Events

Title: Engaging Your Students with Project-Based Learning

Abstract: Project-based and service-learning offer opportunities to connect mathematical theory with community needs while fostering student agency and professional growth. This talk shares practical lessons learned from teaching Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematics, a course designed to immerse students in real-world, community-engaged projects. In this course, teams of 3-4 students from a variety of majors, including but not limited to mathematics, partner with a local nonprofit to solve problems using data analysis and mathematical modeling. I will discuss strategies for cultivating partnerships with community organizations, supporting students as they design and lead their own learning experiences, and fostering inclusive classroom environments that value diverse perspectives and strengths. Particular attention will be given to managing uncertainty in open-ended projects, differentiating instruction, and integrating technology.

Title: Searching for significance – the futility of legacy

Abstract: I tell my life struggles that brought me to study Mathematics, and how I strove for a legacy and fame through Mathematics. I explain that if I had pursued this goal with all my efforts, I would have ended up miserable. But learning to enjoy my work in of itself, without worrying about legacy, brought me happiness, a sense of well-being, and a sense of significance.

As well as my own life, I intend to draw on sources like the "Epic of Gilgamesh," "Ecclesiastes," Shakespeare’s "Macbeth," and movies like "A Man for All Seasons," and Ingmar Bergman’s "The Seventh Seal." I will look at the lives of people such as G.H. Hardy, and Cyrus the Great.