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Celebrating the life of Dr. Alex White

Dr. Alex White

Dr. Alexander White, Associate Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Professor of Statistics at Texas State University, passed away on January 30, 2025. A dedicated educator, mentor, and collaborator, Dr. White’s academic journey began with a PhD in Statistics from Michigan State University. He also earned both his MS in Statistics and BS in Chemistry from the University of Texas at El Paso. Dr. White joined American University in 2000 before joining Texas State University in Fall 2005 as an Assistant Professor of Statistics. As a proud bobcat, he dedicated nearly two decades of service to the institution. He served as a Doctoral Program Advisor in Mathematics Education for 12 years, mentoring over 30 PhD students, 10 master’s students, 2 undergraduate honors theses, and many junior faculty. His university-wide service includes his roles as Chair of the Nontenure Line Faculty Committee (2015-2017), Assessment Coordinator for the Departmental General Education Assessment (2019-present), Chair of the Faculty Senate (2017-2019), and active member of the Developmental Education Advisory Committee, General Education Council, and QEP Leadership Team. Most recently, Dr. White’s leadership was instrumental in the approval of the newest Mathematics doctoral program, a lifelong goal of his. For his outstanding dedication to the university, Dr. White has received 7 Teaching, Research, and Service Awards. 

However, his impact extended far beyond the university, where he became a trusted collaborator and mentor in the larger mathematics and statistics education community. He worked closely with Texas Mathworks, developing curricula, facilitating professional development for educators, and mentoring over 25 high school students on summer research projects. Dr. White contributed his expertise in test development, sample selection, and evaluation to several global organizations. His scholarly work in mathematics and statistics education included research on innovative statistical analysis for mathematics education settings, the role of technology in teaching geometry, the use of visualization in the classroom, and the integration of real-world applications into statistical education. He was also a co-author of a widely used middle school Algebra I textbook. Dr. White’s legacy lives on in the countless students, colleagues, and educators whose lives he touched. His commitment to academic excellence and unwavering dedication to his students have left a lasting mark on Texas State University and the broader academic community.

Alex is survived by his wife of 32 years, Alejandra, and two daughters, Isabel and Sofia.

In lieu of flowers or food, the family requests donations be made to a scholarship that has been established in his name, allowing us to give back in recognition of his immense contributions.  Alexander White Statistics Fellowship.  When making a gift, please manually search for his program in the ‘search for other Texas State University programs' section.

A Celebration of Life for Dr. Alexander White was held on Sunday, February 16 at 3:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.

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We have dynamic research faculty who are
constantly striving for what is NEXT.

NEXT in Math

@TXST Math

Location:
Derrick 325 and Zoom
Cost:
Free
Contact:
i_o55@txstate.edu
Campus Sponsor:
Department of Mathematics

This talk will be divided in two parts. In the first, we will establish negative-order estimates for the accuracy of discontinuous Galerkin (DG) approximations to smooth solutions for the Vlasov-Maxwell (VM) system of equations. For the approximated solutions, we are able to extract this “hidden accuracy” through the use of a Smooth-Increasing Accuracy-Conserving (SIAC) filter which is a convolution kernel that is composed of a linear combination of B-splines. We provide rigorous error estimates for the DG solutions that show improvement to (2k + 1/2)-th order in the negative-order norm.

In the second part, we will explore the applicability of SIAC filters to stochastic PDEs. Specifically, we will examine the effects of SIAC filters in the DG-generalized Polynomial Chaos approximation of a wave equation with uncertain coefficients. Through both rigorous analysis and computational experiments, we will show that the filter improves the accuracy of key quantities in uncertainty quantification, such as the mean and variance.

Zoom:
txstate.zoom.us… 
Click here for more information
more about event

Location:
Derrick 329
Cost:
Free
Contact:
ebr21@txstate.edu
Campus Sponsor:
Department of Mathematics
Earn prizes instead of grades for your
calculus knowledge!
A Level:
15 derivative
calculations in 15
minutes
• Undergraduate Texas
State Students only
• Recommended for those
in or past MATH 2471
• Top 3 finishers compete
live for prizes

B Level:
15 derivative/integral
calculations in 15
minutes
• Graduate and
Undergraduate Texas
State Students only
• Recommended for
those in or past MATH
2472
• Top 3 finishers
compete live for prizes
Click here for more information
more about event
Location:
DERR 325; 325
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Vera Ioudaina - vi11@txstate.edu
Campus Sponsor:
Department of Mathematics

Dr. Tom Grimes, Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, TXSTS

Presents: The Trivialization of Randomization. Is this the Reason Social Science Research Won’t Replicate?

Click here for more information
more about event
Location:
DERR 333 and Zoom
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Hamilton Hardison - hhardison@txstate.edu
Campus Sponsor:
Department of Mathematics
Teaching is (and should be) complicated. Presently, there is much focus on how AI can expediently recapitulate the status quo and too little focus on how AI can support teaching differently. Using GenAI like Firefly and Claude, I present imagistic exemplars (along with explanations for how and why I created them) for my mathematics courses; we will also consider possibilities for other disciplines. Additionally, I share some data regarding my students’ uptake of GenAI. Space will be provided for participants to vocalize their comments, questions, experiences, and anticipations for using AI in pedagogically transformative ways.

Zoom:
txstate.zoom.us…
Click here for more information
more about event

Location:
Derrick 233
Cost:
Free
Contact:
clf129@txstate.edu
Campus Sponsor:
Department of Mathematics
Love a good problem?  Like to solve difficult puzzles? Join professors, graduate students and undergraduates as we tackle problems presented from several mathematical journals.  An interest in higher level mathematics is all that is required to join our round table. Offer what you know, learn what you don't in a relaxed environment with some of our department's finest! Click here for more information
more about event
Location:
DERR 325; 325
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Vera Ioudaina - vi11@txstate.edu
Campus Sponsor:
Department of Mathematics

Dr. Tom Grimes, Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, TXSTS

Presents: The Trivialization of Randomization. Is this the Reason Social Science Research Won’t Replicate?

Click here for more information
more about event

Location:
DERR 333; 333
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Hamilton Hardison - hhardison@txstate.edu
Faculty and students learn about and discuss issues related to the teaching and learning of mathematics and new findings in mathematics education research. Graduate students in the Mathematics Education programs are expected to attend whenever possible; students from other programs are always welcome. Click here for more information
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