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Mary C. Krembs

Dr. Mary C. Krembs is an experienced technologist, researcher and educator (B.A. Mathematics with Music minor, Marist College; M.S. and Ph.D. Applied Mathematics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). Dr. Krembs’ research interests include computational geometry (Voronoi Nets), computer graphics, software development methodology, human-computer interaction, and mathematical methods to compose and represent music. As STEM Associate in Bard's Institute for Writing and Thinking, Dr. Krembs travels the country and the world to lead professional development workshops for secondary and higher education faculty on integrating writing into STEM classrooms. She taught as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics for four years at Marist College, and has been teaching at Bard College since January 2007, initially in the undergraduate mathematics and computer science departments, an now also in the Master of Arts in Teaching program.  Dr. Krembs teaches the full range of undergraduate and graduate mathematics courses, in addition to Computer Graphics, Computational Geometry and STEM Teaching Methods.

Dr. Krembs spent the earlier part of her career working in the technology industry as a mathematician and developer for IBM, focused on Spline (NURBS and Bezier) applications within Geographic Information Systems, Human Computer Interfaces for load balancing applications within Parallel Computing and as a researcher in the Data Visualization lab at the TJ Watson Research Center. Dr. Krembs moved on to become Senior Vice-President of Technology for Harte-Hanks Interactive with a focus on new media primarily for large pharmaceutical clients as well as e-commerce sites. She holds the patent #5566292 on “A Method to Detect the Closest Existing Point on a Spline or Polyline.”

Dr. Krembs has been the Director of the Bard College Citizen Science program since 2017, overseeing the “Human Microbiome” (2018) curriculum and in 2019, the full program revision to the “Water” curriculum when student choice of lab strand was introduced. Under her direction of the seven January programs (2018-2024) the lab strands were reimagined and revised, both in number and content, to maximize student engagement and faculty expertise. Lab strands included environmental water lab, communication, education, public health, data analysis and more.  Dr. Krembs expertise in data visualization, pharmaceutical marketing and science education guided the lab strand curriculum in Data Analysis, Communication and Education. In partnership with the Citizen Science Laboratory Manager and the Bard Center for Civic Engagement, under the leadership of Dr. Krembs, the Citizen Science Undergraduate Fellows program was expanded. This was a select program where qualified Bard students were trained to support the Citizen Science faculty and act as teaching assistants within the wet labs as well as in support of our Day of Science for local 8th graders.

In fall 2024, the college moved the program to run as a non-credit 12-week course offered only during the semester.  As of fall 2026, the curriculum has been revised and extended to be a regular, four-credit course that fulfills the laboratory distribution.  Dr. Krembs continues to oversee this latest iteration of this very important curriculum.