His primary research foci are in stochastic modeling and simulation, mathematical modeling, and mathematics education. Dr. Gerhardt is an MAA PiC Math fellow as well as the adviser to Manhattan's Putnam undegraduate math competition team. A natural-born storyteller (with a mediumly terrible singing voice), his lecturing style is often described as 'speaking out loud'. A former marathoner, Ira now spends much of his time running after his child. EducationDoctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, Northwestern University: June, 2009.Dissertation: Stochastic Modeling and Simulation of Nonstationary Queueing Networks Using Markovian Processes