Jedediyah Williams
Hi! I am currently a STEM instructor at Nantucket High School. I was previously the Science Department Head (2008-2010) and Mathematics Department Head (2014-2017).
In 2019 I was named as a finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
In 2017 I was a finalist in the NASA Space Robotics Challenge (Team Whalers).
In 2013-2014 I worked with Lockheed Martin on the DARPA Robotics Challenge (Team TROOPER).
In 2011 I was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate STEM Fellowship in K-12 education and worked with Prof. Ron Eglash and Prof. Mukkai Krishnamoorthy on the Triple Helix project.
Education
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg, MA
-
M.Ed. Curriculum and Teaching, 2018
- Capstone: An investigation of the conceptual-procedural gap in mathematics
- Director: Catherine Leahy Brine
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Research
Advised Projects
- Pre-Calculus Curriculum Development — A. Dhar, 2020
- An Autonomous Rover for Assisting Search and Rescue Operations — E. Borzilleri, 2017
- Digital Electronics and Computer Programming — N. Davidson, 2017
- Implementing and Improving Facial Recognition in Python — W. Pittman, 2016
- A Genetic Algorithm for Path Finding Optimization — E. Borzilleri, 2016
- Design, Simulation, and Calibration of Robotic Systems for Grasping Experiments — R. Gupta, 2013
- Observations of Exoplanet Transits at the Maria Mitchell Observatory — E. Mitchell, 2009
- Microprogramming for Robotic Control — M. Ivanova, 2008
- Game Programming in Java — D. Renner, 2007
My Projects
NASA Space Robotics Challenge, Phase 2, 2020-present
Captain of Team Whalers
Program details are available
here.
DARPA Robotics Challenge, 2013-2014
Member of Team TROOPER, Finalists
I ran experiments to characterize the behavior and grasping capabilities of the iRobot hand used on the ATLAS robot, and developed simulation models in Gazebo.
RPI-MATLAB-Simulator
• J. Williams, Y. Lu, S. Niebe, M. Andersen, K. Erleben, and J. C. Trinkle.
RPI-MATLAB-Simulator: A Tool for Efficient Research and Practical Teaching in
Multibody Dynamics. In J. Bender, J. Dequidt, C. Duriez, and G. Zachmann,
editors, Workshop on Virtual Reality Interaction and Physical Simulation. The
Eurographics Association, 2013. doi:10.2312/PE.vriphys.vriphys13.071-080
NASA Sample Return Challenge, 2013-2014
Member of RPI Rock Raiders
I worked on the computer vision for near and far object recognition for identifying objects of interest and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).
Observations and Modeling of Extrasolar Planets
• J. Williams, M. Davidson, V. Strelnitski, and G. Walker. Improving the
Precision of Differential Photometry on a Determined Target Using SysRem.
In American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #213, volume 41 of
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, page 193, Jan. 2009. URL
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009AAS...21340214W
• S. Marshall, J. Williams, T. Mazeh, G. Walker, and V. Strelnitski. Using
SysRem as an Alternative Photometry Technique. In C. Sterken, N. Samus, and
L. Szabados, editors, Variable Stars, the Galactic halo and Galaxy Formation,
February 2010. URL http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010vsgh.conf..221M
Teaching
Overview
- Nantucket High School
- Mathematics Department Head, Aug. 2014 - June 2017
- Science Department Head, Aug. 2008 - June 2010
- Mathematics & Computer Science Instructor, Aug. 2014 - present
- Physics & Astronomy Instructor, Aug. 2006 - June 2010
- Service
- Teacher Mentor / Committee - 2010, 2016, 2019, 2020
- District Mathematics Review Committee - 2015
- District Technology Committee - 2009, 2010, 2017
- Graduate Vision, Rubric Committee - 2019
- NEASC Steering Committee - 2019
- Scholarship Committee - 2015
- Wind Turbine Committee - 2010
- Science Fair Director - 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017
- Ballroom Dance Coach - 2007, 2008
- Chess Club adviser - 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016
- Hip Hop Culture Organization adviser - 2009
- Math League - 2020
- Philosophy Club adviser - 2019
- Quidditch Club adviser - 2009, 2010
- Students for Sustainability adviser - 2010
- Technology/Robotics Club adviser - 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
- Grants Awarded
- Cape Cod 5 Educational Mini Grant, Cape Cod 5. $400, 2020.
- STEM Innovation Grant, MIT Club of Cape Cod. $300, 2019.
- MassDevelopment Commonwealth Advanced Manufacturing Futures Program. $500, 2017.
