Teaching

Teaching is one of the most fulfilling parts of my work, and I very much enjoy working with students. I try to 

I view my research and teaching as complementary to each other; if I cannot explain a concept in a simple way, I do not actually understand it. 

I give much more detail on my teaching philosophy and practices in my teaching statement.

Past Courses

• Instructor for Math 403/503, Advanced Abstract Algebra (Iowa State University)

  • Second course in abstract algebra for undergraduates and post-baccalaureate students

  • Managed differing problem sets for undergraduates and post-baccalaureate students

  • Extensive use of active learning techniques

  • Made use of manipulatives, including Rubik's cubes and compass and straightedge

• Associate Instructor for Math 10A, Calculus II for Scientists  (UCSD)

  • Remote course during the 2023 UCSD Summer Bridge Program for incoming first-year students.

Student evaluations available upon request. 

Students

I deeply appreciate the opportunity for mentoring and collaboration with students on a research project. I often have students with a programming background implement various ideas so we can test out our results interactively. 

Students Advised

• Holden Pipp (UCSD)

  • We proved that the regularity lemma for clustering graphs can be implemented in polynomial time.

  • Our paper, Algorithmic Aspects of the Clustering Regularity Lemma, appeared in WAW 2026 at the University of Toronto. 

  • Python implementation of algorithm available upon request.

  • Holden is now a rising senior at UCSD.

• Wyatt Heller (Iowa State University)

  • Trail Trap  has two players take turns claiming edges of a graph to form edge-disjoint trails; the first player with no remaining move loses. 

  • Studied strategies for trail trap on cubic Hamiltonian graphs. 

  • Part of Iowa State's ISMaRT program.

  • Wyatt is now a master's student at the University of Iowa.

Teaching Honors and Awards

• MAA Project NExT Fellow 2024

  • Met monthly with a teaching support group to discuss teaching successes, failures, and plans

  • Attended dedicated workshop at MathFest 2024 to learn new teaching strategies

  • Attended dedicated programs at JMM 2025 and MathFest 2025 

  • Used new techniques and ideas in coursework at Iowa State University

• UCSD Graduate Student Teaching Award 2023

Teaching Assistant Experience

Below are the classes for which I have served as a teaching assistant.

• Math 155 Calculus II, Fall 2025 (Iowa State University)

• Math 154  Introduction to Graph Theory, Spring 2024 (UCSD)

• Math 158  Extremal Graph Theory, Winter 2024 (UCSD)

• Math 20D Differential Equations, Winter 2024 (UCSD)

• Math 155A  Introduction to Computer Graphics, Fall 2023 (UCSD)

• Math 154  Introduction to Graph Theory, Spring 2023 (UCSD)

•  Math 180A  Introduction to Probability, Winter 2023 (UCSD)

• Math 155A  Introduction to Computer Graphics, Fall 2022 (UCSD)

• Math 154 Introduction to Graph Theory, Spring 2022 (UCSD)

• Math 18 Introduction to Linear Algebra, Winter 2022 (UCSD)

• Math 180A Introduction to Probability Theory, Fall 2021 (UCSD)

• Math 20C Calculus III for Engineers, Summer 2021 (UCSD)

• Math 102 Advanced Linear Algebra with Applications, Spring 2021 (UCSD)

• Math 102 Advanced Linear Algebra with Applications, Winter 2021 (UCSD)

• Math 155A Introduction to Computer Graphics, Fall 2020 (UCSD)

• Math 109 Introduction to Proofs, Summer 2020 (UCSD)

• Math 102 Advanced Linear Algebra with Applications, Spring 2020 (UCSD)

• Math 109 Introduction to Proofs, Fall 2019 (UCSD)

• Math 20C Calculus III for Engineers, Summer 2019 (UCSD)

• Math 155B Advanced Computer Graphics, Spring 2019 (UCSD)

• Math 155A Introduction to Computer Graphics, Winter 2019 (UCSD)

• Math 10B Calculus II for Scientists, Fall 2018 (UCSD)

Student evaluations available upon request.