About me (Work in progress)
Math beyond research
I strongly believe that my biggest contribution to society as a mathematician in academia is teaching, not research. Many students find mathematics uninteresting or counterintuitive or too complicated. Not many get to see the inner beauty of math, as we base our introductory math curriculum on manual computation. Such computation is perhaps my least favorite part of math. In the ``Interesting math'' category, I have included some stuff for general audiences to give a feel for what higher-level math is like and why I like it.I am a proponent of the Keller plan, as it has been shown to be an effective method of education. Its implementation is bound to be difficult with the current all-or-nothing education system in most countries but is undoubtedly worth it. This sort of restructuring will ensure that as many students as possible can learn the ideas we want to teach them. When I am instructor of record, you will find these ideas implemented to the best of my ability.
Life beyond math
I grew up in Solon (near Cleveland), Ohio. I am a transgender woman and use she/her/hers pronouns. Gender is a complicated beast that I could not do any justice with a brief explanation. If you are interested in learning more about being transgender (especially in math), please reach out using any of the means of contact in my footer.I don't have many hobbies.
Statement on disability
Before I give a statement, I would like to give context on my views...In high school, I had pretty severe depression and agoraphobia. As a consequence, I was placed in a therapy school for my senior year. While it was beneficial for my mental health, there was much more emphasis on practical skills than standard school subjects. I grew restless, and my eagerness to learn overtook my mental health issues. By the time I graduated, my mental health was moderately stable.A month later, I was hospitalized for severe pain in my abdomen. The day before I left for undergrad, it was diagnosed as idiopathic chronic pancreatitis. I was told that the pancreas needed to be removed. That year, I had many disability accommodations to deal with the random episodes of pain/vomiting. In the summer between my first and second years, I had a ``total pancreatectomy with auto-islet cell transplant.'' The auto-islet cell transplant failed, and I was left type 3c diabetic. The recovery was brutal, and I suffer from PTSD as a consequence.
When the COVID-19 pandemic showed its ugly face, I was mortified. While mandates were slowly lifted, I fought for accommodations for staying remote. This put a strain on my team-based software engineering course, when I was the only remote student. Nevertheless, I don't regret asking for what I needed. While my mental and physical health are now as stable as can be, I will never forget the challenges that these disabilities placed on me.
Disability Statement: Disability, both mental and physical, can play a major role in our success in college and, more generally, life. It is essential that we voice our needs to make the world a just place for ourselves and those like us. As such, to any students that may currently be cyber-stalking me, talk to me if you're struggling or predict struggling. I understand where you are coming from when you ask for accommodations and will always do everything in my power to make my course accessible.