1. Can you tell us your home department and how long have you been a faculty member at APU?

I am in the Math, Physics, & Statistics department and this is my first year at APU.

2. What classes are you teaching this year?

I am teaching two undergraduate classes: Intro to Statistics, Probability & Statistics I, and one graduate class: Applied Regression Analysis.

3. What is your area of research/teaching and how did you get interested in this area?

My research focuses on methods for synthesizing and translating statistical evidence in the social sciences, with particular experience in education policy and global development applications. This includes work in the areas of meta-analysis, data visualization, and statistical cognition. My undergraduate education at a Christian liberal arts university helped train me to think holistically and take interdisciplinary approaches to complex problems, and my training in statistics and social policy during my PhD at Northwestern furthered these interdisciplinary interests. I am also passionate about undergraduate statistics education, so I am interested in broadening my research in statistical cognition to include statistics pedagogical research as well.

4. When and how did you get interested in studying Statistics (or science in general)?

I’ve always loved math and was a math major in undergrad, but a few GE requirements helped spark my interest in interdisciplinary work in the social sciences as well. At the same time, through campus ministries, I was also working with people experiencing homelessness and people incarcerated at the local county jail. Putting faces and stories to injustices and being exposed to such tangible and urgent needs suddenly made me unsure how exactly my math degree fit into the world. However, through internships with Barna and World Vision, I discovered the need for statisticians in global development and social policy. I came to appreciate statistics as a unique opportunity to combine my love of numbers and mathematics with my gospel-informed desire to work towards justice.

5. What are some of the things you enjoy at APU?

I love getting to interact with undergraduate students and to help foster and learn from their thoughtfulness and curiosity. I love the culture of mentoring at APU and the informal conversations with students about what they are passionate about and are interested in pursuing. Coming from Chicago, the “winters” here in Southern California aren’t too bad either :)

6. What are some fun things you like to do?

I love being outdoors – hiking, biking, or just reading a good book in a hammock! I love to travel, though that’s been limited with the pandemic. Also love enjoying good food – Thai, Indian, and Mexican are my favorite cuisines.

7. Anything else you would like the STEM community to know about you?

I love interdisciplinary work, so if you’re looking for a collaborator, come talk to me! I’m also always down to talk about STEM pedagogy and/or faith integration.