Colton W. Sawyer, Ph.D.

I am joining the faculty in August 2024 at Regis University (Regis) in Denver, CO as an Associate Professor of Mathematics.  I took a bit of a path across the country for my academics, starting at University of Colorado-Denver (B.S., Mathematics Education), a post-baccalaureate year at Smith College, and then graduate work (M.S., Mathematics 2010 and Ph.D., Applied Mathematics 2013) at North Carolina State University (NCSU) under the guidance of Dr. Hien Tran (NCSU) and Dr. Marina Evans (US EPA).  I spent ten years on faculty at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) before moving back to my home state of Colorado for a year-long visiting position at Fort Lewis College (FLC).

My primary pedagogical focus is teaching and developing new courses, particularly in the realms of general education and applied mathematics courses.  I enjoy these populations and working on research in and outside of the classroom with students through individual- or course-based projects.  I am also interested in new ways of capturing student engagement through varied projects based on inclusivity of experiences and new pedagogical ideas.  

My mathematical research is based on compartmental modeling with differential equations, namely modeling biological systems using physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling techniques.  My current focus uses PBPK modeling to explore an inhalation model of chloroform and trichloroethylene (TCE) with a Regis student and the US EPA.  I have also explored the impacts of dosing regimens of vitamin D (particularly in healthy populations versus patients with chronic kidney disease), created models of semi-volatile and volatile compounds, and skin models in the past.  Several of my current Regis research students are working on models around bromochloromethane (BCM).

I am also interested in the scholarship of teaching and learning with a primary focus on retention of general education students throughout lower-level mathematics courses and their time at institutions.  I'm in the "discovery" stage of this research, and having tried projects such as the Automathography and other interventions to see if this makes an anecdotal difference.  In addition, I am exploring other realms of math education research, including a current project on student perceptions of the online homework system, WeBWorK, with a colleague at FLC.

Outside of the classroom and research, I am passionate about making a difference for LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and faculty on my campus, as well as becoming an advocate for accessibility for students, particularly as it relates to mathematics.  I have been involved in various task groups and positions to help make my institutions a better place to work and attend for these populations.