By Emme McMullen
Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great summer and the transition into fall is going well. I’ve personally been enjoying the grey and drizzly skies recently here in Seattle; something about bleak weather is so cozy and fall-coded. As the new academic year starts off, I’ve been reflecting on my first year as a Ph.D. student in the Applied Math Department at UW.
One year ago, I was getting through my first few problem sets of my graduate school career! I was definitely nervous about starting a new program, but quickly settled into a nice routine getting assignments done and collaborating with peers. That first quarter, I took two of the three required Ph.D. level courses, and also took a Ph.D-level elective, Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures. This class pushed me out of my comfort zone, but really stretched my mathematical skills and thinking, and culminated in a really interesting project on the Ablowitz-Fokas-Musslimani approach to the water wave problem. At the same time, I did a reading course with Ivana Bozic and another student where I delved into the field of mathematical oncology, which was a topic brand new to me and a very rewarding experience.
Outside of coursework, I got involved in the department by attending weekly SIAM meetings and tea times – these were a great way to get to know some of the upper Ph.D. students and faculty. Our first year cohort also made sure to have some fun together. We bonded over watching Dancing With the Stars together on Friday nights – fan favorites were Ilona Maher (Team USA Rugby player) and Steven Nedoroscik (Team USA Gymnast).
During the winter quarter, a new set of classes and challenges kept me busy. In addition to courses, I participated in a continuation of the Nonlinear Waves class with other interested students. The extra time with the material helped me narrow in on my research focus. Throughout the year I also joined the Math Methods Journal club, where we gave talks to each other and worked through a quantum computing textbook. The quarterly dinners that the Math Methods participants got together for were a highlight.
While winter was definitely busy with academics, I also tried to take advantage of the amazing Pacific Northwest winter! Friends from the cohort and I went skiing at Crystal Mountain and Snoqualmie Pass, played lots of ultimate frisbee, and signed up for a half marathon all together! We also had some fun social gatherings, including an awesome grape-themed party.
By spring quarter, coursework was in full swing, and I felt like I had really settled in. Between problem sets, climbing sessions with friends, and more ultimate frisbee, life settled into a busy but fun rhythm. It was a nice balance of academic focus and outdoor adventures as the weather warmed up.
Over the summer, I shifted more fully into research. It was so nice to have much more time to focus on research. I worked on two projects: one with Bernard Deconinck studying the stability spectra of the Kawahara equation, and another with Eric Shea-Brown analyzing the connectome structure of a mouse brain neural network. It was great to have more time to focus longer on these projects.
Seattle summer also meant more time to explore and be outdoors! I went on some amazing hikes, played Spikeball and volleyball at Golden Gardens Beach, and jumped in Lake Washington at least once a week.
Now that summer is over, I’m grateful for a first year filled with challenges, growth, and community. I’m looking forward to building on this foundation in my second year and getting to know the incoming cohort. Have a great quarter everyone!