Asia Morgenstern, a Westminster College computer science and mathematics major, presented a research poster at the Joint Mathematics Meeting held Jan. 8-11 in Seattle, Wash.

Morgenstern, a senior from New Wilmington, Pa., presented “Prime Juggling Patterns with a Fixed State” based on research she completed last summer while participating in the Iowa State University Math Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, funded by the National Science Foundation. Through the project, researchers—including two project mentors and three other undergraduate students—considered juggling patterns by using “states,” which describe where balls are in the air at a given moment.

While at the mathematics conference, Morgenstern also attended other poster presentation sessions and a graduate school fair.

“The Joint Mathematics Meetings was among the most influential conferences I’ve attended so far. I learned about a lot of different research topics. Moreover, when I presented at my poster session, I gained even more experience in presenting research,” Morgenstern said. “Together, these experiences helped me to hone skills, including critical thinking, oral presentation and networking. Ultimately, these are skills I can take with me wherever I go, whether it’s to a Ph.D. program or a career in the tech industry.”

Morgenstern’s conference trip was funded by the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research at Westminster College.

The JMM, organized by the American Mathematical Society, is the world’s largest annual mathematical gathering.

For more information about Westminster’s mathematics major, please visit www.westminster.edu/math.

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