MAX COE MAJOR | ART HISTORY WITH A EUROPEAN STUDIES MINOR CLASS OF 2025 RESEARCH MENTOR: DR. CRISTINA GONZALEZ MCKINNEY, TEXAS JENSEN BRIDGES MAJORS | MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS WITH A PHILOSOPHY MINOR CLASS OF 2024 RESEARCH MENTOR: DR. MELISSA EMORY BLANCHARD, OKLAHOMA HOW DID YOU BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH? I originally began learning about how to complete art historical research in my classes. After completing several small research papers, I knew I was interested in completing more outside of class and possibly in my future career. When I heard about the AURCA program from another student, I knew it would be a perfect opportunity to gain more research experience and explore my passion for art history even further. I am so thankful I took the time to plan goals that would assist me in my future career. Because of this strategy, I have been able to intern at the Princeton University Art Museum, work under Sana Masood in the OSU Special Collections and work as a research assistant for Dr. Cristina Gonzalez in planning her New Mexico Museum of Art exhibition, “Saints and Santos: Picturing the Holy in New Spain.” WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF YOUR RESEARCH? Researching the artwork and material for Dr. Gonzalez’s exhibition was not only extremely impactful to my skills and interest in art history, but also to the audience for the exhibition. Recently, I completed several saint biographies for the exhibition that will be published. I also had the opportunity to intern at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in their archives and libraries this summer. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? As an art history major, I have found a passion for working in archives and completing art historical research. So, after I graduate in 2025, I plan to secure a position in a library or archive environment. There, I will gain more experience in my field before pursuing a master’s degree in either library science or art history — or both. In my master’s program, I hope to complete research on the art of tarot cards and how they connect to femininity and sexuality. HOW DID YOU BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH? My Calculus I professor first gave me an introduction to the world of academia through a conference she encouraged me to apply to. During this conference, I learned about Research Experiences for Undergraduates, or REUs. In the summer after my sophomore year, I moved to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, to complete an REU in data-enabled industrial math. Our project was assigned by the Department of Energy, and our goal was to predict the amount of plutonium created during the nuclear fuel cycle. This project was at the University of Texas at Tyler in the field of combinatorics, and I immediately found my niche in this work. WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF YOUR RESEARCH? The work I’m doing is in pattern avoidance of permutations, a subfield of combinatorics, or the study of counting complex objects. Though it’s a field of pure math, combinatorics has many applications to computer science and network security. I have now submitted one paper from this REU for publication, and my group members and I are ready to submit a second one. I have also been given the opportunity to present both of these pattern avoidance projects at several conferences in Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, Nebraska and California. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? I interned at Chesapeake Energy this summer and am now beginning my Ph.D. in pure mathematics at the University of Florida. After finishing graduate school, I will continue to a postdoctoral fellowship and eventually a tenure-track position to become a mathematics professor, continuing my current research in combinatorics. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 17
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