Pamela E. Harris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Henry L. Alder Award (2019)
Karen EDGE Fellow (2020)
Pamela E. Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 28, 1983 |
| Alma mater | Marquette University University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee |
| Awards | Mathematical Association of America Henry L. Alder Award (2019) Karen EDGE Fellow (2020) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematician |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Combinatorial problems related to Kostant’s weight multiplicity formula (2012) |
| Doctoral advisor | Jeb Willenbring |
Pamela Estephania Harris (born November 28, 1983) is a Mexican-American mathematician, educator and advocate for immigrants. She is currently a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[1] was formerly an associate professor at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and is co-founder of the online platform Lathisms.[2][3] She is also an editor of the e-mentoring blog of the American Mathematical Society (AMS).[4]
Harris first emigrated with her family from Mexico to the United States when she was 8 years old.[5][6] They returned to Mexico, before eventually settling in Wisconsin when Harris was 12.[5][7] Because she was undocumented, she could not attend university.[8][7] Instead, she studied at the Milwaukee Area Technical College, where she earned two associate degrees in two and a half years.[7][8] After she married a US citizen and her immigration status changed, she transferred to Marquette University, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics.[8][5] She went on to complete her master's degree and in 2012 a PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her Ph.D. dissertation was advised by Jeb F. Willenbring.[9] Harris was a Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching) fellow in 2012.[10] She was a Davies Research Fellow at the United States Military Academy,[5][7] and, in 2016, joined the faculty at Williams College[11][7] where she was an associate professor.[12] In 2022, she joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as an associate professor.[1]
Harris studies algebraic combinatorics, in particular the representation of Lie algebras.[7][13] In order to understand this representation she studies vector partition functions, in particular Kostant's partition function.[5] She is also interested in graph theory and number theory.[13] In 2016 she co-founded an online platform called 'Lathisms' which aims to promote the contributions of Latinxs and Hispanics in the Mathematical Sciences.[2][5] In 2020 she co-authored the book "Asked and Answered: Dialogues On Advocating For Students of Color in Mathematics".[14] Harris, along with Aris Winger, run a podcast, Mathematically Uncensored, through the Center for Minorities in the Mathematical Sciences. Starting in October 2020, they discussed current issues in mathematics that minorities encounter.[15]