- Blue Hills Bank. $5000, 2015.
- Blue Hills Bank. $10000 split between Mathematics and Science Departments, 2014.
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- NSF Graduate STEM Fellow in K-12 Education, Aug. 2011 - July 2012
- Teaching Assistant, Spring 2011
- Teaching Assistant, Fall 2010
Courses Taught at Nantucket High School
- Advanced Quantitative Reasoning - 2016
- Algebra 1 - 2010
- Algebra 2 - 2015, 2017
- AP Calculus AB - 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
- Broke school records for most 5s or highest average score in 2017, 2018, 2019
- AP Calculus BC - 2020
- AP Computer Science Principles - 2018
- Received the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award
- 31% of my students scored 5, compared to 13.5% globally
- Astronomy - 2007, 2008, 2009
- Computer Science 1 - 2010, 2019
- Digital Electronics - 2015
- Essentials of Physical Science - 2010
- Exhibition (independent study) - 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017
- Global Science - 2007, 2008, 2009
- Java Programming - 2015
- Physics - 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Honors Physics - 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2020
- Honors Precalculus - 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
- School to Carreer - 2017, 2020
Publications
Journal Publications
-
1.
- J. Williams, Y. Lu, and J. C. Trinkle. A geometrically exact contact model for
polytopes in multirigid-body simulation. J. Comput. Nonlinear Dynam., 12(2),
2016. doi:10.1115/1.4034390
-
2.
- D. M. Flickinger, J. Williams, and J. C. Trinkle. Performance of a
method for formulating geometrically exact complementarity constraints in
multibody dynamic simulation. J. Comput. Nonlinear Dynam., 10(1), 2014.
doi:10.1115/1.4027314
-
3.
- M. Bedell, A. Villaume, L. Weiss, D. Sliski1, V. Strelnitski, G. Walker,
J. Williams, A. Henden, and T. Krajci. Monitoring Hα emission and continuum
of UXORs: RR Tauri. The Astronomical J., 142(5), November 2011.
doi:10.1088/0004-6256/142/5/164
Conference Papers
-
1.
- J. Williams, Y. Lu, and J. C. Trinkle. A complementarity based contact
model for geometrically accurate treatment of polytopes in simulation. In
10th International Conference on Multibody Systems, Nonlinear Dynamics, and
Control, volume 6, Buffalo, NY, 2014. ASME. doi:10.1115/DETC2014-35231
-
2.
- Y. Lu, J. Williams, J. C. Trinkle, and C. Lacoursire. A framework for
problem standardization and algorithm comparison in multibody system. In
10th International Conference on Multibody Systems, Nonlinear Dynamics, and
Control, volume 6, Buffalo, NY, 2014. ASME. doi:10.1115/DETC2014-35041
-
3.
- Y. Lu, J. Williams, C. Lacoursire, and J. C. Trinkle. Standard interface for
data analysis of solvers in multibody dynamics. In 4th Canadian Conference on
Nonlinear Solid Mechanics (CanCNSM), Montreal, QC, Canada, 2013
-
4.
- J. Williams, Y. Lu, S. Niebe, M. Andersen, K. Erleben, and J. C. Trinkle.
RPI-MATLAB-Simulator: A Tool for Efficient Research and Practical Teaching in
Multibody Dynamics. In J. Bender, J. Dequidt, C. Duriez, and G. Zachmann,
editors, Workshop on Virtual Reality Interaction and Physical Simulation. The
Eurographics Association, 2013. doi:10.2312/PE.vriphys.vriphys13.071-080
-
5.
- D. M. Flickinger, J. Williams, and J. C. Trinkle. Evaluating the performance of
constraint formulations for multibody dynamics simulation. In 9th International
Conference on Multibody Systems, Nonlinear Dynamics, and Control, volume 7A,
Portland, OR, 2013. ASME. doi:10.1115/DETC2014-35231
-
6.
- D. M. Flickinger, J. Williams, and J. C. Trinkle. What’s wrong with collision
detection in multibody dynamics simulation? In Robotics and Automation
(ICRA), Karlsruhe, Germany, October 2013. doi:10.1109/ICRA.2013.6630689
Reports
-
1.
- J. Williams, Y. Lu, and J. Trinkle. RPI-MATLAB-Simulator User Guide.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, November 2013
-
2.
- J. Williams,
B. Frank, W. Burgard, and J. C. Trinkle. Stochastic characterization of traction
on granular terrain. Technical Report 12-06, Department of Computer Science,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, December 2012
Invited Talks and Presentations
-
1.
