Heather earned a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004, specializing in applied mathematics (partial differential equations and applications to environmental issues, in particular). Ranked one of the top 15 programs for a graduate degree in Mathematics in the world, she studied with and was mentored by mathematicians that are luminaries in their fields, including winners of the Abel Prize and the MacArther Genius Award, among other highly regarded awards. She also had the opportunity to teach under and be mentored by leaders in Math Education, like Uri Triesman and Michael Starbird, and engaged in pedagogical training through programs like the UT Austin Supplemental Instruction Program and national Math Education Conferences. These experiences bring together in her the combination of deep and extensive knowledge of the subject with a deep appreciation of and training in the craft of effective pedagogy.
She has taught students of all ages and stages in life, at every level of mathematical development in a variety of contexts. She started tutoring as a high school student and continued into college, began teaching professionally as an undergraduate instructor for Indiana University in 1995, taught as a teaching assistant and then primary instructor as a graduate student at the University of Texas Austin and in a few of the summers worked in the student help center at Austin Community College, led an innovative math circle program at UTexas, and after finishing her PhD, taught undergraduate and graduate level courses for the Ohio State University and the University of Tennessee as a postdoctoral research professor. Other experiences include teaching a couple of individualized courses for a very small high school in Austin, and offering math anxiety support privately.
She had a son in 2008 who had health issues, and so she left academia to stay home for several years and help her son heal (and get him off to a great start in math, of course!). In 2012 once he was healthy and began to attend school, she lectured at UT and shortly after began to teach for Art of Problem Solving. This began her professional work with young children. From 2007-2010 she also ran a math circle at a local private STEM Academy. A few years prior to the pandemic, she began receiving requests to work privately with a few mathematically accelerated children, and those who haven’t already graduated high school she continues to work with today. She also began homeschooling her son in 2020, and they continue homeschooling today. Gratefully, her son has had much success mathematically, and is still one of Love of Math’s students!
For a more detailed look at some of the past university courses she has taught, see www.math.utk.edu/~heather/PastCourses.html . For further inquiry, please contact us.