Math and Stats students experienced research, internships all over the world in summer 2023

From Vermont and Colorado to South Korea and Vietnam, Saint Michael’s Mathematics and Statistics students were all over the world this summer contributing to businesses and learning new skills they’ll eventually bring with them into the workforce. 

Seven students from the Mathematics and Statistics Department gave presentations about their research and internship experiences during the annual Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium on Sept. 8. The event, which is held each September, was widely attended by fellow students, parents of presenters, faculty and staff. 

A handful of students also received awards for excellence in Calculus – the 11th year the department has recognized students who received A’s in the course. 

Patrick Gahan ’25 describes his summer research experience with the Colorado Summer Institute in Biostatistics during the annual Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Cat Cutillo)

Presenters during the colloquium included the following students: 

Jacob Burcroff ’23, an Engineering major and Mathematics minor from Lakeville, Connecticut, presented on his internship at the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission in Vermont. Burcroff is studying to be a civil engineer as part of the 3+2 Engineering program partnership between Saint Michael’s and the University of Vermont. He talked about the ways in which he helped the CCRPC collect traffic data, inventory sidewalk conditions, and use geographic information systems (GIS) to visualize potential problems and help with asset management for local municipalities.  

Joseph Del Toro ’23, a Mechanical Engineering major and Mathematics minor from Saint Paul, Minnesota, who now lives in Underhill, gave a presentation on his internship at local company VIXI6. VIXI6 provides compelling digital solutions that inspire people to find alternatives to their car. Del Toro, who is also part of the 3+2 program with UVM, spoke about the work he did to help figure out how to provide fitness monitoring data through Bluetooth sensors and other technology to riders of e-bikes. 

Patrick Gahan ’25, a Statistics major and Mathematics minor from Whitinsville, Massachusetts, spoke about the summer research he conducted with the Colorado Summer Institute in Biostatistics (CoSIBS). He was able to apply his study of statistics to biology and biomedical research during this program, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Gahan said the majority of his summer was spent working on a group project that investigated weight loss trends and their effects on the human gut microbiome. 

Camille Gallagher ’24 describes her experience interning with Breakthrough in Manchester, New Hampshire, during the annual Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium in Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Cat Cutillo)

Camille Gallagher ’24, a double major in Mathematics and Secondary Education with a Statistics minor from Upton, Massachusetts, presented about her second summer interning with Breakthrough in Manchester, New Hampshire. Gallagher was able to teach algebra to incoming eighth graders and help facilitate extracurricular activities during the summer education program. During her presentation, Gallagher compared her internship experiences between summer 2022 and summer 2023, concluding that she felt much more confident this summer and was able to help support other newer teachers in the program. 

Swapnil Jhajharia ’24, a double major in Psychology and Statistics with minors in Mathematics and Anthropology from Rajasthan, India, was unable to attend the colloquium in person, so he gave his presentation through pre-recorded video. Jhajharia presented on his internship with SENBOX in Vietnam, which he obtained as one of the Freeman Foundation awardees through the Saint Michael’s Institute for Global Engagement. SENBOX is a special education institution and tool development center that works to bridge the gap between the disparity in standards of special education interventions in Vietnam and the international standards. Jhajharia spoke about the real-world applications of psychology and special education intervention frameworks at SENBOX as well as the framework that SENBOX wants to employ to better understand and use data to support their students.  

Max Noddings ’23, a Computer Science major with a minor in Mathematics from Billings, Montana, spoke about his internship at Minglecon in South Korea, which was also supported by a Freeman Foundation award. Noddings created a website for the company using WordPress that could be used to provide resources for educators and teachers who use Minglecon’s resources and teaching curricula. Noddings also spoke about his experience navigating how to ensure the website and resources could be viewed in both English and Korean languages. 

Mitchell Townsend ’26 talks about his internship at SubCom during the annual Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Cat Cutillo)

Mitchell Townsend ’26, a Mechanical Engineering major with a minor in Mathematics from Gilford, New Hampshire, spoke about his time interning with SubCom, which produces undersea fiber optic cables for telecommunications. Townsend said he helped develop an improved cable joint prototype for the company using three-dimensional design software. He also brought a small piece of cable to the presentation to show the audience what generally makes up a large chunk of the undersea cable network.

Students who received recognition during the 11th Annual Calculus Achievement awards included:  

• AJ Coronato ’26 of Hampton, New Jersey 
• Gray Flanagan ’26 of West Burke, Vermont 
• Emily Huebel ’26 of Strafford, New Hampshire 
• Drew Kull ’26 of Pittsford, New York 
• Lawton Jones ‘26 of Williston, Vermont 
• Patrick McGloine ’25 of Schuylerville, New York 
• Dayton Wick ’26 of Ashland, Ohio 

Mathematics Professor Barbara O’Donovan, who also helps coordinate the Engineering Program, hands out Calculus Achievement Awards during the annual Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Cat Cutillo)