Teaching

Over the years, my teaching philosophy has become deeply influenced by my experiences as an organizer. As organizers, our power comes from our relationships with one another; we build those relationships, along with the political goals that move us to action, though holistic conversations where we can develop a common vision for a better world together. Here is my teaching philosophy. I approach critical STEM pedagogy by making space in class to talk honestly about the human contexts of mathematics, especially as related to students’ lived experiences.

Carleton College:

  • Spring 2023 (planned)
    • Math 236. Mathematical structures.
    • Math 400. Comps: to be determined.
  • Winter 2023 (planned)
    • Math 120. Calculus II.
    • Math 352. Representation theory.
    • Math 400. Comps: to be determined.
  • Fall 2022 (planned)
    • Math 100. How chance changes the world.
    • Math 342. Abstract algebra.
  • Spring 2022
    • Math 236. Mathematical structures.
    • Math 400. Comps: arithmetic topology and configurations on cubic surfaces.
  • Winter 2022
    • Math 120. Calculus II.
    • Math 342. Abstract algebra.
    • Math 400. Comps: arithmetic topology and configurations on cubic surfaces.
  • Fall 2021
    • Math 120. Calculus II. (two sections)

Past institutions:

  • University of Chicago
    • Math 259. Honors algebra III, Spring 2017. College Fellow.
    • Math 258. Honors algebra II, Winter 2017. College Fellow.
    • Math 257. Honors algebra I, Fall 2016. College Fellow.
  • New Mexico Tech
    • Math 581. Introduction to algebraic geometry, Spring 2014. Co-lecturer.
    • CSE 113. Introduction to computer science, Fall 2013. Teaching Assistant.
    • CSE 122. Algorithms and data structures, Spring 2013. Teaching Assistant.

Materials for past courses available on request.

Summer teaching:

  • University of Chicago REU, 2015-2019.

Also, I write a lot of code to make cool visuals when I teach. My favorite language for this is Processing, which I learned in high school and honestly was an incredibly important step in my becoming a mathematician. It can be incredibly buggy sometimes, but it’s great for getting something beautiful on the screen quickly. I used to post my code online (nearly a decade ago, wowzers) here–it’s all legacy now, but I’ve maintained some of them and also occasionally upload new stuff I make for class. To the left is a screenshot from an applet I wrote in 2009, after talking with Melinda Green, that shows the orbits of points in the Mandelbrot mill. Math rocks, y’all.

Mathematical visualization is something I’ve always had a blast tinkering with. Here are some of the images and animations that I think are really gorgeous!

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