Jan Cameron's mathematics page

Jan M. Cameron

Graduate Student
Department of Mathematics
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-3368
Office: Milner 011
Phone: (979)-845-6722
E-mail: jcameron[at]math[dot]tamu[dot]edu

Research | Teaching | Other

Education

Mathematical Interests

I am an analyst. My research so far has mostly been about type II_1 factors. Type II_1 factors are von Neumann algebras (unital, involutive, and weakly closed subalgebras of the bounded operators on a Hilbert space) that are infinite-dimensional and admit a unique, finite trace. It's often said that von Neumann algebra theory is "noncommutative measure theory." In fact, the II_1 factor is, in some sense, an infinite-dimensional and noncommutative generalization of both probability spaces and matrix algebras (the key property is the existence of this trace). Operator algebra theory is connected to many other fields. I've also become interested in harmonic analysis (e.g. wavelet theory, frame theory), infinite group theory (e.g. amenability), and dynamical systems (e.g. crossed product C*-algebras). Largely because of my background, I am also very interested in mathematics education at all levels.

More About Me

I was born and raised in Ohio, and spent the first 21 years of my life there. This included four unforgettable years at Kenyon College, a small liberal arts college in rural Ohio. The result was a few lifelong friendships with some truly exceptional people, some wonderful memories, and a great education. After that, I migrated to Detroit, Michigan to play music and work in Detroit public schools. I was a math specialist at a non-profit organization called Project SEED, which meant that I taught special enrichment math courses to elementary school kids and gave workshops for teachers in the area. I realized that my real passion was mathematics, so I spent a couple of years at Wayne State to get a Master's degree. I eventually moved on to Texas A&M, and have been here since the fall of 2004. On my research, teaching, and other pages (when operational), you can read more about what I've been up to for the past few years.

Math Links

Functional Analysis Group
arXiv
Fields Institute
Erwin Schrödinger Institute

Some Other Links

Academy of Modern Martial Arts
Toronto Kickboxing and Muay Thai