Congratulations to Anne Shepler for winning the 2014 UNT Mathematics Department Faculty Research Award.

Working at the intersection of geometry and algebra, Professor Shepler studies symmetries and the deformations that arise when scientists intentionally perturb these symmetries. For example, variables often commute in many scientific systems, but when they do not, well-prescribed rules determine how one should pass one variable over another variable to switch the order. Describing her research for UNT's Inhouse and for a feature on her work done by UNT's Office of Research and Economic Development, Professor Shepler explained, "If we introduce a small deviation, a small error term, or even a Planck constant each time we switch the order of variables, we obtain a new mathematical system deforming the old system. In scientific studies, we often get sidetracked with small details and accidental characteristics of a system; if we view, instead, the entire system as a single screen shot in a movie of morphing systems, we obtain new results on the original."

Professor Shepler received her Ph.D. in 1999 at UC San Diego, under the supervision of Peter Doyle, with a dissertation titled, "Semi-Invariant Forms." Since coming to UNT, Professor Shepler's research has been continuously funded by the National Science Foundation or National Security Agency. Over the course of her career, she has been a PI or co-PI on six NSF funded projects. Her research has also been supported through a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board grant and a Humboldt fellowship.

Professor Shepler is passionate about encouraging the mathematical community to embrace full participation in mathematical research by women and members of other populations historically underrepresented. Professor Shepler created and coordinates Women in Mathematical Sciences (WIMS), which organizes activities bringing together women with an interst in the mathematical sciences and making them aware of opportunities to contribute to mathematics. Professor Shepler also believes in the importance of encouraging broad collaboration in mathematics research and therefore devotes considerable effort to organizing conferences where mathematicians can share their research. She also coordinates research experiences for undergraduates, which allow undergraduate students to get an early taste of what it is like to make original contributions to new mathematical discoveries. The programs that she organizes often contain novel organizational elements that encourage cooperation among undergraduate students and graduate students or which encourage students at one university to interact with students at other universities.

Professor Shepler's passion for mathematical research and its broad dissemination is also evidenced by her work as an Associate Editor for the American Mathematical Monthly, one of the most widely read mathematical periodicals which publishes articles on mathematical research of intrest to an especially broad audience of mathematical scientists.

Professor Shepler is just as devoted to her teaching as she is to her research. She has made a valuable recent contribution to the undergraduate mathematics progam at UNT by creating and teaching our new Discovery course in Discrete Mathematics. The intentional role that this Discovery course plays in building community among mathematics majors was also featured in an Inhouse article. Professor Shepler also shares her insights in the teaching of mathematics with the next generation of mathematicians by regularly volunteering to teach UNT's graduate course on "Instructional Issues for the Professional Mathematician."