Learning Through the Ranks – Page 3 – Mathematical Association of America

Featured Resources

Mathematics: A Critical Tool for Understanding the Oceans

By Adrian Constantin and George Haller Editor’s Note: In honor of Earth Day today, we are reprinting this post from 2018 about using mathematics to understand ocean dynamics. We encourage all Math Values readers to get outside and do something for the planet today! This post is adapted from the introduction to a special issue...

Squishy Problem, Real-World Solutions: An interview with Steve Krak of Denison University’s Red Frame Lab

By Tim Chartier Established in 2017, Denison University’s Red Frame Lab builds on the college’s liberal arts tradition by equipping students with entrepreneurial and design thinking skills. Through coaching, innovative programs, and real-world projects, students strengthen their education and prepare for meaningful careers and lives. With a growing focus on data science and entrepreneurship, they...

Yoko Ogawa’s “The Housekeeper and the Professor”: Representation of a Mathematician

By Alexis Newton Alexis Newton Sometimes I think about how weird it is to the rest of the world how I — we! — are fixated on math, and how that looks to everybody else. Because the average person doesn’t do math in the same way a mathematician does. They do, however, seem to like...

I Went to Therapy so You Don’t Have To

By Erica Ward Erica Ward Just kidding, in all seriousness everyone needs therapy. I realize, however, not everyone has the resources (financially and/or emotionally) to start going. So, on the off chance one of those people stumble across this blog post, or if you’re just someone who is interested—here are some of the best lessons...

Finding Patience and Perseverance at Academic Conferences

By Shilpi Mandal Shilpi Mandal Attending conferences can evoke a range of emotions. Some people love them, while others may only tolerate or even hate them. These feelings are not mutually exclusive and there is no requirement to feel a certain way. I began my Ph.D. during the pandemic (yep, that one), when in-person conferences...

Questions to Ask to Identify a Supportive Graduate Program as a Woman or Gender Minority in Math

By Brittany Gelb, Kathryn Beck, Joy Hamlin, Hamidreza Mahmoudian, Nkhalo Malawo, Lucy Martinez, and Rebecca Whitman Brittany Gelb When I attended open houses as a prospective graduate student, I wanted to know: is this a program where I would feel supported and be able to thrive? In order to get that information, I remember asking...

Communication in Graduate School

By Alex Luna Alex Luna After about two and a half years of graduate school, my perspective about many things has changed. The way that I interpret studying and general learning is one example, but an unexpected item is communication. Professional interaction is an area that I put a lot of thought into, as it...

Academia, will you not be my Valentine?

By Jasmine Camero (she/her) Jasmine Camero Since I could remember, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with academia. Oddly enough, it was the source of most of my stress even as early as elementary school - which is not at all healthy. As I progressed, I did not learn to navigate this stress, but I learned...

Reflections on Applying to Graduate School

By Inés Chung-Halpern My name is Inés Chung-Halpern, a 4th year undergraduate at Yale University. I have been applying to Math PhD programs, in a process probably common to almost every reader of this blog. However, I write this with the naivety of one only partially through the ordeal. With the entry into my final...

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