Morgan State University Newsroom Morgan State University
Morgan State University’s first doctoral graduate in mathematics is on track to receive her degree during this year’s Fall Commencement exercises, in December. Candice Marshall (p.k.a. Candice Jean-Louis), an international student from St. Lucia, is one of 11 students in Morgan’s Industrial and Computational Mathematics (ICM) Program. The demand for ICM graduates is burgeoning with the rise of high-performance computing and “big data.” Industrial mathematics teaches the use of applied mathematics to solve problems in industry, government and other workplaces. The related field of computational mathematics involves research in the growing number of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) areas where computing plays an essential role. Measuring and analyzing traffic flow and predicting and preparing for earthquakes and climate change are just a few examples of work done by practitioners in ICM. Fundamental to Morgan’s ICM program is pure mathematics, which serves as the basis for understanding complex real-world problems.
Marshall earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Morgan in 2005 then taught at the high school level in St. Lucia for three years before returning to Morgan to earn her master’s degree in the field (2011) and enroll in her current Ph.D. program. Marshall’s doctoral research solves previously unsolved problems in advanced matrix algebra, working particularly with Riordan matrices. These matrices have applications to RNA prediction in molecular biology, error correcting codes in cryptography, and sorting algorithms in computer science. Marshall was able to discover previously unknown examples of Riordan matrices exhibiting crucial mathematical properties. Asamoah Nkwanta, Ph.D., professor and chair of Morgan’s Department of Mathematics, has been her academic advisor at Morgan during her entire stay at the University. She has two research papers published in peer-reviewed journals and plans to work in the industry in the U.S. after graduation.
Congratulations to Candice Marshall and Morgan’s Department of Mathematics as they approach this historic achievement during Morgan’s sesquicentennial year!
