Author: joshwilkerson

Mathematics: Building Community

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A while back I wrote a post on “Geometry and the Homeless.” That post was after my first year if partnering with Mobile Loaves and Fishes Community First on a service-learning project for my advanced geometry students. I have now been blessed to have worked with MLF on service-learning projects for the past three years.

Here is a video on MLF’s heart for the Community First project:

I have worked with geometry students on designing RV covers, gazebos, bike racks, and spiral herb gardens. Below is a picture of last year’s winning gazebo design and the current building progress:

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I am beginning my dissertation this summer. It will focus on the benefits of service-learning projects in mathematics and it will specifically examine the partnership between my students and MLF. So needless to say, you can expect a lot of future posts on this topic. Ultimately I believe that service-learning is an incredible way to impact a student’s appreciation of mathematics. To use terminology that I’ve written on before: service-learning is an excellent tool for cultivating mathematical affections.

While you can expect much more on this topic here, I wanted to share a recent video that I came across of other institutions partnering with MLF through the process of service-learning. The institution in the video below just so happens to be my alma mater of Texas A&M (Whoop!): Aggies design, build ‘tiny homes’ for homeless as part of curriculum – The Eagle: Local News.

Tiny House Video from TAMU College of Architecture on Vimeo.

Here are a few quotes from the local article that accompanied the video that speak to the impact of this type of project on the learning outcomes the students experienced:

Construction science senior Laura Malek said working on a project that was going to help a “great cause” was a huge motivator during the process. The project also mimicked a real-life work environment, she said, by bringing together students who wouldn’t normally work together.

“Today was so much fun,” she said. “It was amazing to actually see our work in place and actually get some outside feedback. It felt a little surreal to finally see it there today finished and painted. It meant a lot. People seemed to really enjoy the space and that felt really great after our hard work.”

An interesting side note is that the student quoted in the story is the sister of one of the students that was a part of the first ever service-learning project I initiated (see: Serving through Statistics).

Like I said, there will be a lot more to come on this.

Always feel free to contact me if you have any questions about implementing service-learning into your math class.

Talithia Williams – Improving Market Strategies

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One of the categories of posts on this site is labeled “Christian Mathematicians.” Those posts are largely focused on important historical figures and compiled by contributor Steve Bishop. The last entry in that series was an interview that Steve did with current statistician Andrew Hartley. Ever since then I have been mulling the idea of adding a new series of contemporary “Christian Mathematicians” as a way of illuminating the contributions to mathematics being made by people of faith today. Time will tell if I am able to sit down and compose a full series, but if I do you could consider this the first post.

Talithia Williams is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and, well, I’ll let her faculty page speak for itself:

Dr. Talithia Williams is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College. In her present capacity as a junior faculty member, she exemplifies the role of teacher and scholar through outstanding research, with a passion for integrating and motivating the educational process with real world statistical applications. Her educational background includes a Bachelors degree in Mathematics, Masters’ degrees in both Mathematics and Statistics, and a Doctorate in Statistics. Her professional experiences include research appointments at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the National Security Agency (NSA), and NASA. Dr. Williams develops statistical models which emphasize the spatial and temporal structure of data with environmental applications. She has been recognized for the development of a cataract model used to predict the cataract surgical rate for developing countries in Africa.

In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dr. Williams is also a woman of faith, living out a lifestyle practice infused with bold splashes of servitude that embody the eternal ideals of God. She and her husband, Donald, actively teach and share foundational principles regarding the joys of Christian marriage.

Dr. Williams is a great example of how people of faith are impacting the discipline of mathematics today. Here is an MAA video of her explaining the statistical techniques that can be used to classify customers of a company using the messages on their gift cards.