Math-ing. Teaching. Baking.
Hello,
a bit about me:
I'm Noelle, a Bahamian mathematician. My main areas of research are dynamics and geometry. My advisor was David Constantine at Wesleyan University. When I'm not doing math, chances are that you'll find me baking, reading, or dreaming up new things to try when I'm teaching.
I'm an assistant professor at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas! Here's my CV.
Email me at sawyern@southwestern.edu or using the contact form below!
TEACHING
In the 2022/2023 academic year, I'm teaching Real Analysis, Modern Calculus I, Intro Stats, and working with a student on their Honors Thesis! I am also teaching a new course at Southwestern called New Experiences in Research Design - I'm working with a small group of freshmen to give them an idea of what it's like to do research in math.
I was also on the directed reading program committee at Wesleyan. Fall 2018 was the first semester of the directed reading program at Wesleyan. I wrote some thoughts about it here. In spring 2019, I worked with a student. We did an introductory survey of discrete geometry. There are more details on what we talked about here.
In the past, I have
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helped to create material and plan a new calculus sequence at Wesleyan
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taught calculus, statistics, and topology courses
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been a teaching assistant for various Wesleyan math courses
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taught a seventh grade math class for several summers
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been the TA for a math course run by the Wesleyan Center for Prison Education
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been the head supplemental instruction leader at Vassar College
See details in my CV
RESEARCH
My research is in dynamics and geometry. I'm currently thinking a lot about marked length spectrum rigidity, thermodynamic formalism, and boundary action rigidity.
Recent and Upcoming talks: Geometry Seminar at George Mason (Nov '22), A Dynamical Weekend at Wesleyan (March '23), Dynamics Seminar at University of Houston (March '23), USTARS Faculty Speaker (March '23), Geometry Seminar at Columbia (April '23), and Undergraduate Colloquium at Columbia (April '23).
I also co-organized the Midwest Dynamical Systems Early Career Conference on Nov 14th, 2020! We have posted the
recordings of talks. We also had a virtual poster session, with both posters and short videos!
Big Ideas In Dynamics: An AIM Research Community for Graduate Students in Dynamics is launching in February 2023! It's coorganized by Benjamin Call and myself. It focuses on collaborative learning among graduate students in dynamical systems, specifically smooth dynamics, ergodic theory, and homogeneous dynamics. We hope to build connections across institutions, and strengthen the reading, research, and collaboration skills of current and recent graduate students.
SERVICE & ACTIVITIES
Find more details on service and activites on this page!
Coorganizer, Big Ideas in Dynamics: An AIM Research Community
Spring 2022
Fellow, Project NExT
2021-2022
Member, National Association of Mathematicians Publicity and Publication Committee
August 2019 - October 2021
Coorganizer, Black in Math Week
November 2020
Cohost, #BlackInMathWeek, an episode of the podcast Relatively Prime
November 2020
Coorganizer, Midwest Dynamical Systems Early Career Conference
November 2020
Vice President, AWM Grad Student Chapter, Wesleyan University
September 2018 - May 2020
Co-organizer, Graduate Student Seminar, Wesleyan University
January 2019 - December 2019
Vice President, AMS Grad Student Chapter, Wesleyan University
September 2017 - July 2019
In the 2018/2019 academic year, I worked on the pilot of Wesleyan's Directed Reading Program. Each grad student involved is worked one-on-one with an undergraduate student in the style of a reading course. If you would like to learn more about DRP, the website for the DRP network is here, with Wesleyan's DRP website here.
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