Dr. Raegan Higgins
Department of Mathematics & Statistics
Texas Tech University
EDGE Co-Director Raegan Higgins is an alumna of Xavier University of Louisiana and received her Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) under the supervision of Professors Lynn Erbe and Allan Peterson. She was one of the first two African-American women to earn a doctoral degree in Mathematics from UNL.
Raegan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at Texas Tech University (TTU) in Lubbock, TX. Her research focuses on oscillation criteria for certain linear and nonlinear second order dynamic equations on time scales. While she is also interested in applications of time scales, Raegan has a keen interest in increasing the number of women, especially those underrepresented, in STEM and improving the undergraduate preparation of mathematics majors.
Because of her own experience pursuing a STEM degree at a historically black university, Raegan understands the importance of creating supportive environments where underrepresented students can thrive. Her service to the mathematics community focuses on building the STEM pipeline for young people, especially women, through teaching and mentoring. In 2013, Professor Higgins co-founded Young Women in Mathematics (now an AWM student chapter). This group provides a unique opportunity for TTU women to empower, motivate, and support one another in a field where they may face obstacles due to their gender. In 2014, the West Texas Association for Women in Science recognized her as the Outstanding Woman Leader for her commitment to the education, training, and mentoring of women in STEM. After participating in the EDGE summer session in 2002 and later as workshop facilitator for several years, Professor Higgins became Co-Director of the program in 2017. With fellow EDGErs Erica Graham, Candice Price, and Shelby Wilson, Raegan has been running the website Mathematically Gifted and Black. Most recently, Raegan was named an Integrated Scholar at Texas Tech University. This is recognition is for faculty members who demonstrate significant accomplishments and effective synergy among the major professorial functions of teaching, research, and service. Each has infused the results of their scholarship and creative activity into the learning experiences they provide to students and their service and engagement activities.
Dr. Alison Marr
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Southwestern University
EDGE Co-Director Alison Marr received her Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in 2007 under the direction of Dr. Walter Wallis, her M.S. from Texas A&M University in 2004, and her B.A. from Murray State University in 2002. She is a Professor and holder of the Garey Chair in Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. She has been at Southwestern since 2007 and has served as Department Chair and co-chair of the Transforming Paideia Initiative, a program which vastly expanded interdisciplinary learning at Southwestern. She teaches classes across the math curriculum from Introduction to Statistics to Calculus to Algebraic Structures, as well as interdisciplinary courses such as Wheels and Deals: A Survey of Television Game Shows and her Global Health Paideia Seminar, Traditional and Modern Medicine.
Alison’s research interests include graph theory (in general), graph labeling (more specifically), and recreational mathematics. In 2012, she published her book Magic Graphs, co-authored with W. D. Wallis. She is active in the inquiry-based learning (IBL) community serving on the MLI Board of Directors and the editorial board of JIBLM, was the first secretary-treasurer for the IBL SIGMAA, and co-organized two IBL mini-conferences.
Mentors have played a vital role in Alison’s development and thus she seeks to pay that forward by providing support and mentoring opportunities for her students, peers, colleagues, and women in math. In 2016, Alison co-founded the EQUIP program at Southwestern University that works to create community and provide support for a small cohort of incoming STEM students each year. She is a mentor for the Math Alliance and has mentored multiple undergraduate research projects that have turned into publications. She also served as a 2019 Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Fellow at Southwestern focusing on providing mentoring for mid-career faculty. Alison is a member of the 2002 EDGE cohort, and has been an instructor for the program for several years. She became Co-Director of the EDGE Summer Program in 2020.