCER Leadership Fellow and as a Director at Large for the Illinois Section of the Mathematical Association of America.