I am a Post-Doc Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, supported in part by a Geometry, Topology, and Dynamics Research Training Grant (RTG) and the Center for Inquiry Based Learning.

My research interests are primarily in low-dimensional topology, particularly in studying contact 3-manifolds through the mapping class group on the pages of open book decompositions.

My other academic interests include math education; approaches to undergraduate math instruction, particularly course design and active classroom instructional methods such as Inquiry Based Learning; foundational mathematics for students underprepared for college; gender imbalances in STEM disciplines; and interactive digital learning materials.

This semester I am teaching Explorations in Topology and Analysis.

Besides my research into the mapping class groups of surfaces in contact 3-manifolds, I am currently involved in several other activities.

Mathematics for Elementary Teachers

In the last couple years, I have taught several sections of Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers (Math 385). Last fall I redesigned the course after reviewing the course and talking with researchers in the School of Education. These conversations have been very helpful in clarifying what material and practices should be emphasized in a course for future teachers, and in improving coordination between the Department of Mathematics and School of Education.

Center for Inquiry Based Learning

I am currently organizing the monthly lunch discussions for the Center for Inquiry Based Learning. These give IBL instructors support for practical issues that arise in our courses, and give everyone else an opportunity to learn what we mean by “IBL”.

Teaching Seminar

Lately I have presented several Math 385 video clips in the Teaching Seminar. The seminar's focus for 2011-2012 is on mathematical practices: skills and habits we want to encourage in students in math courses. Revisiting our own and others' classes and discussing how we teach is essential to understanding and improving instructional techniques.

Ph.D. in Mathematics from Brandeis University, 2010
B.A. from Wesleyan University, 2003

University of Michigan—Ann Arbor

Post-Doc Assistant Professor, 2010—present

Foundation Year at Northeastern University

Instructor, Summer 2010

Wellesley College

Visiting Instructor, Fall 2008

Transitional Year Program at Brandeis University

Instructor, 2007—2008

My research interests are in low-dimensional topology, particularly contact 3-manifolds and Lefschetz fibrations.

I have taught a wide variety of courses over the last few years, including introductory college math, foundational math, content courses for elementary teachers, and honors mathematics:

Explorations in Topology and Analysis

An IBL course for first- and second-year students with advanced mathematics preparation.

Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers

A math content course covering number and operation. This course was redesigned in part using research on Teaching Mathematics Knowledge for Teachers from the School of Education.

Differential Equations

Statistics 1 and Statistics 2

Foundation Year offers Boston high school graduates a year of academic support and preparation in cohorts before pursuing a bachelor's or associate's degree.

Calculus I

Foundations of Mathematics

A course covering arithmetic operations, algebra, and statistics. The TYP accepts high school graduates with diverse and often international backgrounds and prepares them to succeed in a college setting.

Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers

As a teaching assistant, I aided the grading and classroom instruction for two sections of a cooperative learning course in elementary mathematics designed to build mathematical curiosity and understanding through group work and written reports.

Applied Linear Algebra

Probability and Statistics

Calculus I

Precalculus

I am keenly interested in understanding what good instruction looks like at all levels of undergraduate mathematics. Besides teaching a wide variety of courses over the last few years, I have regularly visited classes taught by others. The first question an instructor must confront before teaching is “what should my students know, or be able to do, by the end of the course?” For any course the answer generally has two parts: the material covered by the course, the practices we encourage students to develop. The second question is “how can I best introduce that material to my students and develop those practices among them?” Although there are a great variety of approaches, answering the first question carefully can help with the second.

My typical weekly schedule (Winter 2012) is shown below. I am often available Monday afternoons.