Chris Mccarthy
Associate Professor
Mathematics
EMAIL: cmccarthy@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: N-599A
Office Hours:
Phone: +1 (212) 776-6491
Chris McCarthy received his PhD in mathematics from the CUNY Graduate Center. His doctoral research involved both pure and applied mathematics. His dissertation is titled: The Hilbert Projective Metric, Multi-type Branching Processes and Mathematical Biology: a Model of the Evolution of Resistance. It is about the mathematics of how diseases become resistant to treatment. Chris McCarthy’s current research involves a mix of pure and applied math. However, the majority of his current work involves mathematical modeling. McCarthy enjoys working with students and being involved in math education projects. When not working, McCarthy enjoys hiking, swimming and the arts. Regarding the arts. McCarthy’s art was displayed at the Mathematical Art Exhibition at the 2018 Joint Mathematics Meeting in San Diego. McCarthy was honored with a Distinguished Teaching Award in 2019.
Expertise
Mathematical Biology, Differential Equations, Geometry, Stochastic Processes, Statistics, Quaternions.
Degrees
- Ph.D. CUNY, Mathematics,2010
Courses Taught
- This course is the first algebra course offered at the College. It includes such topics as algebraic representation, signed numbers, operations with polynomials, factoring, the solution of linear equations, the coordinate system, the solution of simultaneous linear equations of two variables, and graphing. This course is designed to prepare students for the CUNY Freshman Skills Assessment Test required for transfer to the upper division of CUNY, as well as for more advanced math courses. If a student passes MAT 12, the student should not register for MAT 51, since MAT 12 combines MAT 8 and MAT 51.
Students who passed MAT 12, MAT 14, MAT 41, MAT 51, MAT 56, MAT 160, MAT 161, MAT 56.5, MAT 150.5 cannot take MAT 161.5.
Course Syllabus - This course covers computations and measurements essential in the health science professional fields with an emphasis on nursing. Topics include units and systems of measurement, reconstitution of powdered medications, oral and parenteral dosage calculations, adult and pediatric dosage calculations based on body weight, intravenous calculations, and pediatric medication calculations. Students who passed MAT 104.5 cannot take MAT 104 course. Students who passed MAT 104 course cannot take MAT 104.5 course.
Prerequisites: MAT 12, MAT 14, MAT 41, MAT 51 or MAT 161.5
Course Syllabus - This course covers basic statistics, including: measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion, graphs, correlation, the regression line, confidence intervals, the significance of differences, and hypothesis testing, including z-tests, t-tests, and chi-square tests.
Prerequisites: MAT 12, MAT 14, MAT 41, MAT 51 or MAT 161.5
Course Syllabus - This course covers basic algebraic and trigonometric skills, algebraic equations, and functions. Topics include: mathematical induction, complex numbers, and the binomial theorem.
Prerequisite: MAT 56 or MAT 56.5
Course Syllabus - This is an integrated course in analytic geometry and calculus, applied to functions of a single variable. It covers a study of rectangular coordinates in the plane, equations of conic sections, functions, limits, continuity, related rates, differentiation of algebraic and transcendental functions, Rolle's Theorem, the Mean Value Theorem, maxima and minima, and integration.
Prerequisite: MAT 206 or MAT 206.5
Course Syllabus - This course provides an introduction to the concepts of formal integration. It covers the differentiation and integration of algebraic, trigonometric, and transcendental functions. Topics include the definite integral, the antiderivative, areas, volumes, and the improper integral.
Prerequisite: MAT 301
Course Syllabus - This course is an extension of the concepts of differentiation and integration to functions of two or more variables. Topics include partial differentiation, multiple integration, Taylor series, polar coordinates and the calculus of vectors in one or two dimensions.
Prerequisite: MAT 302
Course Syllabus - This is a first course in the theoretical and applied aspects of ordinary differential equations. Topics include: first-order equations, exact equations, linear equations, series solutions, Laplace transforms, Fourier series, and boundary value problems.
Prerequisite: MAT 302
Course Syllabus - This course includes the study of several mathematical systems. The role of mathematics in modern culture, the role of postulational thinking in all of mathematics, and the scientific method are discussed. The course considers topics such as: the nature of axioms, truth and validity; the concept of number; the concept of set; scales of notation; and groups and fields.
