Concurrently with my Ph.D. in pure math, I completed an M.S. in mathematics education through MSU's Program in Mathematics Education (PRIME). My mathematics education research interests include student use of argument, particularly in quantitative literacy courses at the undergraduate level. Quantitative literacy (QL) courses at many universities and colleges, including MSU, were conceived as a part of an alternative pathway to the college algebra/pre-calc sequence to satisfy math requirements for non-STEM majors. The content of a QL course is often context driven, introducing students to the kinds of mathematical skills they need to engage in everyday encounters like consumer purchasing or news media consumption through concrete examples from current events. I've been involved in the QL course at Michigan State for the last two years in instructor and curriculum development roles.  

In the 2020-21 school year I conducted a research project as part of the Future Academic Scholars in Teaching (FAST) program under the mentorship of my master's advisor, Dr. Shiv Smith Karunakaran. My project focused on how quantitative literacy students interpreted arguments presented in opinion essays from popular media outlets like Bloomberg News and CNN which contained quantitative evidence as backing. I used Toulmin's model of argument as both analytic tool to study the arguments I collected as data from the student participants and as an instructional tool to help students classify arguments presented in the pieces they read. 

This research project also serves as one component of my master's degree work; more details on the coursework I completed in fulfillment of this degree can be found here.