Anthony Morciglio first earned his Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics from Georgia State in December 2019. Now, he’s in the midst of his second year as a Ph.D. student in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at Georgia State.
At first, Morciglio considered becoming an architect. Yet, during a presentation in the tenth grade, a friend noticed his natural ability to communicate and said he should be a teacher. That comment stuck with him.
When he was a senior in high school, Morciglio decided to take an elective that would allow him to teach at a middle school. He ended up shadowing one class and teaching one class.
“I admired their work ethic and they were truly an inspiration to me,” Morciglio said.
It then was time to select a college to attend. Morciglio considered options both in state and out of state. He ended up choosing Georgia State because of its affordability. His choice presented him with several opportunities
“In the summer of 2018, I was accepted into a Molecular Basis of Disease fellowship program that allowed me to get my hands dirty on research for the first time,” Morciglio said.
He credits the program with helping him deepen his understanding of the application of math, as well as bettering his programming ability.
“As of recent, we have completed 1 project: a mathematical SEIAR model to evaluate the role of masks in impeding the spread of infection,” Morciglio said. “We are also working on two other projects: a stratified SIS model that looks at the co-evolution of information and infection and a Boolean model for cancer metastasis in Lung Cancer.”
Although he enjoys research, Morciglio’s long-term career goal is to become an amazing math teacher.
“I thoroughly enjoy teaching math, it brings me true joy and I want to keep improving so that I may serve the community,” Morciglio said.
Georgia State has given him the tools to achieve his goals. As an undergraduate student, he worked as a lab assistant in the Mathematics Assistance Complex.
“That experience gave me the opportunity to work on my small group communication skills and teaching ability,” Morciglio said.
He looks forward to teaching in person one day. For now, he’s enjoying his classes at Georgia State.
“I like all mathematics classes,” Morciglio said. “I think my favorite subject so far is Linear Algebra. I like how everything connects and builds on itself very nicely.”
He also appreciates that his professors bring their own unique talents to the classroom. Although his graduate program can be challenging at times, he considers it a blessing because of how much he’s grown.
“The best part of the Ph.D. program is the freedom to explore different subjects and analyze them Mathematically and Scientifically,” Morciglio said “.I never knew of the possibilities of subjects to study.”