Claudia Polini, assistant professor of mathematics at Hope College, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in support of her research.
Her research is on the boundary between
commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. Both fields
arose from the classical problem of studying mathematical
objects defined in the plane by the simplest of equations,
namely polynomials. Today, the fields use methods not only
from algebra, but also from analysis and topology, and
conversely are extensively used in those fields, as well as
in fields as diverse as physics, theoretical computer
science, cryptography, coding theory and robotics.
Polini received the full, $59,112, three-year
grant that she had sought. According to the NSF, the
foundation funds fewer than 20 percent of the research grant
proposals it receives, and of those that are accepted only
10 percent receive funding for the entire requested three-
year duration.
She joined the Hope faculty in the fall of 1998.
She holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the
Universita degli Studi di Padova in Italy, and a doctorate
in mathematics from Rutgers University.
Before coming to Hope, Polini was a research
visiting instructor in mathematics at Michigan State
University.