Jessica Katherine Sklar (born 1973) is a mathematician interested in

abstract algebra In mathematics, more specifically algebra, abstract algebra or modern algebra is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include groups, rings, fields, modules, vector spaces, lattices, and algebras over a field. The term ''a ...

recreational mathematics Recreational mathematics is mathematics carried out for recreation (entertainment) rather than as a strictly research and application-based professional activity or as a part of a student's formal education. Although it is not necessarily limited ...

mathematics and art Mathematics and art are related in a variety of ways. Mathematics has itself been described as an art motivated by beauty. Mathematics can be discerned in arts such as music, dance, painting, architecture, sculpture, and textiles. This artic ...

, and mathematics and popular culture. She is a professor of mathematics at

Pacific Lutheran University Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a private Lutheran university in Parkland, Washington. It was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1890. PLU is sponsored by the 580 congregations of Region I of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ame ...

, and former head of the mathematics department at Pacific Lutheran.

Education and career

As a high school student, Sklar studied poetry at the

Interlochen Arts Academy Interlochen Center for the Arts is a non-profit corporation which operates arts education institutions and performance venues in northwest Michigan. It is situated on a campus in Interlochen, Michigan, roughly southwest of Traverse City. In ...

. She did her undergraduate studies at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

, where her mother Elizabeth S. had earned a degree in English (later becoming an English professor at Wayne State University) and her father

Lawrence Sklar Lawrence Sklar (born June 25, 1938) is an American philosopher. He is the Carl G. Hempel and William K. Frankena Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan. Education and career Sklar was born in Baltimore, Maryl ...

had taught philosophy. Jessica completed a double major in English and mathematics in 1995. Next, Sklar moved to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

for graduate study in mathematics, earning a master's degree in 1997 and completing her Ph.D. there in 2001. Her dissertation, ''Binomial Rings and Algebras'', was supervised by Frank Wylie Anderson. She has been a faculty member in the mathematics department at Pacific Lutheran since 2001. Combining her interests in mathematics and art she is one of 24 mathematicians and artists who make up the

Mathemalchemy Mathemalchemy is a traveling art installation dedicated to a celebration of the intersection of art and mathematics. It is a collaborative work led by Duke mathematician Ingrid Daubechies and fiber artist Dominique Ehrmann.

Team.Mathemalchemy’s Team
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Selected publications

*“‘Bok bok’: exploring the game of Chicken in film,” with Jennifer F. Nordstrom. In
''Handbook of the Mathematics of the Arts and Sciences.''
Ed. Bharath Sriraman. Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2020. *“‘Elegance in design’: mathematics and the works of Ted Chiang.” In:
''Handbook of the Mathematics of the Arts and Sciences.''
Ed. Bharath Sriraman. Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2020. *“Disciple” (poem). ''Journal of Humanistic Mathematics'' 7(2) (July 2017), 418.

GNU Free Documentation License, 2017. *“A confused electrician uses Smith normal form,” with Tom Edgar. ''

Mathematics Magazine ''Mathematics Magazine'' is a refereed bimonthly publication of the Mathematical Association of America. Its intended audience is teachers of collegiate mathematics, especially at the junior/senior level, and their students. It is explicitly a j ...

'' 89(1) (2016), 3–13.
''Mathematics in Popular Culture: Essays on Appearances in Film, Literature, Games, Television and Other Media''.
Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2012. Editor, with Elizabeth S. Sklar. *“The graph menagerie: abstract algebra and the Mad Veterinarian,” with G. Abrams. ''

'' 83(3) (2010), 168–179. *“Dials and levers and glyphs, oh my! Linear algebra solutions to computer game puzzles.”''

'' 79(5) (2006), 360–367. *"Binomial rings.” ''

Communications in Algebra ''Communications in Algebra'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering algebra, including commutative algebra, ring theory, module theory, non-associative algebra (including Lie algebras and Jordan algebras), group theory, and alg ...

'' 32(4) (2004), 1385–1399. *“Binomial algebras.” ''

'' 30(4) (2002), 1961–1978.

Recognition

Sklar was a winner of the

Carl B. Allendoerfer Award The Carl B. Allendoerfer Award is presented annually by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) for "expository excellence published in ''Mathematics Magazine''." it is named after mathematician Carl B. Allendoerfer who was president of the M ...

of the

Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure a ...

in 2011 for her paper with

Gene Abrams Gene Abrams is an American mathematician and Professor of Mathematics at University of Colorado Colorado Springs. He works in the area of Algebra, and he earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Oregon in 1981. Abrams' research inter ...

, ''The Graph Menagerie: Abstract Algebra and the Mad Veterinarian''. The paper provides a general solution to a class of

lattice reduction In mathematics, the goal of lattice basis reduction is to find a basis with short, nearly orthogonal vectors when given an integer lattice basis as input. This is realized using different algorithms, whose running time is usually at least expone ...

puzzles exemplified by the following one: She was the July 2012 Author of the Month at Ada's Technical Books in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washgington.

References

External links

Home page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sklar, Jessica 1973 births Living people 21st-century American mathematicians American women mathematicians Algebraists Recreational mathematicians Mathematics popularizers 21st-century women mathematicians Pacific Lutheran University faculty 21st-century American women