My supervisor has been experimenting with a “Building Thinking Classrooms” (BTC) approach to teaching, so our department began the year by participating in a BTC-style activity: standing in small groups around the room, working on “non-routine” problems on chalk boards / white boards. It was certainly engaging, social, and compelling, but I was definitely missing quiet time to think deeply about the problems on my own. It also seemed nearly impossible to not be influenced by other groups, especially those who quickly arrived at a successful approach. In any event, it was a thoughtful way to start the year, and it led to some great, productive conversations.

Originally posted on Mastodon.

I’m proud to be profiled on the COMAP blog, in an article that highlights the incredible work of our mathematical modeling group this past year. I’m grateful to the students for all their hard work, and to organizations like COMAP for creating opportunities to get students involved in applied mathematics and modeling. You can read the profile here.

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