SANDRA  SPIROFF

 

University of Mississippi (AMS Meeting 2013)
Department of Mathematics (AMS recognition)
305 Hume Hall
P.O. Box 1848
University, MS 38677-1848
 

Contact Information

Office: Hume Hall, #335
Telephone: (662) 915-5646
FAX: (662) 915-5491
e-mail:  spiroff@olemiss.edu
 

General Information

I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Mississippi .  Previously, I held the position of  VIGRE postdoctoral Assistant Professor/Lecturer at the University of Utah, where I worked with Paul Roberts.  I earned my Ph.D. at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign under the direction of Phillip Griffith.  My area of interest is Commutative Algebra. 

Below I have provided details on my research, teaching experience, and professional activities. For a summary of this information, please refer to my vita.
 

Research

I work in the area of Commutative Algebra, with specialization in the topics of divisor class groups and Chow groups. I also study the growth of ideals and zero divisor graphs. For detailed information on my research interests, please see my research statement, which is available in .pdf format.  My preprints are also available.

  • On invariants of complete intersections, Michigan Math. J., to appear.
  • The vanishing of a higher codimension analogue of Hochster's theta invariant, with W.F. Moore, G. Piepmeyer, and M.E. Walker, Math. Z., to appear.
  • On zero divisor graphs, with J. Coykendall, S. Sather-Wagstaff, and L. Sheppardson, Progress in Comm. Alg., Vol. 2, de Gruyter, April 2012, 241-299.
  • Five point zero divisor graphs determined by equivalence classes of zero divisors, with F. Levidiotis, Involve, 4 (2011), no. 1, 53-64.
  • Hochster's theta invariant and the Hodge Index Theorem, with W. F. Moore, G. Piepmeyer, and M. Walker, Advances in Math, 226 (2010), no. 2, 1692-1714; .pdf
  • A zero divisor graph determined by equivalence classes of zero divisors, with C. Wickham, Communications in Alg., 39 (2011) 2338-2348; .pdf
  • Maps on divisor class groups induced by ring homomorphisms of finite flat dimension, with S. Sather-Wagstaff, J. Commutative Algebra, 1, no. 3 (2009) 567-590.
  • An algebraic proof of the commutativity of intersection with divisors, with P. Roberts, J. Algebra, 320 (2008) 2165-2180; .pdf
  • Divisor class groups of graded hypersurfaces, with A. Singh, Contemp. Math, 448 (2007) 237-243; .pdf
  • Asymptotic growth of powers of ideals, with C. Ciuperca and F. Enescu, Illinois J. Math, 51 no. 1 (2007) 29-39; .pdf
  • Restriction of divisor classes to hypersurfaces in characteristic p, with Phillip Griffith, J. Algebra, 275 (2004) 801-814; .pdf
  • The limiting behavior on the restriction of divisor classes to hypersurfaces, J. Pure Appl. Alg. , 186 (2004) 77-89; .pdf
     

    Teaching

    • Linear Algebra
    • Abstract Algebra

    I have long been interested in the teaching of mathematics.  As a former high school teacher and teaching assistant, I have taught a variety of courses, using several different instructional methods.  This past summer, as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I team taught an Algebra course for incoming graduate students based on a publication in Communications in Algebra. At Seattle University and the University of Utah, I used the WeBWorK homework system. As a graduate student at the University of Illinois, I worked as a Research Assistant, in the area of secondary mathematics teacher education, with Professors Susan Tolman and John Sullivan .  Their project, a cooperation between the Mathematics and Education departments at the University and Danville High School, seeks to improve teacher preparation.  At the University of Utah, I was an active participant in the Math Circle program for high school students, directed by Peter Trapa.  Moreover, I have worked with REU students through the VIGRE grant.  My course experience is listed in the table below.  For more on my teaching experience and philosophy, my statement is available in .pdf format.  For a brief summary of my educational experience, see my teaching vita.

     

    COURSE(S)

    LEVELS TAUGHT

    INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD

    Calculus I, II, Bus. Calc.

    College & High School

     Calculus and Mathematica ,  Merit Workshop , Active Learning, Lecture 

    College & Intermediate Algebra

    College

    Active Learning/Lecture/Discussion

    Geometry, Algebra, Basic Math

    High School

    Lecture/Active Learning


    Professional Activities


    Education     

    The table below provides an overview of my academic history.  For more detailed information about my education and teaching experience, please refer to my vita, available in .pdf format.
     

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    Ph.D. Mathematics, 2003

    Saint Louis University

    M.A. Mathematics, 1996

    Indiana University

    B.S. Mathematics, 1991