STEM Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Symposium 2024: Mathematics & Statistics

Born and raised in Cuba, my journey into the captivating world of mathematics began at a young age, igniting a passion that has guided me through numerous challenges and triumphs. My venture into mathematics took a significant turn at the age of 12 when I participated in the Cuban Mathematical Olympiad. Despite facing setbacks and years of competition without victory, I persevered. Achieving a perfect score in the state competition during my freshman year of high school renewed my confidence. Although narrowly missing the top 10 at the National Olympiad was disheartening, I refused to give up. The pandemic provided an unexpected opportunity for me to deepen my studies. However, my hopes were dashed when the Olympiad was canceled upon my return to school. With just one shot left, I poured my heart into the competition, ultimately earning second place nationally in the 2022 National Mathematical Olympiad. Throughout my academic journey, my passion for mathematics remained unwavering, even amidst challenging living conditions at Martires de Humboldt 7 High School. As a boarding school student, I found solace in pursuing my academic goals, fueled by a desire to give back to my community. Organizing mathematics sessions for fellow students solidified my passion for teaching and mentorship. Upon immigrating to the United States, I dedicated myself to mastering English and furthering my academic pursuits. As a tutor at Miami Dade College, I found fulfillment in helping others while continuing to expand my own knowledge. I have also continued to promote recreational mathematics in Miami Dade College through the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society. Recently, I've delved into the world of mathematical research, collaborating on a project with Dr. Jyrko Correa. Our abstract for the 2024 SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics explores a novel polynomial algorithm with far-reaching implications across various disciplines. During this summer, we intend to keep deepening our understanding of this matter and develop an efficient algorithm to fulfill our purpose.

I am a first year student at Miami Dade Honors College, Kendall Campus, originally from Cuba. My family has always placed great focus on my education. Consequently, since elementary school, they encouraged me to participate in National Knowledge
Contests, following the Einsteinian principle of studying, as an opportunity to enter the
wonderful world of knowledge. This eventually led me to discover my passion for the language that describes the laws of nature – Mathematics. During high school in Cuba, I had to engage in self-teaching to prepare for contests. I was able to reap the rewards from my sacrifice, like earning the National Gold medal for three years consecutively, winning the National Cup Absolute Award (an IPVCE-only competition) twice, and earning the silver medal at the XXIV Iberoamerican
Olympics and the Honorable Mention at the Iranian Olympiad of Geometry. Throughout my first year in college, I had the opportunity to participate in the open project CrowdMath. This is a year-long math research program hosted by MIT and the AoPS (Art of Problem Solving), which is open to every undergraduate student around the world. Last year, CrowdMath was led by Dr. Felix Gotti (one of my recommenders) and focused on additive combinatorics and power monoids. I am one of the co-authors of the resulting paper, which has already been submitted for publication and is available on arXiv
under the following link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.12444v1. After finishing my associate degree, I plan to transfer to a four-year institution in about two years. My academic dream is to get into a Ph.D. program in mathematics after completing my undergraduate education, and this dream becomes stronger as my love for math and research grows, especially for topics related to abstract algebra.
 

Barbara Lorenzo is a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Data Analytics at Miami Dade College. She holds an Associate's degree in Biological Sciences and a certificate in Business Operations and Business Intelligence. Barbara is a distinguished scholar, being a REP (Rebooting through EmTech Program) and LIFT (Linking Interested Females to Technology) scholar. She has also been selected to attend the 2024 S-Stem Scholars and Pi meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Barbara is actively involved in academic and professional communities, serving as President of the Data Analytics and Business Intelligence (DABI) club and Vice President of the National Society of Leadership and Success at Miami Dade College.