William Gryc Professor |
Education
Teaching Interests
Students often see mathematics as a quest for the “right answer.” My goal as a teacher is to have students shift their focus to the process of finding the answer instead of the answer itself, as the justification is more important (and often more interesting) than the answer. In particular, I want my students to develop the ability to create a precise and logical argument as well as to effectively communicate that argument. While these skills are vital to doing mathematics, they are also vital to navigating and understanding the world in which we live.
Research, Scholarship or Creative/Artistic Interests
My training is in functional analysis, a field that at its core uses tools of linear algebra to solve and analyze solutions to differential equations. My latest publications involve looking at properties of spaces of so-called holomorphic functions. However, I am also interested in applying mathematics to theory of auctions, and my research projects with students usually involve auctions. In auction theory there are two basic questions: Given an auction, what is the best strategy for bidders to adopt, and how much revenue can a seller expect to generate from that auction? I have led multiple student projects in auction theory, ranging from analyzing making "best offers" on eBay to strategies for so-called penny auctions. I've also mentored projects on baseball and neuroscience. Generally, I am interested in most projects involving both mathematics and economics.