- J. Williams. Machine learning and the future of mathematical modeling. NCTM Centennial Annual Meeting and Exposition, Chicago, IL, April 2020 (conference cancelled).
-
2.
- J. Williams. Robotics and education. Science Speaker Series, Maria Mitchell
Association, September 2016
-
3.
- J. Williams, Y. Lu, and J. C. Trinkle. A complementarity based contact model
for physically accurate treatment of polytopes in simulation. BIRS Workshop on
Computational
Contact Mechanics: Advances and Frontiers in Modeling Contact, February 2014.
URL http://www.birs.ca/events/2014/5-day-workshops/14w5147/videos/
-
4.
- Y. Lu, J. Williams, and J. C. Trinkle. A framework for problem standardization
and algorithm
comparison in multibody dynamics. BIRS Workshop on Computational Contact
Mechanics: Advances and Frontiers in Modeling Contact, February 2014. URL
http://www.birs.ca/events/2014/5-day-workshops/14w5147/videos/
-
5.
- J. Williams and J. C. Trinkle. Determining contact and contact response between
moving geometries in simulation. In 10th annual New England Manipulation
Symposium (NEMS), Columbia University, New York, NY, May 2013
-
6.
- J. Williams, J. Dong, D. M. Flickinger, and J. C. Trinkle. Team TROOPER
in the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute CS
Poster Session, April 2014
-
7.
- J. Williams and J. C. Trinkle. A stable and geometrically accurate contact model.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute CS Poster Session, April 2014
-
8.
- Y. Lu, J. Williams, and J. C. Trinkle. Team TROOPER in the DARPA Robotics
Challenge (DRC). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute CS Poster Session, April 2014
-
9.
- Y. Lu, J. Williams, C. Lacoursiere, and J. C. Trinkle. Standard interface for solver comparison
in multibody dynamics. In 9th annual New England Manipulation Symposium
(NEMS), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, May 2013
-
10.
- J. Williams, Y. Lu, and J. C. Trinkle. Improving multibody dynamics.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute CS Poster Session, March 2013
-
11.
- D. M. Flickinger, J. Williams, and J. C. Trinkle. Evaluating the performance
of constraint formulations for multibody dynamics simulation. Portland, Oregon,
2013. ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (IDETC),
9th International Conference on Multibody Systems, Nonlinear Dynamics, and
Control (MSNDC)
-
12.
- D. M. Flickinger, J. Williams, and J. C. Trinkle. Simulation accuracy and
computational performance of a rotating slender rod impacting a bed of rocks.
Montreal, QB, Canada, 2013. 4th Canadian Conference on Nonlinear Solid
Mechanics (CanCNSM)
-
13.
- J. Williams and J. C. Trinkle. Stochastic characterization of traction on granular
terrain. DARPA Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) annual PI meeting,
July 2012
-
14.
- S. Marshall, J. Williams, T. Mazeh, G. Walker, and V. Strelnitski. Using
SysRem as an Alternative Photometry Technique. In C. Sterken, N. Samus, and
L. Szabados, editors, Variable Stars, the Galactic halo and Galaxy Formation,
February 2010. URL http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010vsgh.conf..221M
-
15.
- J. Williams, M. Davidson, V. Strelnitski, and G. Walker. Improving the
Precision of Differential Photometry on a Determined Target Using SysRem.
In American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #213, volume 41 of
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, page 193, Jan. 2009. URL
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009AAS...21340214W
-
16.
- J. Williams, G. Walker, and V. Strelnitski. Observations of exoplanets at Maria
Mitchell Observatory. 97th meeting of the American Association of Variable Star
Observers (AAVSO), October 2008
Honors
Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 2019
Massachusetts Finalist
AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award, 2018
Awarded by the College Board
NASA Space Robotics Challenge Finalist, 2017
Captain, Team Whalers
DARPA Robotics Challenge, 2014
Member of Team TROOPER, Finalists
McKinney Contest Winner, 2014
First Prize for Graduate Poetry
NSF GK-12 Teaching Fellowship, 2011
Awarded through RPI’s Triple Helix Project, directed by Prof. Ron Eglash
Valuable contribution to Nantucket Public Schools, 2010
Awarded by Nantucket School Committee
Valuable contribution to Nantucket Public Schools, 2009
Awarded by Nantucket School Committee
Microcontroller Master, 2005
This playful title was granted annually to a UMass Amherst computer engineering major for the best (most efficient) PIC implementation of a challenge algorithm. My winning strategy was to simply double the memory space required, which saved a clock cycle with each swap of values in an array.