Prerequisites: MAT 12, MAT 14, MAT 41, MAT 51 or MAT 161.5
Course Syllabus
Research and Projects
- Organizer: AMS Special Sessions on Mathematical Biology
2021 The Mathematics of RNA and DNA, Joint Math Meetings in Washington DC, January 6 – 9, 2021 – virtual due to COVID19.
2020 Evolution, Joint Math Meetings in Denver, Colorado January 15 – 18, 2020. - Organizer: AMS Special Session on Quaternions
2021 Joint Math Meetings in Washington DC, January 6 – 9, 2021 – virtual due to COVID19.
2019 Joint Math Meetings in Baltimore, Maryland, January 16 – 19, 2019.
2018 Joint Math Meetings in San Diego, California, January 10 – 13, 2018.
2017 Joint Math Meetings in Atlanta, Georgia, January 4 – 7, 2017. - Organizer: AMS Special Session on The Modeling First Approach to Teaching Differential Equations
2017 Joint Math Meetings, Atlanta Georgia, January 4 – 7, 2017. - Organizer: MAA Themed Contributed Paper Session on Enrichment, Experiences, and Examples in Modeling-Based Differential Equations Courses
2017 MAA Math Fest, Chicago, Illinois, July 26 – 29 2017 - Editor & webmaster: Quaternion Notices
Quaternion Notices is dedicated to disseminating news about quaternion conference sessions, seminars, and individual presentations, as well as to archiving related materials. https://quaternionnews.commons.gc.cuny.edu/ - Bioremediation project.
This project is a continuation of research conducted with Professors Navarro and Tesfagiorgis, both of BMCC Science under a 2015-2016 C3IRG-Round 12 Grant. My focus is on extending our mathematical models of adsorption based filters. The models involve techniques from recursion theory, stochastic processes, and differential equations. - Co-Editor of PRIMUS Special Issue on Teaching Differential Equations
PRIMUS (Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies) is a math education journal established 1991 and published eight times per year by Taylor & Francis. http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/upri20. Issue publication date: 2018.
Publications
- Chris McCarthy, “Euler and How Far Can You Throw a Ball?”, Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations (SIMIODE) (2019) https://simiode.org/resources/6285. August 18, 2019.
- Chris McCarthy. “Search Lights. The Hilbert Metric Tiling the 2 Simplex”, 2018 Joint Mathematics Meetings Exhibition of Mathematical Art, Edited by Robert Fathauer Nathan Selikoff. Tessellations Publishing 2018 (ISBN 978-1-938664-24-3).
- Chris McCarthy and Johannes Familton. “Virtual Pascal’s Triangles: The Ballot Problem and the Method of Images.” The Electronic Journal of Mathematics and Technology, https://php.radford.edu/~ejmt/ContentIndex.php#v11n1 Volume 11 (Feb 2017) No. 1, accepted July 10, 2016, published February 15, 2017.
- Chris McCarthy, “Hyperplanes that Intersect Each Ray of a Cone Once and a Banach Space Counterexample.” Abstract and Applied Analysis, vol. 2016, Article ID 9623090, Sept 19, 2016. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/aaa/2016/9623090/.
- Chris McCarthy, Brian Winkel. “Condensation”, Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations (SIMIODE) (2016) https://www.simiode.org/resources/2389. July 17, 2016.
- Chris McCarthy, Brian Winkel., Resources, Community, and Support for Teaching Differential Equations Through Modeling. MathAMATYC Educator. Vol 9, No 1. (Accepted 4/14/2017, publication date Sept. 2017).
- Chris McCarthy, Johannes Familton. “Virtual Pascal’s Triangles: The Ballot Problem and the Method of Images.” Research Journal of Mathematics & Technology, RJMT Vol. 6, Nr. 1 (June 2017),
- Chris McCarthy, Brian Winkel. “Condensation Optimzation”, Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations (SIMIODE) (2016) https://www.simiode.org/resources/2389. July 17, 2016.
- Chris McCarthy. “Stochastic Birth/Death/Immigration Processes”. Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations (SIMIODE) (2016): https://www.simiode.org/resources/1466. February 9, 2016.
- Michael George, Leonid Khazanov, and Chris McCarthy. “Peer Coaching of At-Risk Students in a Remedial Mathematics Course.” Community College Journal of Research and Practice (2015): 1-17. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. March 11, 2015., http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10668926.2014.922133.
