The Next STEP is a collaborative effort between the Truman State University and our community college partners. Management of operations and day-to-day activities is handled by an Administrative Coordinator, and program development and oversight is coordinated by a Director/Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator. Working closely together with a Steering Committee and Advisory Committee made up of members from the four partner institutions.
Director – Jason E. Miller, Ph.D.
Jason Miller earned a B.A. in mathematics at
Saint Olaf College in 1993 (after participating in the Budapest
Semester of Mathematics) and his Ph.D. in mathematics at the
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1998. Since he
joined the Mathematics faculty at Truman in 1998 he has brought in
$3.5 million funding from the National Science Foundation to support
the teaching and learning of Truman students and faculty. In
addition to serving as Director of the Next STEP Program, Jason
currently serves as Chair of the Mathematics Curriculum Committee
and the Director of Truman's Mathematical Biology Initiative.
Dr. Miller is a teacher-scholar with interests that include studying
the geometric structure of 2- and 3-dimensional medical images,
using mathematical and statistical methods in service of ultrasonic
acoustical surveys of bat populations, and computational and
mathematical modeling of the formation of vascular networks of
endothelial cells. He brings these and other professional interests
into the classroom when he teaches introductory, intermediate, and
advanced mathematics courses such as the Calculus, Linear Algebra,
and Mathematical Modeling. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Miller is
actively involved in professional societies such as the Mathematical
Association of America and the American Mathematical Society. He is
on the Education Committee of the Society for Mathematical Biology,
and is the recent recipient of the local Sigma Xi chapter's
Researcher of the Year for his work promoting undergraduate
engagement in science and mathematics research.
Associate Director – Maria Nagan, Ph.D.
Dr. Maria Nagan serves as Associate Director of The Next STEP program and Associate Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Nagan grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and likes living in Missouri because there are lots of trees and water. She received her B.A. in chemistry from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. Dr. Nagan then earned her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in chemistry, specializing across physical and biological sub-disciplines. Dr. Nagan has mentored over 25 students since 2001, using computational biophysical methods to explain the relationship between chemical functional groups and ribonucleic acid molecular structure. Dr. Nagan's group is funded by a number of agencies including the Petroleum Research Fund, Research Corporation and National Science Foundation. More information about Dr. Nagan's research and other interests can be found at her website.
Administrative Coordinator – Jennifer Thompson, M.S.
Jennifer Thompson joined the team as Administrative Coordinator in October of 2004. She received a B.A. in Psychology from Whittier College in Whittier, CA, and an M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. She has been involved in program development and administration as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member and leader, as Program Coordinator for the Wyoming Medical Center Foundation and as the Executive Director of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Thompson is a member of Kiwanis and is involved in the Kirksville Arts Association. She also currently serves as the President of Truman State University's Staff Council.