Dr. Kerry Luse

Clare Boothe Luce Associate Professor of Mathematics

Interests

• Knot theory and its applications
• Statistics education

Affiliations

Awards

• Section NExT Fellow, MD-DC-VA Section, 2013

Select Works Published

• The Alexander polynomial of a rational link
  Kidwell, M. E., & Luse, K. M., Journal of Knot Theory and Its Ramifications,28(03), 2019
• A Categorification of the Penrose Polynomial (with Y. Rong)
  Luse, K. M., Journal of Knot Theory and Its Ramifications, Volume: 20, Issue: 1, 2011

Philosophy

Mathematics is a beautiful tool for learning skills that will benefit mathematicians and non-mathematicians alike, particularly in their critical thinking and logical reasoning. More people would enjoy, or at least appreciate, math if they could see it as relevant and fun, as opposed to pointless and tedious. One of the most important things a good teacher can do is recognize individual student abilities and challenge them accordingly. In addition to individualizing instruction, a good teacher must engage all students. One of my fundamental objectives is to get students to think critically, and an important component in this process is to expect a lot from my students. Each semester, I set high standards and enjoy watching students achieve and often surpass my expectations.