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At UMBC‘s mathematics and statistics department, applied mathematics - the study of physical, biological and sociological world, is being used for statistical seismic imaging, a new methodology that matches the needs and requirements of crustal and engineering geophysics. Oksana Korostyshevskaya, a UMBC Ph.D. student, is part of this collaborative math/geosciences research project funded by the National Science Foundation. She has the honor of being one of the only two UMBC students involved in this research. Other fellow team members include experienced researchers from UMBC and Rice University.

“I am developing the mathematical and numerical tools for simulation of wave propagation to study the earth’s structure. These tools will be used to numerically simulate the earth and seismic waves in it in order to infer the structure of the earth’s crust,” explains Oksana Korostyshevskaya. Oksana‘s research is interdisciplinary, including current techniques in statistical characterization of lithology, parallel wavefield simulation, numerical scale-up and design of object-oriented inversion software.

Oksana is studying under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Minkoff, professor of mathematics and statistics at UMBC. Minkoff’s general research area is scientific computing with an emphasis on numerical modeling of geoscience problems. Regarding Minkoff, Oksana says that she has been very supportive of her work and is an invaluable mentor. Professors at UMBC have been Oksana’s biggest support and inspiration. In Oksana’s words, “Professors are always willing to help and encourage us.”

Oksana earned her undergraduate and masters degrees in mathematics. (her childhood interest) from Ukraine. She came to UMBC in 2001 when she married a mathematics student at UMBC. In her opinion UMBC stands apart from other institutions because “UMBC’s diversity gives me a chance to interact with people from all over the world; it‘s a wonderful experience.” UMBC has provided her with a friendly and personal environment to continue her education.

Besides her research activities, Oksana teaches Math 106 at UMBC. Her teaching experience has certainly strengthened her didactic qualities and she hopes to pursue both research and teaching in the near future.