I have designed and taught interdisciplinary courses in the history of mathematics, the history of algebra, the history of statistics, mathematics and biography, the philosophy of mathematics, mathematics and art, the history of data visualizations, as well as mathematics courses in calculus, statistics, discrete mathematics, and geometry. Below are some highlights & resources from recent teaching experiences:
Biography and mathematics (Fall 2023). Among the excellent biographical research projects completed for this course, Mithra Karamchedu won the History of Mathematics Special Interest Group of the Mathematical Association of America Essay Contest. The winning paper is here! In addition, two papers from this class received honorable mentions for the Association for Women in Mathematics Essay Contest.
Bringing ethics and justice to the mathematics classroom through historical case studies (Professional Enhancement Program, Joint Mathematics Meeting 2024). Deborah Kent and I led a workshop on how history can inform courses in data science and statistics. We developed worksheets on topics like demographic categories in the United States census and biometric data gathered by American colleges and universities on student populations. A peer-reviewed paper on our respective experiences teaching with primary sources from the history of statistics recently appeared in The Mathematical Enthusiast.
Introduction to statistics (2020 – present). In every election year since 2020, students in introduction to statistics are asked to design posters informing voters about quantitative arguments for and against ballot measures. Since returning to in-person learning, the posters are printed and shared. Sadly, those from 2024, presented in an event funded by Project Pericles, did not achieve wide enough distribution (especially regarding Prop 6). Expect a robust slate in 2026.
History of algebra through textbook word problems (2017). This paper published in The Journal of Humanistic Mathematics documents the findings of a collective research project that examined the content of algebra textbook word problems over the past century. Alongside amusing and provocative examples, this paper shows how students can participate in exploratory research with primary sources from the history of mathematics.