MIT Math Volunteering at Correctional Facilities

I completed my PhD at the University of Oregon in 2022 under the supervision of Ben Elias. From 2022-2025 I will be an NSF postdoctoral fellow at MIT with sponsoring scientist Pavel Etingof. I grew up in Butte, Montana, and spend my free time making and supporting D.I.Y. art and music. 

In Spring 2023 I was a T.A. for the pre-algebra course at B.P.R.C. The course’s main teacher Rebecca would first give a short lecture. If a student was behind, I would work with them during this period in a different room. Otherwise, I politely observed and then worked one-on-one with students on problems concerning the material in Rebecca’s lecture. 

The class sizes are very small: 2-5 students (although hopefully they will keep growing). This allowed me to go at the student’s pace. I gave feedback on each step the student took while they solved problems, and also provided careful, but ideally simple, explanations for the how and why of the subject matter. Even on the days when students were frustrated by the material, they always ended the class by expressing their gratitude for our group coming out to work with them. 

I’m a PhD student in the Mathematics Department working in quantum information theory. I am particularly interested in nonlocality (e.g., nonlocal games) and local-to-global phenomena (e.g., probabilistically checkable proofs, locally testable codes). I’m originally from New Zealand and in his spare time he enjoys rock climbing, cooking, and drawing.

In BPRC I worked as a tutor: re-explaining concepts and helping the students with solving exercises. It was amazing to have one-on-one time close up with the students. I found that things worked best when the students were given the opportunity to speak, explain, and present their work to others.

I’m a Lecturer in the Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication program. I hold degrees from Washington University in St Louis (A.B. English and Mathematics, 2004), the University of Chicago (M.A. Humanities, 2005), and Newcastle University in England (Ph.D. English literature, 2010). I have taught writing and textual analysis courses at the university level since 2006, and, through Writing, Rhetoric & Professional Communication, in the math department at MIT since 2016. In addition to volunteering with MIT Math’s tutoring with the Department of Corrections, I have volunteer tutored with Cambridge Public Schools’ Tutoring Plus Breakthrough program. I also enjoy taking dance and yoga classes and hope to again once I’m willing to go in to gyms unmasked again.

The students were following a prealgebra textbook. I helped the students with fractions, factorization, exponents, algebraic expressions, and graphing lines. I worked with students one-on-one going through problems from the textbook.

I’m originally from Greenwich, CT and completed my undergraduate at Pomona College. At MIT, I study analysis under Semyon Dyatlov.  When I’m not doing math, I like to run and go camping. 

I was a tutor for the developmental math class at BPRC. In practice, I helped students one-on-one, guiding them through problems in their textbook. The students were very motivated and focused during the tutoring sessions. When I worked with the same student for multiple weeks, I could tell that he was mastering the material and making progress.

I’m a PhD student in mathematics working on representation theory. I grew up and did my undergraduate degree in Canada. In my spare time, I enjoy making music, taking pictures, and biking around Cambridge and Boston!

I’m currently a postdoc at MIT in my third year. I completed my PhD at Columbia University in New York. I’m originally from Philadelphia. In my free time, I enjoy running and spending time with friends!

Last fall, I spent time as a tutor/teaching assistant at BPRC, working on pre-algebra subjects like solving linear equations, graphing lines, and studying early geometry. Most of the time, I worked together with the class instructor at the board instructing a small group of 2-5 students. Otherwise, I spent time one-on-one with students working through practice problems.

I’m currently a postdoctoral fellow at MIT, I have previously obtained my bachelor and master at EPFL in Switzerland, followed by a PhD from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. I come from Switzerland and France, despite what my inability to digest cheese might make it seem. Luckily, I am still a big chocolate enthusiast.  Before grad school took over I was an avid fencer and practiced sabre for 10 years.  Besides research, I really enjoy trying new sports, board games, and sharing my passion for mathematics outside of the academic circle.   

As one of the head instructors, we built a syllabus, course notes, problem sets, and taught a weekly class. We were supported by a team of tutors who helped facilitate students through the problem sets. Petey greene was great helping us through getting access to the system. 

I’m an NSF Postdoc at MIT. I received my PhD in 2021 from Louisiana State University, and work at the intersection of homological algebra, noncommutative algebra, and representation theory. In my non-math time, I enjoy hiking and reading. 

As an instructor, I was (along with co-instructors) responsible for designing the syllabus, preparing material for lectures, writing homework exercises, and writing and grading the final assessment. Incorporating problems that the students could contribute to solving during the lecture worked well. The division of days (lecture one day, tutoring the other) seemed to help the students. Petey Greene handled all coordination with the facility, which was smooth.

I’m from Spain, though I was born in Switzerland, and came to the US for grad school. Currently an assistant prof. at MIT. I work in symplectic geometry, in particular I like to think about caustics: the singularities of wavefronts. I also enjoy other things such as hiking, music, travel, and more. 

I volunteered at the Suffolk County Jail in Nashua St. to tutor students who were planning on taking the GED (high school equivalency) exam. It was a very interesting and rewarding experience. I’m excited to help grow a larger presence of volunteering in this space. 

I’m a math graduate student at MIT, advised by David Vogan. Within math, I’m particularly interested in representation theory and Lie theory. I’m honored to be a Hertz Fellow as well as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. In addition to math, I’m very passionate about education, particularly for incarcerated individuals and underrepresented groups. I also play drums in the Boston-based funk-rock jam band, Tailwind.