The UNT College of Science is pleased to welcome McKenzie Fontenot the UNT Mathematics department this semester as one of their newest Lecturers. Ms. Fontenot is a current graduate student of the department in her final year of doctoral studies and said she is excited to teach Business Calculus classes and mentor students.

 

“I really enjoy working with students who are new to college and helping them through their transition to university life,” said Ms. Fontenot. “I feel that I bring a really comforting approach to teaching that a lot of students may not have experienced in their earlier years of education, especially in math. I try my hardest to foster an environment where students are comfortable with getting things wrong and learning from these experiences.”

 

Ms. Fontenot’s graduate research focuses on real analysis and topology of the real line, and she is currently conducting research with undergraduate students in the areas of game theory and symbolic dynamics. 

 

‘One thing about me is that I absolutely love playing video games,” she said. “The unusual part is that I often make miniature sculptures of slugs out of clay that are inspired by my favorite video game characters. It's one of my favorite hobbies!” 

 

Now in her final year of her Ph.D., Ms. Fontenot also earned her BS and MS degrees here at UNT. “The welcoming atmosphere of the Mathematics department specifically is what has kept me at UNT so long,” she said. “As an instructor, I also really enjoy the diversity and plethora of cultures of the student body at UNT. It's been such an honor being able to experience and witness so many different students from all different backgrounds and I really wanted to continue helping these students succeed.”