John Quintanilla

Dean, College of Science

Professor of Mathematics (Vita)

University Distinguished Teaching Professor

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Department of Mathematics 1155 Union Circle #311430 University of North Texas Denton, TX 76203-5017 E-mail: John.Quintanilla@unt.edu Office: Hickory Hall 256-E Phone: (940) 565-4043 Fax: (940) 565-4805

I have been teaching mathematics at UNT since 1996.

Work: Teaching

My current teaching schedule can be found here. Success in Mathematics

Math in the Media Are you skeptical about the usefulness of learning mathematics? Don't tell that to the writers of Home Improvement! Sports Illustrated 7/19/1999

Honors Received for Teaching Princeton University Engineering Council Excellence in Teaching Award (1995) Honorary Member, Golden Key National Honor Society (1999) Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Joseph B. Whitehead Educator of Distinction Award (2001, 2003) UNT President's Council Teaching Award (2004) Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics Award (2005) Honorary Alumnus, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (2005) UNT President’s Council Service Award (2010) University Distinguished Teaching Professor (2010) UNT Nominee for U.S. Professor of the Year Award (2013, 2014) UNT Nominee for Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award (2015)

Press links:

http://inhouse.unt.edu/us-senator-touts-success-teach-north-texas

https://northtexan.unt.edu/faculty-focus-seeing-students-succeed

http://biology.unt.edu/news/engaging-students-do-their-best

http://math.unt.edu/faculty-spotlight/john-quintanilla

http://facultysuccess.unt.edu/new-normals

http://www.unt.edu/untresearch/2007-2008/teaching.htm

https://news.unt.edu/news-releases/professors-recognized-presidents-council-teaching-awards

http://news.unt.edu/news-releases/popular-math-prof-wins-teaching-award

The links below show my talk “The Mathematics of Music and Language,” which I’ve given to several general audiences.

· Part 1: Modeling real-life phenomena with trigonometric functions, interpreting the amplitude, period, phase shift, and vertical shift.

· Part 2: Musical notes and chords, with an emphasis on frequencies.

· Part 3: Chords, beats, and overtones.

· Part 4: Linguistic and frequencies

· Part 5: Linguistics, spectrographs and Fourier analysis.

Work: Research

My research interests include but are not limited to the use of applied mathematics and probability theory to study the microstructure and effective properties of random heterogeneous materials. As you may guess, my work is quite interdisciplinary in its nature. My vita is available here in PDF format.

Work-related links

Los Alamos Papers

The Geometry Center

Wolfram Research, Inc.

Maple

Fermat's Last Theorem Riots This one's dedicated to all mathematicians in cyberspace who can still remember the details surrounding Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls' third straight championship in 6 games over Charles Barkley's Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals.

National Science Foundation

American Mathematical Society

The Mathematical Association of America

Who Wants To Be A Mathematical Millionaire? This link discusses the seven greatest unsolved problems in mathematics. A correct solution to any one of them is worth $1,000,000.

Past

Before starting as a professor here at UNT, I did my graduate work at Princeton University (MA '94, PhD '97) in the Statistics and Operations Research division of the Department of Civil Engineering and Operations Research; this division has since become the Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering. My advisor was Salvatore Torquato, who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Chemistry and the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials and is also director of the Complex Materials Theory Group.

Before studying at Princeton, I graduated from Grace Brethren Christian School ('88) in Clinton, Maryland, and did my undergraduate work at Stanford (BS '92, MS '92), earning coterminal degrees in Mathematics. I am also an alumnus of the Study of Exceptional Talent.

Worship

My wife (Dr. Sandra Quintanilla of UNT's Physics Department) and I attend Denton Bible Church, located at 2300 E. University Drive in Denton. I also assist the technical support team at the church.

In the past, I attended the meetings of the Princeton Christian Fellowship and Cru at Stanford. These are two student groups, among many others, which seek to disciple Christian students in their faith and to offer opportunities to the student body to examine the claims of Christianity. I also attended Westerly Road Church in Princeton and Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California.

College Life at UNT/TWU

Bible Gateway

Context Bible Verse Search

Leadership University

On the lighter side...

Parables for Modern Academia

The Nerd Bible

Creative writing

Texas Winter Weather Advisory

Dr. Seuss version of Romans 1-8

Parting thought

Yakko Warner, lecturing at the Center for Advanced Mathematics: "Therefore, if we isolate the variable for the quantities unknown, we are left with a quadratic equation for which there are only two real roots: 3 and a -5. It's that simple."

Click here to contact me.