Nick Christo's Homepage

Teaching

Current Teaching

Summer 2024:

Lead Instructor for YSP at UIC

Current Office Hours:

Past Teaching

Fall 2024 - Spring 2025: Assistant on ADA/Accessibility Project. Over the year, investigated ways making teaching and mathematical documents accessible and converting already existing documents into ones that were accessible. Creating both templates to use and short guides.
Spring 2025: Instructor for Math 294: Emerging Scholar Program (ESP) for Math 215: Intro to Adv Mathematics, and TA for one section of Math 180: Calculus I.
Fall 2024: TAC (Teaching Assistant Coordinator for Math 589: Teaching of Mathematics). This is a required course for teaching assistants in the MSCS department to aid in developing teaching skills and methods.
Summer 2024: YSP at UIC Lead Instructor, and MCS 401: Algorithms I Grader (2 sections)
Spring 2024:
- One section of Math 179: Emerging Scholars Program (support course) for Calc I
- Two sections of Math 180: Calculus I
Fall 2023:
- One section of Math 179: ESP for Calc I
- Two sections of Math 178, a pilot "Catch course" for Calc I
- One section of Math 180: Calc I
Summer 2023: YSP at UIC Lead Insturctor and MCS 401: Algorithms I Grader (2 sections).
Spring 2023:
- One section of Math 179: ESP for Calc I
- Two sections of Math 180: Calc I
Fall 2022:
- Two sections of Math 179: ESP for Calc I
- Two sections of Math 180: Calc I
Summer 2022: YSP at UIC Lead Instructor and MCS 401: Algorithms I Grader (2 sections)
Spring 2022:
- One section Math 179: Emerging Scholars Program (ESP) for Calculus I
- Two sections Math 180 Calculus I.
Fall 2021:
- Three sections Math 180: Calculus I
- Two sections LAS 110: Experience UIC (course for incoming first year LAS students).
Summer 2021: YSP at UIC Graduate Instructor.
Spring 2021: Spring 2021: Two sections Math 180: Calculus I
Fall 2020: Three sections of Math 121: Precalculus

Research

My research interests are encompassed by the areas of Probability, Combinatorics, Statistical Physics, and Theoretical Computer Science. Below are any papers I've worked on.

2. Realizability of hypergraphs and high-dimensional contingency tables with random degrees and marginals
preprint
with Marcus Michelen

1. The set of ratios of derangements to permutations in digraphs is dense in [0,1/2].
The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics (2022)
with Bethany Austhof and Patrick Bennett

Invited Talks

Probability Seminar on November 12, 2024 at Northwestern University.
Combinatorics and Probability Seminar on October 2, 2024 at UIC.
IDEAL Get Ready for Research Workshop on June 2-4 2023 at UIC.
IDEAL High School Teacher Workshop on May 6, 2023 at UIC.

Accepted Talks

GSCC 2025 (Graduate Student Combinatorics Conference) on March 15-17th, 2025 at USC.

Who am I? (About Me)

(Possibly a hotdog.) A fifth year PhD candidate at UIC whose research interests include a choice from (Probability, Combinatorics, Statistical Physics).
I completeted my master's degree -along the way of my PhD- in mathematical computer science at UIC in 2022 and my bachelor's degree in mathematics with a minor in philosophy at Western Michigan University in 2019.
I am currently being co-advised by Marcus Michelen (UIC).

Things I do and service

I am currently one of the co-organizers of the 2026 GSCC (Graduate Student Combinatorics Conference).
Since its inception I have been a (Lead) Graduate Instructor at YSP at UIC. This is a high school math camp meant "to introduce a diverse group of high schoolers from all over Chicago to exciting topics in mathematics.."
I am one of the co-founders and co-organizers for DRP at UIC which started in Fall 2023 and was modeled after the Directed Reading Program at UT-Austin . This reading program has the expressed goal of supporting students of all backgrounds develop skills useful to learn math independently and pair undergraduates with a graduate mentor to assist with that goal. More info about DRPs can be found here.
DRP Mentor
- Mentee: Elijah Siajunza (Spring, Summer 2025)
- Mentee: Will Brown (Spring 2025)
- Mentee: Sebastian Tous (Spring, Summer, Fall 2024)
On November 10, 2024 I was a graduate helper for Sonia Kovalevsky Math Day which is meant to encourage young girls and boys to continue their study of mathematics.
On June 24, 2024 I was a graduate helper for a Math & Physics in Chicago day where students from the Cayman Islands learned a bit of math, physics, and did some hands on activities.
I have been both a member and mentor for Symbols of Inclusion.
During F23-S24 I was the MSCS department representative to the UIC Graduate Student Council .
In Fall 2023, 2024 I was a judge for QED , a middle, high school math fair, ran by Math Circles of Chicago.
In Fall 2023, I was an instructor for Math Circles of Chicago at Gads Hill Center.
In Spring 2022, I was the organizer for the UIC MSCS Graduate Student Colloquium. You can find the schedule of talks here .
I served as (F21-S22) co-president of UIC's Math Graduate Student Association and currently maintain its webpage, store, and run its Ping Pong League.