Jennifer Switkes is a Canadian-American

applied mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History One ...

interested in

mathematical model A mathematical model is an abstract and concrete, abstract description of a concrete system using mathematics, mathematical concepts and language of mathematics, language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed ''mathematical m ...

ing and

operations research Operations research () (U.S. Air Force Specialty Code: Operations Analysis), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a branch of applied mathematics that deals with the development and application of analytical methods to improve management and ...

, and also known for her volunteer work teaching mathematics in prisons. She is an associate professor of mathematics at

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State Polytechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) is a Public university, public Institute of Technology (United States)#Polytechnic universities, polytechnic research university in Pomona, California, United States. It is the l ...

(Cal Poly Pomona), where she is associate chair of the mathematics department.

Early life and education

Switkes was born in Canada but moved as a child to

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

. She is a 1994 graduate of

Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, focused on science and engineering. It is part of the Claremont Colleges, which share adjoining campus grounds and resources. The college enrolled 902 undergra ...

, where she completed a double major in mathematics and physics as well as earning credits towards a teaching credential. However, her experience as a student teacher at a middle school convinced her that she was not fully prepared to continue as a teacher, and she returned to graduate school instead. Her doctoral research at

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California, United States. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium which includes five undergraduate and two grad ...

concerned

mathematical biology Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical models and abstractions of living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, development ...

, and more specifically mosaic coevolution; her 2000 dissertation, ''The Geographic Mosaic Theory in Relation to Coevolutionary Interactions'', was jointly supervised by Michael E. Moody and John Angus.

Career and volunteer work

Switkes was an instructor at

Citrus College Citrus College is a public community college in Glendora, California. The Citrus Community College District, which supports the institution, includes the communities of Azusa, Claremont, Duarte, Glendora, and Monrovia. Citrus Union High Scho ...

and the

University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university in Redlands, California, United States. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Calif ...

before becoming a mathematics professor at Cal Poly Pomona in 2001. There, she is known for her project-based education of students, centered around real-world applications of mathematical modeling. Switkes volunteers as an associate pastor at the Orange Coast Free Methodist Church in

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

, and as a mathematics teacher with the Prison Education Project. She has taught mathematics to prison inmates both at the

California Rehabilitation Center California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) is a state prison located in Norco, Riverside County, California. The prison is sometimes referenced as "Norco" or "Norco Prison". Facilities CRC has and is located next to the Naval Surface Warfare Ce ...

Norco, California Norco is a city in northwestern Riverside County, California, United States. Located roughly inland from the Pacific Ocean, Norco is known as "Horsetown, USA" and prides itself on being a "horse community". The area is dotted with corrals, far ...

and in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, where she has traveled repeatedly on church missions, on a 2013 sabbatical visit to

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

and on a shorter 2015 visit to teach at the

Luzira Maximum Security Prison Luzira Maximum Security Prison is a maximum security prison for both men and women in Uganda. Until Kitalya Maximum Security Prison opened in 2020, Luzira was the only maximum security prison in the country and housed Uganda's death-row inmates. ...

. As inspiration for her volunteer work she cites a book by Bob Moses, ''Radical Equations—Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project'', on the importance of

mathematical literacy Numeracy is the ability to understand, reason with, and apply simple numerical concepts; it is the numerical counterpart of literacy. The charity National Numeracy states: "Numeracy means understanding how mathematics is used in the real world ...

in escaping underprivileged circumstances.

Recognition

Switkes was one of the winners of the 2015 Inspiring Women in STEM Award of Insight Into Diversity Magazine. In 2019, Switkes won one of the

Deborah and Franklin Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics The Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics are awards given by the Mathematical Association of America to recognize college or university teachers "who have been widely recognized as ...

, the highest teaching award of the Mathematical Association of America, "for bringing her educational core values of excellence, honor, integrity, love, and purpose to all students, and specifically to traditionally underserved students". The award recognized both her prison volunteer work and her mentorship of undergraduate and master's students at Cal Poly Pomona. She was also honored as an outstanding alumna of Harvey Mudd College in 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Switkes, Jennifer Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American mathematicians Canadian mathematicians Canadian women mathematicians Applied mathematicians Canadian operations researchers Harvey Mudd College alumni Claremont Graduate University alumni California State Polytechnic University, Pomona faculty American operations researchers 21st-century American women mathematicians