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
- 2019 BMCC Distinguished Teaching Award
- 2018 – 2020 Master Teacher BMCC Teaching Academy
Two year appointment starting Spring 2018 to the BMCC Teaching Academy as a Master Teacher (mentoring new professors). - 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP)
Serving as faculty mentor to student research projects. - 2018 William Stewart Travel Award
For presenting, chairing or moderating at scholarly conferences. - 2017 – 2018 Faculty Development Grant (BMCC)
Mathematical models of column filters. - 2016 June – Named to SIMIODE’s Board of Contributing Advisers
SIMIODE is a mathematics organization which promotes the teaching of mathematics, especially differential equations through the “modeling first” approach. SIMIODE sponsors workshops, special conference sessions, and publishes peer reviewed modeling scenarios. - 2015 – 2016 C3IRG-Round 12 (Grant)
“Solid Wastes as an Eco-Friendly Alternative for the Decontamination of Wastewaters”, with Abel Navarro and Kibrewossen Tesfagiorgis, both BMCC Science. - 2015, 2016 Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP)
Served as faculty mentor to student research projects. - 2015 BMCC Open Educational Resources (OER) Committee
Choosen to be a member of the BMCC OER Committee. (BMCC Open/Alternative Textbook Pilot Program). Spring 2015. - 2010 – 2011 Improving Undergraduate Mathematics Learning Grant
We studied the effect of peer mentoring on students taking remedial math classes. - Affiliations
- American Mathematical Society (AMS)
- American Physical Society (APS Physics)
- Society for Mathematical Biology (SMB)
- Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations (SIMIODE)
Additional Information
Mentored Students
Michael Lema
Designing Bridges with Unusual Geometries
CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP)
(Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021)
Yan Myo Maw
The RLC Circuit and Differential Equations
Honor’s Program
(Fall 2020)
Ziqi Polimeros Wu
Machine Learning: Image Recognition of Graphs using TensorFlow & Keras
The BMCC Foundation Fund (BFF) Research Program
(Spring 2020)
Borelle Fabrice Tene Moukam
Machine Learning: Image Recognition of Graphs using TensorFlow & Keras
CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP)
(Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Summer 2020)
Kujtim Bardhyll
Aerodynamic Drag Experiments with a Pendulum
(Non linear ODE parameter estimation, Euler’s Method implemented in Python)
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2019)
Khin Nyein Chan
Machine Learning and Gradient Descent
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2019)
Josephine Lee (Stuyvesant High School Student)
Machine Learning and Gradient Descent
Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP for High School Students)
(Fall 2019)
Adama Sene
Jorwyn Medina,
Muhammed Hannan
Active Matter (Agent Based Models)
CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP)
(Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Summer 2019)
Min Shin Khat
Elvin Shoyfer
Adsorption Based Filters for Water Contaminated by Heavy Metals
MAA Poster Session 2019 JMM in Baltimore, MD
(Independent Research Fall 2018, Winter 2019)
Gianni Watts
Active Matter (Agent Based Models)
(Independent Research Fall 2018)
Elvin Shoyfer
Quaternion Differential Equations
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2018)
Min Shin Khat
Differential Equation Models of the Pendulum
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2018)
Marvin Villalba
Creating Virtual Experiments for Differential Equation Models
(Honor’s Program, Spring 2018).
Lin Yao
Modeling Electric Circuits with Differential Equation
(Honor’s Program, Spring 2018).
Senayit Menasche
Abdulai Jalloh
The One-Dimensional Filter Equation
CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP)
(Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Summer 2018)
Ai Ngo
The One-Dimensional Filter Equation (Differential Equations Solution).
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2017)
Sofia Mvokany
Schrodinger’s Equation of Quantum Mechanics.
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2017).
Ai Ngo
Xin Liu
Mayumy Cordova Lozano,
The One Dimensional Filter Equation
(MSEIP, Summer 2017).
Mayumy Cordova Lozano
Viscoelasticity and Differential Equations.
(Honor’s Program, Spring 2017).
Jie Lan
Jieying Li
Simulations and mathematical models of condensation, adsorption, and filters.
CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP)
(Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Summer 2017).
Jieying Li presented her research at the MAA MathFest Chicago, July 27, 2017.
Evan Rumsky
Mass Spectrometry & Explosives Detection
Sensors and Calculus III
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2016).
Xueying Chen
The Butterfly Effect and Differential Equations
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2016).
Kyungjjin Lee
Md Emran Hossain
Sean Hogan,
Simulating and Modeling Adsorption and Condensation-like Processes
(MSEIP, Summer 2016).
Evan Rumsky
Modeling Adsorption Kinetics with Differential Equations
(C3IRG-Round 12 Grant, Spring 2016)
Hillel Wolin
Biological Clocks: Mathematical Models of Circadian Rhythms in Plants
(Honor’s Program, Spring 2016).
Athman Mubarez
Darcy’s Law of Fluid Flow for Petroleum Engineering
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2015).
Gentiana Rina
Modeling a Model Suspension Bridge: Differential Equations, Curve Fitting, and Mechanics
(MSEIP, Summer 2015).
Gentiana Rina
The Suspension Bridge and Differential Equations
(Honor’s Program, Spring 2015).
Susan Blackburn
The Ideal Rocket Equation
(Honor’s Program, Spring 2015).
Seonin Cho
Min Yeong Hong
Kwangmin Kim
Using Differential Equations to Model the Kinetics of Heavy Metal Adsorption onto Tea Leaves
(Independent Research, Spring 2015).
Students made presentations at the 2015 MAA Metro Math and the Spuyten Duyvil meetings.
Mohammed Omar
Ocean Wave Renewable Energy
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2014).
Yong Wook Choi
Mathematics in our Daily Live
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2014).
Gregory Rodriguez
Differential Equations: Ecological Models
(Honor’s Program, Spring 2014).
Pete Weekes,
Differential Equations: Catenary Structures in Architecture
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2013).
Evgeny Goldshtein,
Numerically Calculating Orbits, Differential Equations and the Three-Body Problem
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2012).
Nanda Mlloja,
The Euler and Runge-Kutta Methods in Differential Equations
(Honor’s Program, Fall 2011).
I am always interested in working with motivated students. If you would like to work with me on a project please send me an email or stop by my office.
