Teaching

Teaching at UMN

Current Courses:

I am not teaching summer of 2024

Current Office Hours

Office: Vincent Hall 524

Summer 2024: Available via appointment

Past Courses:

Youth Engagement in Mathematics

MathPath

During the summers of 2020 - 2024, I have worked at MathPath, a summer program for mathematically gifted middle schoolers. This is not an acceleration program, but rather an enrichment opportunity for young mathematicians. I designed and taught week long courses on outer measure in 2022 and metric spaces in 2023 and 2024. I have also organized and facilitated activities on imposter syndrome and creating a welcoming mathematical environment.

The picture below is from a class I taught on metric spaces during MathPath 2023.

Olivia, a white woman, smiles from inside of a paper model of the Sierpinski Tetrahedron built by Saturday Morning Math participants.

Math Enrichment with MathCEP

At the University of Minnesota, I have been involved with the Math Center for Educational Programs' Saturday Morning Math Enrichment program. This program invites 5th through 7th graders to the University of Minnesota to learn about cool mathematical topics through fun, exploratory activities. In the 22-23 and 23-24 academic years, I led classrooms in their exploration of spherical geometry, fractals, and other enrichment topics. This is a great way for young students in the area to explore mathematics for the sake of learning. Additionally, I explored polyhedra, Eulerian graphs, and more spherical geometry with 4th through 6th grade girls at the MathCEP GEM (Girls Excel at Mathematics) mini-camp in August of 2023.

Pictured above is a paper model of the Sierpinski Tetrahedron that Saturday Morning Math participants built during the 2022-23 academic year. 

My Philosophy on Learning Mathematics

I believe in and work to uphold the axioms by Federico Ardila-Mantilla. 

I am a firm believer that math should be done at your own pace. While the structure of academia promotes learning mathematics quickly, on my own I approach topics slowly, taking the time needed to understand them. For my students, I am excited to talk to you about math whether you have followed everything that we have covered up until this point, or if you still have questions about material from early on in the class. My goal is to help you appreciate the math that we're doing and how mathematical thinking might be helpful in your life. 

Further, I realize that students exist outside of the mathematics classroom. I do not expect that our class is your number one priority, and I will do my best to accommodate your needs. Please do not hesitate to bring concerns to my attention. Similarly, while I want you to succeed and enjoy exploring mathematics, I too have obligations and priorities outside of our class. Please be patient with me if I am unable to respond to you immediately.

I believe that there is no "correct" way to learn mathematics. It is never too late or too early to become interested in math, and I encourage all to explore topics that interest them. I do my best to welcome all into mathematics, especially those with historically marginalized identities. I encourage anyone who is interested to contact me about their mathematical interest, and I would love to talk about mathematics with you.