Professor Publishes Mathematics Research
Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008
The January 2008 issue of Communications in Algebra includes "Centroids of Quadratic Jordan Superalgebras" written by Dr. Pamela Richardson, Westminster College assistant professor of mathematics.
The abstract of her paper explains: "The centroid of a Jordan superalgebra consists of the natural 'superscalar multiplications' on the superalgebra. A philosophical question is whether the natural concept of 'scalar' in the category of superalgebras should be that of superscalars or ordinary scalars. Basic examples of Jordan superalgebras are the simple Jordan superalgebras with semisimple even part, which were classified over an algebraically closed field of characteristic ≠2 by Racine and Zelmanov. Here, we determine the centroids of the analog of these superalgebras over general rings of scalars and show that they have no odd centroid, suggesting that ordinary scalars are the proper concept."
Richardson currently teaches discrete mathematics; differential equations and linear algebra; and abstract algebra II. Her research interests are in nonassociative algebra and, in particular, Jordan algebras and superalgebras. She is a 2005-2006 Project NExT Fellow and was a speaker at the 2006 satellite meeting on Associative and Nonassociative Algebraic Structures at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Oviedo, Spain.
Richardson, who has been with Westminster since 2006, earned an undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
Contact Richardson at (724) 946-7286 or e-mail richarpa@westminster.edu for additional information.
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