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Joint Meetings:
I will be attending the 2009 Joint Meetings in Washington, DC. Please contact me if you would like to arrange an interview.

Department and Community Service

Pace Universal

In August 2008, I was asked to join the Advisory Board of Directors of this wonderful non-profit charitable foundation. Currently, I provide advice on new technologies that might attract donors or assist in the goals of the foundation. From the PACE Universal website:
Promise of Assurance to Children Everywhere, (PACE), a nonprofit California Corporation, was established in 2003 with two goals:
  • To nurture the educational, health, nutritional, social and cultural development of girls in impoverished areas of India and other parts of the world.
  • To build, in Calcutta, the first prototype Piyali Learning Center (PLC) to serve as a model for the delivery of these services all over the world.

Augustana College Web Authors Guild

The Web Authors Guild is a student group dedicated to providing low cost web design and development services to non-profit organizations in the surrounding communities and educating the campus community through free web authoring seminars. From spring of 2000 to fall of 2002, I was President of this group. As President I:
  • Led web authoring seminars three times per year, concentrating on content development, design and implementation.
  • Met with prospective clients and facilitated meetings between clients and designers.
  • Designed and developed web content
  • Managed projects to ensure clients and designers were making timely progress towards their goals.
  • Expanded our client base from 10 to over 50.

Washington University Math Circles

Washington University's Math Circles program brings together middle school students from surrounding St Louis schools to explore interesting mathematics. Faculty members and graduate students lead the weekly talks. The program aims to teach students beautiful mathematics with group discussion and interactive activities.

The students are often mathematically gifted and eager to learn. They aren't afraid to ask questions and give input, which makes them a fantastic group to teach. A good Math Circles talk fosters group discussion and incorporates various visual aids and group activities so that students are engaged for the full hour and a half.

I have had the opportunity to present at Math Circles several times and each has been a rewarding experience. More information on these presentations can be found in the Outreach Programs subsection of the Teaching section.

Washington University Math Teachers' Circle

From the Wash U Teachers' Circle Website:
"Teachers' Circles are collaborations between research mathematicians, middle school math teachers, and school administrators. They are motivated by the principle that mathematics is better taught as a part of the process of problem solving and critical thinking. This has been a successful approach for engaging the interest of young people in the classroom.

The main activities of a Teachers' Circle are lively discussion sessions led by mathematicians and math educators. ... The Teachers' Circle advocates that understanding mathematics is the key to addressing the daily concerns in the schools. Understanding what it is, how it is taught, and how it is learned is the charge. Materials change, tests change, and school structures change. However, if the teacher is well versed in the subject, the material is extraneous, the tests are incidental, and the school structure is adaptable. "

It was a great honor to present at the Wash U Teacher's Circle. More information on this presentation can be found in the Outreach Programs subsection of the Teaching section.

Washington University Combinatorics and Topology Seminar

During the spring 2008 semester, I organized the Combinatorics and Topology seminar at Washington University.